Johnny Cash Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous

Johnny Cash Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous is an album by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, originally released on December 1, 1958 by Sun Records. It was the first LP album to include the songs. However, since the album includes previously issued as singles, it has been classified as a compilation album. The album is made up of songs Cash recorded for Sun prior to leaving the label for Columbia Records.

Johnny Cash Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous
Compilation album by
ReleasedDecember 1, 1958 (1958-12-01)
RecordedApril 2, 1956 – July 10, 1958
Genre
LengthOriginal: 28:57
Re-issue: 38:08
LabelSun
Producer
Johnny Cash chronology
The Fabulous Johnny Cash
(1958)
Johnny Cash Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous
(1958)
Hymns by Johnny Cash
(1959)
Singles from Johnny Cash Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous
  1. "There You Go"
    Released: November 21, 1956
  2. "Next in Line"
    Released: April 15, 1957
  3. "Home of the Blues"
    Released: August 10, 1957
  4. "Ballad of a Teenage Queen"
    Released: December 1, 1957
  5. "Guess Things Happen That Way"
    Released: May 20, 1958
  6. "The Ways of a Woman in Love"
    Released: August 11, 1958
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link

The album was re-issued in 2003, under the label Varèse Sarabande, with four different versions of songs already available on the original LP as bonus tracks. The complete contents of the album are also incorporated into an extended version of the previous collection With His Hot and Blue Guitar included in the 2012 box set Johnny Cash: The Complete Columbia Album Collection. In 2017 and again in 2023, Sun released a remastered version of the album.

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Ballad of a Teenage Queen"Jack Clement2:13
2."There You Go"Johnny Cash2:19
3."I Walk the Line"Cash2:46
4."Don't Make Me Go"Cash2:31
5."Guess Things Happen That Way"Clement1:52
6."Train of Love"Cash2:24
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."The Ways of a Woman in Love"Bill Justis, Charlie Rich2:16
8."Next in Line"Cash2:49
9."You're the Nearest Thing to Heaven"Jim Atkins, Cash, Hoyt Johnson2:42
10."I Can't Help It"Hank Williams1:49
11."Home of the Blues"Cash, Douglas Glenn Tubb, Lillie McAlpin2:41
12."Big River"Cash2:35
Re-issue Bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Don't Make Me Go" (Alternate Take)Cash2:30
14."The Ways of a Woman in Love" (Alternate Take)Justis, Rich2:28
15."Ballad of a Teenage Queen" (Undubbed Master)Clement2:15
16."Guess Things Happen That Way" (Undubbed Master)Clement1:58
Total length:38:08

Personnel

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Technical
  • Sam Phillips - producer
  • Jack Clement - producer
  • Cary E. Mansfield — reissue producer
  • Bill Dahl — liner notes, reissue producer
  • Dan Hersch — digital remastering
  • Bill Pitzonka — reissue art director

Charts

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Singles - Billboard (United States)

Year Single Chart Position
1956 "There You Go" Country Singles 1
1957 "Don't Make Me Go" Country Singles 9
1957 "Home of the Blues" Country Singles 3
1957 "Home of the Blues" Pop Singles 88
1957 "Next in Line" Country Singles 9
1957 "Next in Line" Pop Singles 99
1957 "Train of Love" Country Singles 7
1958 "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" Country Singles 1
1958 "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" Pop Singles 14
1958 "Big River" Country Singles 4
1958 "Big River" Pop Singles 14
1958 "Guess Things Happen That Way" Country Singles 1
1958 "Guess Things Happen That Way" Pop Singles 11
1958 "The Ways of a Woman in Love" Country Singles 2
1958 "The Ways of a Woman in Love" Pop Singles 24
1958 "You're the Nearest Thing to Heaven" Country Singles 5
1958 "You're the Nearest Thing to Heaven" Pop Singles 24

References

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