Columbia C2S-838

Released   Original: September, 1965

                   Reissue: August, 2002

Recorded  In Columbia Recording Studio, Nashville in March, 1965

                   In Columbia Recording Studio, Nashville in April, 1965

Genre        Country

Length       Original: 64:50

                   Reissue: 68:25

Label         Columbia Records

Producer   Don Law, Frank Jones

Johnny Cash' album "Sings The Ballads Of The True West" is a concept album, where all of the 20 songs are cover songs. As the title describes, this album is dedicated to the history of the American Old West.

"Mr. Garfield" was the only single released from this album. The song describes the shock after the assasination of President James Garfield.

A lot of the songs from this album, such as "Streets of Laredo" and "Sam Hall", will later reappear in other albums. While maybe the most famous song is "25 Minutes to go", wich Cash performed live at Folsom Prison.

Track listing:

1. 1.Hiawata's Vision - 2:25
   

2. 2.The Road to Kaintuck (June Carter) - 2:43
   

3. 3.The Shifting Whispering Sands, Part I (Jack V. C. Gilbert, Mary Margaret Hadler) - 2:54
   

4. 4.The Ballad of Boot Hill (Carl Perkins) - 3:48
   

5. 5.I Ride an Old Paint (Traditional) - 2:58
   

6. 6.Hardin Wouldn't Run - 4:19
   

7. 7.Mr. Garfield (Ramblin' Jack Elliott) - 4:35
   

8. 8.Streets of Laredo (Traditional) - 3:39
   

9. 9.Johnny Reb (Merle Kilgore) - 2:50
   

10. 10.A Letter From Home (Maybelle Carter, Dearest Dan) - 2:35
    

11. 11.Bury Me Not on The Lone Prairie (Traditional) - 2:26
    

12. 12.Mean As Hell - 3:07
    

13. 13.Sam Hall (Tex Ritter) - 3:15
    

14. 14.25 Minutes to go (Shel Siverstein) - 3:14
    

15. 15.The Blizzard (Harlan Howard) - 3:53
    

16. 16.Sweet Betsy From Pike (Jimmie Driftwood) - 3:57
    

17. 17.Green Grow The Lilacs (Traditional) - 2:47
    

18. 18.Stampede (Peter La Farge) - 4:01
    

19. 19.The Shifting Whispering Sands, Part II (Jack V. C. Gilbert, Mary Margaret Hadler) - 2:28
    

20. 20.Reflections - 2:58
    

The LP was re-issued on August 27, 2002 with two bonus tracks:

1. 1. Rodeo Hand (Peter La Farge) - 2:27
   

2. 2.Stampede (Peter La Farge) - 1:07
   

"Stampede" from the reissued album is an instrumental version of the song from the original album.

Personell:

1. •Johnny Cash - Guitar, Vocals
   

2. •Luther Perkins - Electric Guitar
   

3. •Norman Blake - Guitar
   

4. •Jack Clement - Guitar
   

5. •Marshall Grant - Bass
   

6. •W.S. Holland - Drums
   

7. •Michael N. Kazak - Drums
   

8. •Bill Pursell - Piano
   

9. •Charlie McCoy - Harmonica
   

10. •Mother Maybelle Carter - Autoharp
    

11. •The Carter Family - Backing vocals
    

12. •The Statler Brothers - Backing vocals
    

13. •Don Law - Producer
    

14. •Frank Jones - Producer
    

Charts

Being the only single released from this album, "Mr. Garfield" was the only single to reach the billboard.

Year    Single                                              Chart                    Position

1965:   Mr. Garfield                                      Country Singles         15

The album did not reach the Billboard, but the album "Mean As Hell" did. "Mean As Hell" consists of 12 of the original 20 songs from "Sings The Ballads Of The True West", and was released as a single album (while "Sings The Ballads Of The True West" was a double).