On This Day 07/05/1968 Johnny Cash

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On this day, 7 May 1968, American country singing legend Johnny Cash played Cardiff’s Capitol Theatre. Also on the bill was Carl Perkins, June Carter, James Royal and The Tennessee Three.

Cash had recently married June Carter in March and had received a Grammy for their hit together “Jackson” and had just released his 26th album From Sea to Shining Sea.

Each track on the concept album was written by Cash; none of them were released as singles.

"The Walls of a Prison" reuses the melody of "Streets of Laredo” from Cash's 1965 album Sings the Ballads of the True West.

But most notable during this period. was his recording At Folsom Prison released 6 May and Cash’s first live album

It comprises recordings of performances by Cash and his band at Folsom State Prison, California, on January 13, 1968.

After his 1955 song "Folsom Prison Blues, Cash had been interested in recording a performance at a prison. His idea was put on hold until 1967, when personnel changes at Columbia Records put Bob Johnston in charge of producing Cash's material. Cash had controlled his drug abuse problems, and was looking to turn his career around after several years of limited success. Backed by June Carter, Carl Perkins and the Tennessee Three Cash performed two shows at Folsom State Prison.

On this day 01/11/1984 Johnny Cash

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On this day, 1 November 1984, Country music legend Johnny Cash played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall.

By the 1980s country legend Johnny Cash had seen his star fade, but this forgotten man of the music industry would end up having his career reignited by a punk from Newport.

Mekons' singer Jon Langford had been a life-long Cash fan when he sneaked backstage at the Manchester Apollo in 1988 to tell his idol he and some friends were planning to make a tribute album to him.

With the help of ex-Fall guitarist-turned-radio DJ Marc Riley, the homage – entitled ’Til Things Are Brighter – featured the eclectic likes of Michelle Shocked, Marc Almond and Gaye Bikers on Acid, and the proceeds went to the Terrence Higgins Trust, the UK’s leading HIV and sexual health charity.

Cash loved the album and US journalists dubbed the hook-up “Johnny Cash Meets the Hip Britons”, pre-empting the new-found coolness the singer experienced throughout the 90s under the guidance of influential Beastie Boys producer Rick Rubin.

Between 1981 and 1984, he recorded several sessions with famed countrypolitan producer Billy Sherrill (who also produced "The Chicken in Black"), which were shelved; they would be released by Columbia's sister label, Legacy Recordings, in 2014 as Out Among the Stars.

Around this time, Cash also recorded an album of gospel recordings that ended up being released by another label around the time of his departure from Columbia (this due to Columbia closing down its Priority Records division that was to have released the recordings).

After more unsuccessful recordings were released between 1984 and 1985, Cash left Columbia Records.

SETLIST

Ring of Fire

(Merle Kilgore cover)

Folsom Prison Blues

Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down

(Kris Kristofferson cover)

Any Old Wind That Blows

Big River

City of New Orleans

(Steve Goodman cover)

I Still Miss Someone

The Baron

Why Me

(Kris Kristofferson cover)

Bottom of a Mountain

Highway Patrolman

(Bruce Springsteen cover)

I Ride an Old Paint / Streets of Laredo

Riders in the Sky

(Stan Jones and his Death Valley Rangers cover)

Paradise

(John Prine cover)

Play Video

Remember the Alamo

(Tex Ritter cover)

One Piece at a Time

They Killed Him

Chariots of Fire

(Instrumental By Earl Ball)

Detroit City

If I Were a Carpenter

(Tim Hardin cover) (with June Carter Cash)

Jackson

(Billy Edd Wheeler cover) (with June Carter Cash)

San Antonio Rose

(Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys cover) (June Carter)

Wabash Cannonball

(The Carter Family cover) (June Carter)

Lonesome Valley

(The Carter Family cover) (June Carter)

Daddy Sang Bass

I'll Fly Away

(Albert E. Brumley cover)

The Fourth Man

(Arthur Smith cover)

A Boy Named Sue

Supper Time

(Jimmie Davis cover)

Give My Love to Rose

The Ballad of Casey Jones

([traditional] cover)

Orange Blossom Special

(Rouse Brothers cover)

On This Day 11/5/1966 Bob Dylan/Johnny Cash

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On this day, 11 May 1966, two music greats appeared in Cardiff on the same evening with Bob Dylan playing the Capitol Theatre whilst, just down the road at the Sophia Gardens Pavilion was Johnny Cash.

Backstage at the Capitol Theatre Cash and Dylan played some songs together, just before Dylan was due to go onstage.

Filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker shot Dylan on the 1966 tour and filmed Dylan with the country legend who was at the height of his well-documented pill addiction. He was swallowing Dexedrine and Equanil like candy, and it nearly killed him.

Pennebaker shot Dylan and Cash playing some Hank Williams classics, and it seems like both of them are on the verge of collapse.

It is said that Dylan arrived on stage 30 minutes late looking sharp in a new suit and proceeded to perform a solo acoustic set for the first hour which no doubt went down well with the Welsh folk fraternal but things changed when he and his band plugged in for “new” electric versions that divided opinion amongst his now bewildered audience, some of whom up and left on disgust.