GREAT RICK RUBIN INTERVIEW RE: JOHNNY CASH AMERICAN VI

Really interesting interview with Rick Rubin, talking about Johnny Cash's American VI: Ain't No Grave with New York magazine. What interested me most was his comparing the end of the album - the traditional Hawaiian song "Aloha Oe," to the song that ended American IV: The Man Comes Around. That album ended with "We'll Meet Again," and featured backing vocals by Johnny's friends, family and employees.  Johnny thought that that would be the last song on his last album, his health wasn't in great shape at that point. But the day after the album was done, Rick asked him if he wanted to start working on American V. So all the sessions they worked on at that point made up the final two albums.  This time, he really did know his time was running out, hence "Aloha Oe" ending what actually was the final album.

TOMORROW NIGHT ON THE CATHOLIC CHANNEL: JOHNNY CASH

For those of you who are new to No Expiration, once a month I go on SIRIUS XM's Catholic Channel's Busted Halo show on "Faith and Culture Thursday." Each time I discuss a different artist.  Tomorrow, I'll be talking about Johnny Cash on the eve of the release of what will be his final album, American VI: Ain't No Grave. I think that producer Rick Rubin may have saved the best for last. These really are the final songs that Cash recorded before he passed away.  I have listened to the album a few times now, I totally recommend it. I'll be talking about songs from his Sun and Columbia Records years as well.

CELEBRATE THE MAN IN BLACK

This Friday would have been Johnny Cash 's 78th birthday, and as I've mentioned, there's a group asking people to wear black to commemorate the occasion. Another group is celebrating the man with a movement to get Columbia Records to re-release Bitter Tears, Johnny's 1964 album about our country's gross mistreatment of Native Americans. Read more about that at Reuters.

Meanwhile, as I write about this, I'm listening to what is most likely the final Johnny Cash album, American VI: Ain't No Grave.  Producer Rick Rubin may well have saved the best of the American Recordings sessions for last.

GREAT REVIEW OF JOHNNY CASH: AMERICAN VI: AIN'T NO GRAVE

I just got my digital copy of Johnny Cash's American VI: Ain't No Grave, but I haven't digested it yet. I'll be talking about it next Thursday night on SIRIUS XM's The Catholic Channel's Busted Halo Show, and at some point on OutQ's The Morning Jolt With Larry Flick as well. But there's a really moving article/review of the album at the LA Times, which discusses the difference between that album and American V: A Hundred Highways.  Check it out.

BLACK CELEBRATION: JOHNNY CASH'S BIRTHDAY

There is an official facebook group organizing people who want to celebrate the 78th anniversary of the birth of Johnny Cash on February 26. The page was put together by Lost Highway Records, as part of the promotion behind behind Johnny's final album, American VI: Ain't No Grave. The facebook page is also having a contest: if you post pictures of yourself wearing black, you are entered into a contest to win the new album, as well as the 5 CD box set, Unearthed, collecting tons of unreleased gems from Johnny's American Recordings era. It is a really awesome box set, I have it, it's totally worth getting.

JOHNNY CASH'S FINAL ALBUM DUE FEBRUARY 26

A few weeks ago, I wrote about rumors of Johnny Cash's final album, American VI: Ain't No Grave. Looks like that's the name of the album, and here's the cover, it comes out on February 26 on what would have been The Man In Black's 78th birthday. These songs were recorded during the same sessions that yielded American V: A Hundred Highways.  He knew these songs would be his last ones.  It gives a lot of weight to songs on American V like "God's Gonna Cut You Down." I imagine this album will be similarly heavy. Like that album, this one features Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench of The Heartbreakers.  Some of the songs: Sheryl Crow's "Redemption Day," Kris Kristofferson's "For The Good Times," Queen Lili'uokalani's "Aloha Oe," and one of the last songs Cash wrote himself, "I Corinthians 15:55." I think Johnny Cash's American Recordings albums were phenomonal, and I'm glad that we're getting the chance to hear all of the sessions.