Hymns By Johnny Cash

Faith was central to Johnny Cash's music and life. On this 1959 album, his fifth, we see a humble man looking back to the faith of his childhood. Cash's faith is deeply sentimental, rooted in the folksy Christianity of the cottonfields. Musically, there is no other Cash album quite like this one. The core of this album is the boom-chicka-boom sound of Cash and the Tennessee Two; bassist Marshall Grant and electric guitarist Luther Perkins. The songs are a mix of traditionals, contemporary tunes and four Cash originals. "Lead Me Father" is a comforting ballad with beautiful backing vocals by the Jordanaires and "I Call Him" is a bouncy number co-written with his father, Roy Cash. This is Cash's first and most popular gospel album.