American V: A Hundred Highways

American V: A Hundred Highways
Studio album by Johnny Cash
Released	July 4, 2006 (2006-07-04)
Recorded	May 2003–September 2003
Genre	Country, Americana
Length	42:45
Label	American and Lost Highway
Producer	Rick Rubin
Johnny Cash chronology
Personal File (2006) American V: A Hundred Highways (2006) American VI: Ain't No Grave (2010)
American series chronology
Unearthed (2003) American V: A Hundred Highways (2006) American VI: Ain't No Grave (2010)

American V: A Hundred Highways is the 93rd overall album and a posthumous album by Johnny Cash released on July 4, 2006. As the title implies, it is the fifth entry in Cash's American series. Like its predecessors, American V: A Hundred Highways is produced by Rick Rubin and released on Rubin's American Recordings record label via Lost Highway Records, as they currently distribute country releases from the American Recordings label. It was certified Gold on 8/18/2006 by the R.I.A.A.

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
NME	(9/10)
Robert Christgau	link
Pitchfork Media	(7.8/10) link
Rolling Stone
Slant Magazine	link

Track listing

1. "Help Me" (Larry Gatlin) – 2:51

   Previously recorded by Kris Kristofferson for Jesus Was a Capricorn (1972)

2. "God's Gonna Cut You Down" (Traditional) – 2:38

   Previously recorded by Odetta for Sings Ballads and Blues (1956), by Elvis Presley for How Great Thou Art (1967), and by The Blind Boys of Alabama (as "Run On for a Long Time") for Spirit of the Century (2001)

3. "Like the 309" (Johnny Cash) – 4:35
4. "If You Could Read My Mind" (Gordon Lightfoot) – 4:30

   Originally recorded by Lightfoot for Sit Down Young Stranger (1970)

5. "Further On (Up the Road)" (Bruce Springsteen) – 3:25

   Originally recorded by Springsteen for The Rising (2002)

6. "On the Evening Train" (Hank Williams) – 4:17
7. "I Came to Believe" (Johnny Cash) – 3:44

   Cash originally wrote this song prior to the sessions for this album

8. "Love's Been Good to Me" (Rod McKuen) – 3:18

   Originally recorded by Frank Sinatra for A Man Alone & Other Songs of Rod McKuen (1969)

9. "A Legend in My Time" (Don Gibson) – 2:37

   Originally recorded by Gibson for Sweet Dreams and Roy Orbison for Lonely and Blue (both 1960)

10. "Rose of My Heart" by (Hugh Moffatt) – 3:18

    Written in 1981 or 1982 and recorded by many artists, including Moffat for Troubadour (1989)

11. "Four Strong Winds" (Ian Tyson) – 4:34

    Previously recorded by Ian and Sylvia, John Denver and Neil Young

12. "I'm Free from the Chain Gang Now" (Lou Herscher, Saul Klein) – 3:00

    Originally recorded by Cash for The Sound of Johnny Cash (1962)

Song information

The liner notes of Unearthed, a box set composed of outtakes from the first four entries into the series, claim "around 50" songs were recorded during the American V sessions before Cash's death on September 12, 2003. However, only two albums worth of material will be released, including American VI: Ain't No Grave, which was released in February 2010.

As the other American series albums, the album includes covers, originals, and a re-recording of a song. The originals on this album are "I Came to Believe" and "Like the 309", the latter of which was the last song Cash ever wrote before passing away.^[1]

The album takes its name from a lyric on the track "Love's Been Good to Me" by Rod McKuen; the opening verse begins (emphasis added):

I have been a rover
I have walked alone
Hiked a hundred highways
Never found a home

Personnel

Cash engineer David "Fergie" Ferguson (assisted by Jimmy Tittle) and Rubin oversaw the completion of the recordings. Other musicians on the album include keyboardist Benmont Tench and guitarists Mike Campbell, Smoky Hormel, Matt Sweeney and Jonny Polonsky.

Musicians

• Johnny Cash – vocal, guitar
• Laura Cash – fiddle
• Dennis Crouch – bass guitar
• Smokey Hormel – guitar
• Pat McLaughlin – guitar
• Larry Perkins – guitar
• Jonny Polonsky – guitar
• Randy Scruggs – guitar
• Marty Stuart – guitar
• Benmont Tench – organ, piano, harpsichord
• Pete Wade – guitar
• Mac Wiseman – guitar

Additional personnel

• Martyn Atkins – photography
• Christine Cano – art direction, design
• John Carter Cash – executive producer
• Lindsay Chase – production coordination
• Greg Fidelman – mixing
• Paul Figueroa – mixing assistant
• Dan Leffler – mixing assistant
• Vlado Meller – mastering
• Rick Rubin – producer, liner notes
• David Campbell - string arranger
• Mark Santangelo – mastering assistant
• Jimmy Tittle – assistant engineer

Chart performance

Even in death, Johnny Cash topped the Billboard 200 with the album American V: A Hundred Highways. It is his first No. 1 album since 1969's Johnny Cash at San Quentin with 88,000 copies sold in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

References

External links

• Cash's official website
• USATODAY.com - Johnny Cash's final work yields 2 more albums
• E! Online News - Johnny Cash's Last "American" Song
• THE POP LIFE; Johnny Cash's Legacy Of Emotions, on CD's. New York Times (reprinted on JohnnyCashMusic.com). November 27, 2003.
• Cash Earns First No. 1 Album Since 1969. Billboard July 12, 2006.
• Luma Electronic's Johnny Cash discography listing

v t e Johnny Cash Studio albums With His Hot and Blue Guitar Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous The Fabulous Johnny Cash Greatest! Sings Hank Williams Now, There Was a Song! Now Here's Johnny Cash The Sound of Johnny Cash All Aboard the Blue Train Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash I Walk the Line Orange Blossom Special Everybody Loves a Nut Happiness is You Old Golden Throat More of Old Golden Throat Hello, I'm Johnny Cash Man in Black A Thing Called Love Any Old Wind That Blows Ragged Old Flag Junkie and the Juicehead Minus Me John R. Cash Look at Them Beans One Piece at a Time The Last Gunfighter Ballad I Would Like to See You Again Gone Girl Silver Rockabilly Blues The Baron The Adventures of Johnny Cash Johnny 99 Rainbow Johnny Cash is Coming to Town Classic Cash: Hall of Fame Series Water from the Wells of Home Boom Chicka Boom The Mystery of Life American Recordings Unchained American III: Solitary Man American IV: The Man Comes Around American V: A Hundred Highways American VI: Ain't No Grave Concept albums Songs of Our Soil Ride This Train The Lure of the Grand Canyon Blood, Sweat and Tears Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian Sings the Ballads of the True West From Sea to Shining Sea America: A 200-Year Salute in Story and Song The Johnny Cash Children's Album The Rambler Gospel albums Hymns by Johnny Cash Hymns from the Heart The Holy Land Sings Precious Memories A Believer Sings the Truth Believe in Him My Mother's Hymn Book Christmas albums The Christmas Spirit The Johnny Cash Family Christmas Classic Christmas Johnny Cash Country Christmas Collaborations Carryin' On with Johnny Cash and June Carter Johnny Cash and His Woman The Legend of Jesse James The Survivors Live Highwayman Heroes Class of '55 Highwayman 2 The Road Goes on Forever VH1 Storytellers Live albums At Folsom Prison At San Quentin The Johnny Cash Show På Österåker Strawberry Cake At Madison Square Garden A Concert Behind Prison Walls Soundtrack albums I Walk the Line Little Fauss and Big Halsy The Gospel Road Return to the Promised Land Compilation albums Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 Heart of Cash The World of Johnny Cash Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 Sunday Morning Coming Down International Superstar Five Feet High and Rising Greatest Hits, Vol. 3 The Unissued Johnny Cash Johnny & June Tall Man Encore Biggest Hits The Man in Black 1954–1958 The Man in Black 1959–1962 Come Along and Ride this Train Wanted Man The Man in Black 1963–1969 16 Biggest Hits Love, God and Murder The Essential Johnny Cash Unearthed The Legend The Legend of Johnny Cash 16 Biggest Hits: Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash Personal File The Legend of Johnny Cash Vol. II Songs "25 Minutes to Go" "A Boy Named Sue" "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" "Cat's in the Cradle" "Cocaine Blues" "Cry! Cry! Cry!" "Dark as a Dungeon" "Engine 143" "Folsom Prison Blues" "Get Rhythm" "Goodnight, Irene" "Green, Green Grass of Home" "Greystone Chapel" "Hey Porter" "Home of the Blues" "Hurt" "I Still Miss Someone" "I Walk the Line" "In My Life" "It Ain't Me Babe" "Jackson" "The Man Comes Around" "One Piece at a Time" "The One on the Right Is on the Left" "Remember the Alamo" "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky" "Ring of Fire" "Tennessee Flat Top Box" "What Is Truth" "What'd I Say" Family June Carter Cash John Carter Cash Rosanne Cash Carlene Carter Vivian Liberto Tommy Cash Carter Family Related articles Discography Sun Records discography Highwaymen Walk the Line Book:Johnny Cash