Rockabilly Blues is an album by American country singer Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1980. Highlights include "Cold Lonesome Morning," which had some minor chart success (No. 53 in the country charts), "Without Love," by his son-in-law, Nick Lowe, and a cover of the witty "The Twentieth Century Is Almost Over." The first two of the aforementioned songs were the only singles from the album, though "Without Love" hardly enjoyed any chart success, peaking at No. 78. "The Twentieth Century Is Almost Over" was re-recorded five years later by Cash and Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, collectively known as the Highwaymen, on their first album entitled Highwayman, though it was, in essence, a duet with Nelson.
Critical reception
Robert Christgau deemed Rockabilly Blues "an honorable country album with some pretty good songs on it." The Globe and Mail concluded that the album "has more to do with traditional country music than it does hot country-rock." The Boston Globe opined that "best of all is Cash's long awaited discovery of John Prine ('The 20th Century Is Almost Over')."
Track listing
Personnel
Johnny Cash - vocals, rhythm guitar Bob Wootton, Pete Wade, Cliff Parker - electric guitar Martin Belmont, Jerry Hensley, Jack Routh, Marty Stuart, Eddy Shaver - guitar Jack Clement - dobro, acoustic guitar, producer Dave Kirby - acoustic guitar, guitar Jerry Hensley - electric, acoustic and rhythm guitar, dobro, harmony vocals Billy Joe Shaver - guitar, gut-string guitar Philip Donnelly - guitar Bobby Thompson - acoustic guitar, banjo Dave Edmunds - guitar, engineer W.S. Holland, Jerry Carrigan, Larrie Londin, Kenny Malone, Pete Thomas - drums Floyd Chance - upright bass Earl Poole Ball - electric and acoustic piano, producer Daniel Sarenana, John Willis - brass Joe Allen, Joe Osborn - electric bass Nick Lowe - electric bass, producer Shane Keister - Moog synthesizer, Prophet 5 synthesizer Terry McMillan - harmonica Irv Kane, Rex Peer - trombone on "One Way Rider" Don Sheffield, George Cunningham - trumpet on "One Way Rider" June Carter Cash - additional vocals on "One Way Rider" Charles Cochran - horn arrangement on "One Way Rider"
Production Album produced by Earl Poole Ball "Without Love" produced by Nick Lowe "It Ain't Nothing New Babe" and "One Way Rider" produced by Jack Clement Engineers: Gene Eichelberger at Quadrafonic Studio, Nashville, TN; Curt Allen at JMI Recording Studio, Nashville, TN; Dave Edmunds at U.K. Pro Studio, London, England Back-up Engineers: Willie Pevear, Barbara Cline at Quadraphonic Studio, Nashville TN Recorded at Quadraphonic Studio, JMI Recording Studio, U.K. Pro Studio Front Cover Photography: Leonard Kamsler Reissue Producer: Dave Nives Project Coordinator: Kajetan Koci Reissue Designer: Suzanne Ammon
Chart performance
Album Chart (1980) Peakposition Canadian RPM Country Albums 23
Singles Year Single Peak positions US Country CAN Country 1980 "Cold Lonesome Morning" 53 74 "The Last Time" 85 — 1981 "Without Love" 78 68
References
External links Luma Electronic entry on Rockabilly Blues