Tristi’s blog about the movie, ‘Walk the Line’ prompted me to write about two of the Johnny Cash items I have. The first is the last CD of songs he recorded before his death. It is titled ‘Johnny Cash, My Mother’s Hymn Book.’
The CD includes songs such as:
‘When the Road is Called up Yonder’
‘Softy and Tenderly, ‘‘Just as I am‘ The old hymn forever associated for me and, I suspect, many other Christians with Billy Graham crusades.
This is only a few. There are 15 tracks. Some of the gospel hymns were unfamiliar to me. Others I could sing along with every word, or near enough. I’ve played it several times, since my son gave it to me and it is destined to become a huge favorite.
The other item is a two record set called ‘The Gospel Road’ which is the soundtrack from the movie of the same name and produced by 20th Century Fox. The record set was produced in 1972.
‘The Gospel Road’ tells the story in narrative and song from the baptism of Jesus and the beginning of his earthly ministry, through the choosing of the twelve disciples, the sermon on the mount, aspects of Jesus’ teaching like the Living Water and The Bread of Life, the miracles including the water into wine, the blind see, the raising of Lazarus. The story continues to The Last Supper, Jesus in Gethsemane, the crucifixion, Jesus’ last words, the resurrection and the great commission. To sit and listen to Cash’s gravelly voice as he tells the story of Our Lord sends goosebumps up and down my arms.
Other voices on the record include June Carter Cash, The Carter Family, Rita Coolidge, Larry Gatlin, Kris Kristofferson (another gravelly voice I spent a lot of time listing to in the late seventies and eighties and still enjoy today) and The Statler Brothers. If you’ve never heard ‘The Gospel Road’, see if you can get hold of it and have a listen. I’d love to hear your response.
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