Orange Blossom Special (album)
Johnny Cash's 1965 album featuring folk standards and Dylan covers.
Orange Blossom Special is the thirteenth album Johnny Cash released for Columbia Records, coming out in 1965. It mixes country and folk standards like "The Long Black Veil," "When It's Springtime in Alaska (It's Forty Below)," "Danny Boy," and "Wildwood Flower" with three Bob Dylan songs: "It Ain't Me Babe," "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright," and "Mama, You Been on My Mind." The last of these was first released on this LP, having previously existed only as a Dylan demo or outtake.
The title track, "Orange Blossom Special," came out as a single before the album and became a hit. At the time, the song's writer wasn't widely known, and many artists had covered it. Cash learned from Maybelle Carter that Ervin T. Rouse wrote it, and later met Rouse during a show in Miami, Florida. Cash's recording stands out in his catalog for featuring a tenor saxophone solo by Boots Randolph, an instrument and musician rarely heard on Cash's records.
Cash recorded the album between August 27 and December 20, 1964, following his concept album Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian. The sessions also included standards by Lefty Frizzell, Tillman Franks, A.P. Carter, Jester Hairston, and Frederic Weatherly. Because audiences at Cash's live shows responded so well to his cover of "Orange Blossom Special," Columbia released it as a single in February 1965, where it reached number three on the Billboard singles chart.
During the mid-1960s, the song's authorship was still obscure. Cash asked Maybelle Carter about it during a recording session; she said Ervin T. Rouse and his brother Gordon wrote it, and that Ervin lived in Florida. Cash called Florida disc jockey Jim Brooker, who told him Rouse lived with the Seminoles in the Everglades. Brooker announced on his radio show that if Rouse was listening, he should call the station to get Cash's phone number. Rouse did call, and Cash told him he would soon be in Miami for a concert.
During an intermission of that Miami show, a man approached Cash backstage claiming to be Ervin Rouse. Cash recalled the name but couldn't place him. The man said he had written a few songs, including one with his brother called "The Special," which had done well.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Johnny Cash
- Released
- February 22, 1965
- Recorded
- August 27 – December 20, 1964
- Genre
- Folk; country
- Length
- 33:17
- Language
- English
- Label
- Columbia
- Producer
- Don Law; Frank Jones
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Following the recording of the concept album Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian, Cash recorded Orange Blossom Special between August 27 and December 20, 1964. The album's title song, "Orange Blossom Special", had been released as a single prior to the album and became a success. At the time of recording, the authorship of the song was not widely known; Cash learned from Maybelle Carter that it was written by Ervin T. Rouse. Cash later met Rouse during a show in Miami, Florida, after a disk jockey helped locate him. Cash's recording is unusual in his repertoire for featuring a tenor saxophone solo by Boots Randolph.
The album also contains three Bob Dylan songs: "It Ain't Me Babe", "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" and "Mama, You Been on My Mind". The last of these was first released on this LP by Cash, having previously been recorded by Dylan only as a demo. Cash had earlier borrowed the melody of "Don't Think Twice" for his recording "Understand Your Man." The duet with June Carter on "It Ain't Me Babe" also charted as a single.
Reader's Guide
Orange Blossom Special stands as a notable entry in Johnny Cash's mid-1960s output, blending traditional country and folk material with contemporary songwriting from Bob Dylan. The album reached number three on the Billboard Country Albums chart and number forty-nine on the Billboard 200, while its title single peaked at number three on the Hot Country Singles chart. The inclusion of three Dylan covers helped bridge the gap between folk and country audiences, and Cash's meeting with Ervin T. Rouse—the little-known writer of the title track—added a personal narrative to the album's backstory. The recording's unusual saxophone solo by Boots Randolph and Cash's later use of a dual-harmonica technique in live performances of "Orange Blossom Special" (as heard on At Folsom Prison) further distinguish the album. It has been regarded as one of Cash's finer non-greatest-hits releases.
Track listing
Side one
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orange Blossom Special | Ervin T. Rouse | 3:06 |
| 2 | The Long Black Veil | Marijohn Wilkin, Danny Dill | 3:06 |
| 3 | It Ain't Me Babe | Bob Dylan | 3:03 |
| 4 | The Wall | Harlan Howard | 2:09 |
| 5 | Don't Think Twice, It's All Right | Bob Dylan | 2:56 |
| 6 | You Wild Colorado | Johnny Cash | 1:45 |
Side two
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mama, You Been on My Mind | Bob Dylan | 3:02 |
| 2 | When It's Springtime in Alaska (It's Forty Below) | Tillman Franks | 2:36 |
| 3 | All of God's Children Ain't Free | Johnny Cash | 2:11 |
| 4 | Danny Boy | Frederic Weatherly | 5:08 |
| 5 | Wildwood Flower | A.P. Carter | 2:10 |
| 6 | Amen | Jester Hairston | 2:05 |
Track listing from the source article.
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