Johnny Cash Is Coming to Town is the 73rd overall album by American country singer Johnny Cash, released in 1987, and his first for Mercury Records. It was re-released in 2003, paired with Boom Chicka Boom on a single CD. "Sixteen Tons" was previously a hit for Tennessee Ernie Ford, "The Big Light" is an Elvis Costello song from his album King of America, released the previous year and "Let Him Roll" is from Guy Clark's debut, Old No. 1. The album reached #36 on the country charts, while the only released single, "The Night Hank Williams Came to Town", peaked at #43.C. Eric Banister -Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black 1617136085 2014 "“Sixteen Tons,” written by Merle Travis, fits, as one would expect, like a coal miner's glove, while “Letters from Home,” by Jack Wesley Routh and John Charles Crowley, finds Cash in a sentimental mood."
"Ballad of Barbara" is a rerecording of a track that had been a hit single for Cash in the early 1970s. A number of tracks left over from the album's recording sessions would later surface on Cash's final Mercury album, The Mystery of Life, released in 1991.
Track listing
Personnel Johnny Cash - vocals, guitar Waylon Jennings - vocals on "The Night Hank Williams Came to Town" Jim Soldi - lead and acoustic guitar, backing vocals Marty Stuart - lead and acoustic guitar, mandolin, backing vocals Pete Wade - lead guitar Bob Wootton - lead guitar Joey Miskulin - lead guitar, acoustic bass, backing vocals, keyboards Jack Clement - acoustic guitar, dobro, Jews harp, kazoo Mike Elliot - acoustic guitar Jimmy Tittle - electric bass, backing vocals Joe Allen, Michael Rhodes - electric bass Roy Huskey, Jr. - acoustic bass W.S. "Fluke" Holland - drums Kenny Malone - percussion Jack Hale, Jr. - horns, keyboards Bob Lewin - horns, keyboards Jay Patten - horns Earl Poole Ball - piano Charles Cochrane - piano, keyboards Lloyd Green - steel guitar Stuart Duncan, Mark O'Connor, Vassar Clements - fiddle Paco - harmonica June Carter and The Carter Family (June Carter Cash, Helen Carter, Anita Carter, Carlene Carter), Cinday Cash-Stuart, Bernard Peyton - backing vocals Charlie Williams - announcer voice on "The Night Hank Williams Came to Town"
Additional personnel Produced by Jack Clement Assistant producer: David Ferguson Recorded at the Cowboy Arms Hotel and Recording Spa Engineers: Rich Adler (chief engineer and technical director), David Ferguson Mixing engineers: Dave Ferguson (all except "Heavy Metal...") and Rich Adler ("Heavy Metal...") Executive producer: Joey Miskulin Mastering: Glenn Meadows, Masterfonics Production manager: Coley Coleman Liner notes: John Lomax III Eyes courtesy: Dr. Marie Kelly, Dr. Burkett Nelson Photography: Slick Lawson Art design: Virginia Team Design: Jerry Joyner, Joe Rogers
Charts Album - Billboard (United States) Chart (1987) Peak positionTop Country Albums 36
Singles - Billboard (United States) Year Single Peak positions US Country 1987 "The Night Hank Williams Came to Town" 43 "Sixteen Tons" - "Let Him Roll" - "W. Lee O'Daniel (and the Light Crust Dough Boys)" 72
References
External links Luma Electronic's Johnny Cash discography listing
es:Classic Cash: Hall of Fame Series