Studio Album · No. 45
Songwriter Songwriting Credits by Johnny Cash
Produced by Johnny Cash, John Carter Cash, Mike Daniel, David R. Ferguson, Josh Matas
Mercury Nashville
Country
100%
Authorship
Holds writing credit on 11 of 11 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 11 / 11 documented
Who wrote the songs?
Scored across the 11 tracks with documented writers, by whether Johnny Cash carries a lyricist or composer credit.
11 trackswritten by Johnny Cash
0 tracksoutside writers
Johnny Cash's roles on this album
Share of the 11 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
Lyricist100%
Composer100%
Producer100%
Performer100%
By the Numbers
11
Tracks
1
Lyricists
5
Producers
2024
Released
Data Insight
The title is the point: every one of the eleven songs is written by Johnny Cash alone, with no co-writer anywhere. That is rare in his catalogue, where covers and outside material make up much of the recorded output, and it is why these 1993 sessions were shelved as a set and later released under this name. The vocals are his from 1993; everything around them was played in 2023, which puts Marty Stuart, Dan Auerbach and Vince Gill on a record whose singer died in 2003.
Songwriter is a posthumous Johnny Cash album released on June 28, 2024 through Mercury Nashville and UMe, twenty-one years after his death. The eleven vocal takes were recorded in early 1993 at LSI Studios in Nashville and sat unreleased; in 2023 his son John Carter Cash brought in new backing at Cash Cabin Studio, with Marty Stuart, Dan Auerbach, Vince Gill and archival Waylon Jennings vocals. Cash wrote all eleven songs himself.
Track Listing & Credits 11 tracks
Written by the artist
Written by outside writers
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Hello Out There
|
Johnny Cash | Johnny Cash | Johnny CashJohn Carter CashMike DanielDavid R. FergusonJosh Matas | Johnny Cash (Lead Vocals)Marty Stuart (Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar)Dave Roe (Upright Bass)Russ Pahl (Steel Guitar) |
| 2 |
Spotlight
|
Johnny Cash | Johnny Cash | Johnny CashJohn Carter CashMike DanielDavid R. FergusonJosh Matas | Johnny Cash (Lead Vocals)Marty Stuart (Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar)Dave Roe (Upright Bass)Russ Pahl (Steel Guitar)Dan Auerbach (Electric Guitar) |
| 3 |
Drive On
|
Johnny Cash | Johnny Cash | Johnny CashJohn Carter CashMike DanielDavid R. FergusonJosh Matas | Johnny Cash (Lead Vocals)Marty Stuart (Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar)Dave Roe (Upright Bass)Russ Pahl (Steel Guitar) |
| 4 |
I Love You Tonite
|
Johnny Cash | Johnny Cash | Johnny CashJohn Carter CashMike DanielDavid R. FergusonJosh Matas | Johnny Cash (Lead Vocals)Marty Stuart (Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar)Dave Roe (Upright Bass)Russ Pahl (Steel Guitar)Waylon Jennings (Backing Vocals) |
| 5 |
Have You Ever Been to Little Rock?
|
Johnny Cash | Johnny Cash | Johnny CashJohn Carter CashMike DanielDavid R. FergusonJosh Matas | Johnny Cash (Lead Vocals)Marty Stuart (Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar)Dave Roe (Upright Bass)Russ Pahl (Steel Guitar) |
| 6 |
Well Alright
|
Johnny Cash | Johnny Cash | Johnny CashJohn Carter CashMike DanielDavid R. FergusonJosh Matas | Johnny Cash (Lead Vocals)Marty Stuart (Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar)Dave Roe (Upright Bass)Russ Pahl (Steel Guitar) |
| 7 |
She Sang Sweet Baby James
|
Johnny Cash | Johnny Cash | Johnny CashJohn Carter CashMike DanielDavid R. FergusonJosh Matas | Johnny Cash (Lead Vocals)Marty Stuart (Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar)Dave Roe (Upright Bass)Russ Pahl (Steel Guitar) |
| 8 |
Poor Valley Girl
|
Johnny Cash | Johnny Cash | Johnny CashJohn Carter CashMike DanielDavid R. FergusonJosh Matas | Johnny Cash (Lead Vocals)Marty Stuart (Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar)Dave Roe (Upright Bass)Russ Pahl (Steel Guitar)Vince Gill (Backing Vocals) |
| 9 |
Soldier Boy
|
Johnny Cash | Johnny Cash | Johnny CashJohn Carter CashMike DanielDavid R. FergusonJosh Matas | Johnny Cash (Lead Vocals)Marty Stuart (Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar)Dave Roe (Upright Bass)Russ Pahl (Steel Guitar) |
| 10 |
Sing It Pretty Sue
|
Johnny Cash | Johnny Cash | Johnny CashJohn Carter CashMike DanielDavid R. FergusonJosh Matas | Johnny Cash (Lead Vocals)Marty Stuart (Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar)Dave Roe (Upright Bass)Russ Pahl (Steel Guitar) |
| 11 |
Like a Soldier
|
Johnny Cash | Johnny Cash | Johnny CashJohn Carter CashMike DanielDavid R. FergusonJosh Matas | Johnny Cash (Lead Vocals)Marty Stuart (Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar)Dave Roe (Upright Bass)Russ Pahl (Steel Guitar)Waylon Jennings (Backing Vocals) |
Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 11 contributors
JC
Johnny Cash
Writer · Producer · Vocals
DR
David R. Ferguson
Producer
JC
John Carter Cash
Producer
JM
Josh Matas
Producer
MD
Mike Daniel
Producer
DA
Dan Auerbach
Electric Guitar
DR
Dave Roe
Upright Bass
MS
Marty Stuart
Electric Guitar
RP
Russ Pahl
Steel Guitar
VG
Vince Gill
Vocals
WJ
Waylon Jennings
Vocals
More from Johnny Cash
1957
42%
With His Hot and Blue Guitar!
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1958
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The Fabulous Johnny Cash
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1959
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Hymns by Johnny Cash
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1959
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Songs of Our Soil
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1960
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Ride This Train
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1960
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Now, There Was a Song!
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1962
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Hymns from the Heart
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1962
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The Sound of Johnny Cash
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1963
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Blood Sweat and Tears
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1964
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Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian
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1964
75%
I Walk the Line
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1965
42%
Johnny Cash Sings the Ballads of the True West
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12 tracks
1965
17%
Orange Blossom Special
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1966
60%
Everybody Loves a Nut
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10 tracks
1966
30%
Happiness Is You
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10 tracks
1968
100%
From Sea to Shining Sea
Columbia
12 tracks
1969
100%
The Holy Land
Columbia
15 tracks
1970
70%
Hello, I'm Johnny Cash
Columbia
10 tracks
1971
60%
Man in Black
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10 tracksProd. Bob Johnston
1972
80%
A Thing Called Love
Columbia
10 tracks
1973
40%
Any Old Wind That Blows
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10 tracks
1974
100%
Ragged Old Flag
Columbia Records
12 tracksProd. Charlie Bragg
1975
70%
John R. Cash
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10 tracks
1975
60%
Look at Them Beans
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10 tracks
1976
80%
One Piece at a Time
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10 tracks
1977
70%
The Last Gunfighter Ballad
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10 tracks
1977
100%
The Rambler
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7 tracks
1978
78%
Gone Girl
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9 tracks
1979
56%
Silver
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9 tracks
1980
91%
Rockabilly Blues
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1981
50%
The Baron
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10 tracks
1982
56%
Adventures of Johnny Cash
Columbia Records
9 tracks
1983
0%
Johnny 99
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1985
30%
Rainbow
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10 tracks
1986
70%
Believe in Him
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10 tracks
1988
44%
Water from the Wells of Home
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60%
Boom Chicka Boom
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1991
70%
The Mystery of Life
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10 tracks
1994
38%
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21%
Unchained
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14 tracksProd. Rick Rubin
2000
38%
American III: Solitary Man
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13 tracks
2002
20%
The Man Comes Around
American Recordings / Universal
15 tracksProd. Rick Rubin
2006
25%
American V: A Hundred Highways
American Recordings/Lost Highway
12 tracks
2010
10%
American VI: Ain't No Grave
American Recordings/Lost Highway
10 tracks
Frequently Asked Questions Songwriter
Did Johnny Cash write all of Songwriter?
Yes. All eleven tracks are written by Johnny Cash alone, with no co-writers, which is what the album title refers to.
When was Songwriter recorded?
The vocals were recorded in early 1993 at LSI Studios in Nashville. New instrumental backing was overdubbed in 2023 at Cash Cabin Studio.
When was Songwriter released?
June 28, 2024, through Mercury Nashville and UMe, twenty-one years after Cash’s death in 2003.
Who plays on Songwriter?
Marty Stuart, Dan Auerbach, Vince Gill, Russ Pahl, Dave Roe, Mike Rojas, Harry Stinson and others, all recorded in 2023. Waylon Jennings appears on backing vocals.
Who produced Songwriter?
Johnny Cash, John Carter Cash, Mike Daniel, David R. Ferguson and Josh Matas.
How long is Songwriter?
Eleven tracks running 30 minutes and 53 seconds. A 2CD edition adds a bonus disc of earlier recordings.