''Personal File'' is the 92nd album by American music icon

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

. The two CD set was released posthumously on May 23, 2006, by

Legacy Recordings Legacy Recordings is an American record label that is a division of Sony Music. Formed in 1990 after Sony's acquisition of CBS Records, Legacy originally handled the archives of Sony Music-owned labels Columbia Records and Epic Records. In 2 ...

. ''Personal File'' contains 49 unreleased tracks on two CDs recorded between 1973 and 1982. Given that all tracks on the album were previously unreleased, ''Personal File'' is considered both a posthumous album and a compilation. Recovered from a vault of material housed at the House of Cash studios, ''Personal File'' includes "

Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of History of music publishing, music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the American popular music, popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Originally ...

hits, traditional folk and gospel tunes, new originals and favorite covers

– by Carter Family, Louvin Brothers,

Johnny Horton John LaGale Horton (April 30, 1925 – November 5, 1960) was an American country, honky tonk, and rockabilly musician during the 1950s. He is best known for a series of history-inspired narrative country saga songs that became international ...

, John Prine,

Rodney Crowell Rodney Crowell (born August 7, 1950) is an American musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music. Crowell has had five number one singles on Hot Country Songs, all from his 1988 album '' Diamonds & Dirt''. ...

, and

Carlene Carter Carlene Carter (born Rebecca Carlene Smith; September 26, 1955) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of June Carter Cash and her first husband, Carl Smith (country musician), Carl Smith. Since 1978, Carter has ...

. The album was compiled and produced by Gregg Geller with liner notes by

Greil Marcus Greil Marcus (né Gerstley; born June 19, 1945) is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a broader framework of culture and politics. Biogra ...

. On most of the tracks, Cash performs alone, accompanying himself on guitar, and on many tracks Cash prefaces the song with remarks about its history and what it means to him. In 2007, Legacy released a sequel, ''More Songs from Johnny's Personal File'', featuring additional private recordings. The first album was reissued in 2011 by Legacy under the revised title ''Bootleg Vol. 1: Personal File'', which was followed by three more volumes of unreleased or rare recordings. (As of 2015, however, ''More Songs from Johnny's Personal File'' has yet to be reissued under this brand.)

Track listing

Personnel

* Johnny Cash - Vocals, Guitar, Producer

Additional personnel

* Vic Anesini – Mastering * Charlie Bragg – Engineer * John Carter Cash – Executive Producer * Gregg Geller – Producer, Compilation * John Jackson – Project Director *

– Liner Notes * Jim Marshall – Photography, Cover Photo * Randall Martin – Art Direction, Design * Rosa Menkes – Producer * Lou Robin – Executive Producer

Chart performance

Reviews

"Johnny Cash Treasure Chest on the Way"
- '' CMT''
"Johnny Cash's Vault Opens"
- ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

''
"Johnny Cash Gets Personal"
- ''Spin''

References

External links

Johnny Cash's Official Website

{{Authority control 2006 compilation albums Columbia Records compilation albums Johnny Cash compilation albums