*(1955) Sun 221 A ''Cry! Cry! Cry!'' (Take 4 U-151 Master) Johnny Cash & The Tennessee Two

STUDIO SESSION FOR JOHNNY CASH
AT THE MEMPHIS RECORDING SERVICE FOR SUN RECORDS 1955

SUN RECORDING STUDIO
706 UNION AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
SUN SESSION: PROBABLY MAY 1955
SESSION HOURS: UNKNOWN
PRODUCER AND RECORDING ENGINEER - SAM C. PHILLIPS
AND/OR JACK CLEMENT

Unflappable, understated and unmistakable would be sure fire descriptions of what made John R. Cash such a virtuoso at Sun. Raised on the banks of the Mississippi in rural Arkansas, he'd tried out as a trainee radio announcer but despite his rich baritone he didn't secure a broadcasting gig. By badgering Sam Phillips on an almost daily basis, he was allotted studio time and the plaintive ''Cry! Cry! Cry!'' from his third session, was chosen as the Johnny Cash launchpad in the spring of 1955. (SC)

"CRY! CRY! CRY!"
Composer: - Johnny Cash
Publisher: - B.M.I. - Hi-Lo Music Incorporated
Matrix number: - U 151 - Take 4 Master (2:27)
Recorded: - Probably May 1955
Released: - June 21, 1955
First appearance: - Sun Records (S) 78/45rpm standard single SUN 221-A mono
CRY! CRY! CRY! / HEY! PORTER
Reissued: - 1994 Bear Family Records (CD) 500/200rpm BCD 15802-4-5 mono
THE SUN SINGLES COLLECTION - VOLUME 1

This is, of course, a landmark recording: Johnny Cash's first record for Sun, issued in June, 1955. If nothing else, it reveals that the essential of Cash's style were fixed by the time he set foot in Sam Phillips' tiny studio. It also shows that Phillips had a clear idea of how to record Cash from the first - a spartan style that would remain virtually unchanged through Cash's first half a dozen singles. ''Cry Cry Cry'' was based on a signature line used by Memphis disc jockey Eddie Hill: ''We're gonna bawl, squall and climb the wall''. In Cash's hands, this became ''You're gonna bawl, bawl, bawl''. Before it was recorded, however, the song took a more somber tone, as bawling evolved into crying. ''Cry Cry Cry'' charted locally and spent one week on the national country charts in November 1955. That was message enough for Sam Phillips. cash was clearly an artist worth investing in. Within two months, he would join the Louisiana Hayride and see the release of his second Sun single. (HD)

Name (Or. No. Of Instruments)
Johnny Cash - Vocal and Guitar
Luther Perkins - Guitar
Marshall Grant - Bass

Text reprinted with permission from the YouTube website ''706 Union Avenue Sessions''.

* - Digitally Remastered

© - 706 UNION AVENUE SESSIONS - ©