A new book recently came out regarding Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian, Johnny Cash’s “lost album” from 1964.
The album’s tracks focus on the history and neglect of Native Americans in the United States.
Not surprisingly, the Columbia Records of that day weren’t too keen on a “protest album” and did virtually nothing to promote the album.
The most widely-known siong from the album, The Ballad of Ira Hayes — told the story of the Iwo Jima flag-raiser who went on to death from alcoholism and neglect.
The stations wouldn’t play the song and Columbia Records refused to promote it. According to John Hammond, the legendary producer and Cash champion who worked at Columbia, executives at the label just didn’t think it had commercial potential. Billboard, the music industry trade magazine, wouldn’t review it, even though Cash was at the height of his fame, and had just scored another No. 1 country single with “Understand Your Man” and No. 1 country album with “I Walk the Line.”
But times have changed and renewed interest in the album has been generated by a new book by Antonino D’Ambrosio entitled A Heartbeat and a Guitar: Johnny Cash and the Making of Bitter Tears.
“I’m still particularly proud of ‘Bitter Tears,’” Cash would say near the end of his life, while talking about the topical music he recorded in the 1960s. “Apart from the Vietnam War being over, I don’t see much reason to change my position today. The old are still neglected, the poor are still poor, the young are still dying before their time, and we’re not making any moves to make things right. There’s still plenty of darkness to carry off.”
Source: Antonino D’Ambrosio “The Bitter Tears of Johnny Cash,” salon.com
