American V: A Hundred Highways

American V: A Hundred Highways is the 93rd overall album and a posthumous album by Johnny Cash released on July 4, 2006. As the title implies, it is the fifth entry in Cash's American series. Like its predecessors, American V: A Hundred Highways is produced by Rick Rubin and released on Rubin's American Recordings record label via Lost Highway Records, as they currently distribute country releases from the American Recordings label. It was certified Gold on August 18, 2006 by the RIAA.

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
NME	(9/10)
Robert Christgau	link link
Pitchfork Media	(7.8/10) link
Rolling Stone
Slant Magazine	link

Track listing

"Help Me" (Larry Gatlin) – 2:51
Previously recorded by Kris Kristofferson for Jesus Was a Capricorn (1972) Originally recorded by Johnny Cash for "The Gospel Road" (1973) on which it was titled "Help".
"God's Gonna Cut You Down" (Traditional) – 2:38
Previously recorded by Odetta for Sings Ballads and Blues (1956), by Elvis Presley for How Great Thou Art (1967) (as "Run On"), and by The Blind Boys of Alabama (as "Run On for a Long Time") for Spirit of the Century (2001)
"Like the 309" (Johnny Cash) – 4:35
According to Johnny Cash: The Life by Robert Hilburn (2013), this was the last song written by Cash and it was recorded during Cash's final day in a recording studio before his death a few weeks later.
"If You Could Read My Mind" (Gordon Lightfoot) – 4:30
Originally recorded by Lightfoot for Sit Down Young Stranger (1970)
"Further On Up the Road" (Bruce Springsteen) – 3:25
Originally recorded by Springsteen for The Rising (2002)
"On the Evening Train" (Hank Williams) – 4:17
"I Came to Believe" (Johnny Cash) – 3:44
This song was previously recorded by Cash in the 1980s during the recording sessions that would ultimately result in the posthumous 2014 release Out Among the Stars.
"Love's Been Good to Me" (Rod McKuen) – 3:18
Recorded by Frank Sinatra for A Man Alone & Other Songs of Rod McKuen(1969) and many others
"A Legend in My Time" (Don Gibson) – 2:37
Originally recorded by Gibson for Sweet Dreams (1960) and Roy Orbison for Lonely and Blue (1961)
"Rose of My Heart" (Hugh Moffatt) – 3:18
Written in 1981 or 1982 and recorded by many artists, including Moffat for Troubadour (1989)
"Four Strong Winds" (Ian Tyson) – 4:34
Previously recorded by Ian and Sylvia, John Denver, Neil Young, and many others
"I'm Free from the Chain Gang Now" (Lou Herscher, Saul Klein) – 3:00
Originally recorded by Cash for The Sound of Johnny Cash (1962)

Song information

As with the other American series albums, the album includes covers, originals, and a re-recording of a song. The originals on this album are "I Came to Believe" and "Like the 309", the latter of which was the last song Cash ever wrote before passing away.^[1] Recorded on August 21, 2003, "Like the 309" was the next-to-last song Cash ever recorded; the last being "Engine 143" which was recorded for a Carter Family tribute album produced by John Carter Cash.^[2]

The album takes its name from a lyric on the track "Love's Been Good to Me" by Rod McKuen; the opening verse begins (emphasis added):

I have been a rover

I have walked alone
Hiked a hundred highways
Never found a home

Future releases

The liner notes of Unearthed, a box set composed of outtakes from the first four entries in Cash's American series, claim "around 50" songs were recorded during the American V sessions before Cash's death on September 12, 2003. However, to date only two albums worth of material have been released, including American VI: Ain't No Grave, which was released in February 2010. In March 2014, Cash's son John Carter Cash, promoting the release of Out Among the Stars, a collection of recently unearthed recordings from the early 1980s, confirmed that "three or four albums" worth of unreleased material exists from the American sessions, with Rubin confirming that at least one additional album -- a follow-up to Unearthed -- is planned for future release.^[3]

Personnel

Cash engineer David "Fergie" Ferguson (assisted by Jimmy Tittle) and Rubin oversaw the completion of the recordings. Other musicians on the album include keyboardist Benmont Tench and guitarists Mike Campbell, Smoky Hormel, Matt Sweeney and Jonny Polonsky.

Musicians

Johnny Cash – vocal, guitar
Laura Cash – fiddle
Dennis Crouch – bass guitar
Smokey Hormel – guitar
Pat McLaughlin – guitar
Larry Perkins – guitar
Jonny Polonsky – guitar
Randy Scruggs – guitar
Marty Stuart – guitar
Benmont Tench – organ, piano, harpsichord
Pete Wade – guitar
Mac Wiseman – guitar

Additional personnel

Martyn Atkins – photography
Christine Cano – art direction, design
John Carter Cash – executive producer
Lindsay Chase – production coordination
Greg Fidelman – mixing
Paul Figueroa – mixing assistant
Dan Leffler – mixing assistant
Vlado Meller – mastering
Rick Rubin – producer, liner notes
David Campbell - string arranger
Mark Santangelo – mastering assistant
Jimmy Tittle – assistant engineer

Chart performance

American V: A Hundred Highways topped the Billboard 200 with the album. It was his first No. 1 album since 1969's Johnny Cash at San Quentin with 88,000 copies sold in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Chart (2006)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums	1
U.S. Billboard 200	1
Canadian Albums Chart	4

References

↑ CNN.com - EW review: Johnny Cash's brilliant finale - Jun 27, 2006
↑ Robert Hilburn, Johnny Cash: The Life. (New York: Little, Brown & Co., 2013), p. 624
↑ "Johnny Cash: 'four or five more albums in the works', says his son". The Guardian. March 26, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2015.

External links

Cash's official website
"American V: A Hundred Highways" Review on "Cool Album of the Day"
USATODAY.com - Johnny Cash's final work yields 2 more albums
E! Online News - Johnny Cash's Last "American" Song
THE POP LIFE; Johnny Cash's Legacy Of Emotions, on CD's. New York Times (reprinted on JohnnyCashMusic.com). November 27, 2003.
Cash Earns First No. 1 Album Since 1969. Billboard July 12, 2006.
Luma Electronic's Johnny Cash discography listing

Preceded by Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship by India.Arie	Billboard 200 number-one album July 16–22, 2006	Succeeded by Now 22 by Various Artists
Preceded by Taking the Long Way by Dixie Chicks	Top Country Albums number-one album July 22 – August 4, 2006	Succeeded by If You're Going Through Hell by Rodney Atkins

Johnny Cash

Studio albums	With His Hot and Blue Guitar Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous The Fabulous Johnny Cash Greatest! Songs of Our Soil Sings Hank Williams Now, There Was a Song! Now Here's Johnny Cash The Sound of Johnny Cash All Aboard the Blue Train Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash The Original Sun Sound of Johnny Cash I Walk the Line Orange Blossom Special Everybody Loves a Nut Happiness Is You Old Golden Throat More of Old Golden Throat Hello, I'm Johnny Cash The World of Johnny Cash Man in Black A Thing Called Love International Superstar Any Old Wind That Blows Ragged Old Flag The Junkie and the Juicehead Minus Me John R. Cash Look at Them Beans One Piece at a Time The Last Gunfighter Ballad I Would Like to See You Again Gone Girl Silver Rockabilly Blues The Baron The Adventures of Johnny Cash Johnny 99 Rainbow Johnny Cash Is Coming to Town Classic Cash: Hall of Fame Series Water from the Wells of Home Boom Chicka Boom The Mystery of Life American Recordings Unchained American III: Solitary Man American IV: The Man Comes Around Personal File American V: A Hundred Highways American VI: Ain't No Grave Out Among the Stars

Concept albums	Ride This Train Blood, Sweat and Tears Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian Sings the Ballads of the True West From Sea to Shining Sea America: A 200-Year Salute in Story and Song The Johnny Cash Children's Album The Rambler

Gospel albums	Hymns by Johnny Cash Hymns from the Heart The Holy Land The Gospel Road (film soundtrack) Sings Precious Memories A Believer Sings the Truth Believe in Him Return to the Promised Land (video soundtrack) My Mother's Hymn Book

Christmas albums	The Christmas Spirit The Johnny Cash Family Christmas Classic Christmas Johnny Cash Country Christmas

Collaborations	The Lure of the Grand Canyon Carryin' On with Johnny Cash and June Carter Johnny Cash and His Woman The Legend of Jesse James The Survivors Live Highwayman Class of '55 Heroes Highwayman 2 The Road Goes on Forever VH1 Storytellers

Live albums	At Folsom Prison At San Quentin The Johnny Cash Show På Österåker Strawberry Cake Koncert v Praze (In Prague–Live) At Madison Square Garden A Concert Behind Prison Walls

Non-Gospel Soundtracks	I Walk the Line Little Fauss and Big Halsy

Compilations	Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 Heart of Cash Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 Sunday Morning Coming Down Five Feet High and Rising Destination Victoria Station Greatest Hits, Vol. 3 The Unissued Johnny Cash Johnny & June Tall Man Encore Biggest Hits The Man in Black 1954–1958 The Man in Black 1959–1962 Come Along and Ride This Train The Essential Johnny Cash (1992) Wanted Man The Man in Black 1963–1969 The Man in Black – His Greatest Hits 16 Biggest Hits Love, God, Murder The Essential Johnny Cash (2002) Unearthed The Legend The Legend of Johnny Cash Johnny Cash: Patriot 16 Biggest Hits: Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash The Legend of Johnny Cash Vol. II The Complete Columbia Album Collection

Songs	"25 Minutes to Go" "Seasons of My Heart" "Any Old Wind That Blows" "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" "Big River" "Blistered" "A Boy Named Sue" "Busted" "Cat's in the Cradle" "Cocaine Blues" "Cry! Cry! Cry!" "Daddy Sang Bass" "Dark as a Dungeon" "Don't Take Your Guns to Town" "Engine 143" "Flesh and Blood" "The Folk Singer" "Folsom Prison Blues" "Forty Shades of Green" "Get Rhythm" "Goodnight, Irene" "Green, Green Grass of Home" "Greystone Chapel" "Guess Things Happen That Way" "Hey, Porter" "Home of the Blues" "Hurt" "I Couldn't Keep from Crying" "I Love You Because" "I Still Miss Someone" "I Walk the Line" "If I Had a Hammer" "If I Were a Carpenter" "In My Life" "In the Jailhouse Now" "It Ain't Me Babe" "Jackson" "Kate" "The Man Comes Around" "Man in Black" "The Matador" "Oh Lonesome Me" "One Piece at a Time" "Oney" "Orange Blossom Special" "The One on the Right Is on the Left" "Remember the Alamo" "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky" "Ring of Fire" "Rock Island Line" "So Doggone Lonesome" "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" "Tennessee Flat Top Box" "There Ain't No Good Chain Gang" "A Thing Called Love" "Understand Your Man" "What Is Truth" "What'd I Say"

Family	June Carter Cash John Carter Cash Rosanne Cash Carlene Carter Vivian Liberto Tommy Cash Carter Family

Related articles	Albums discography Singles discography Sun Records discography Highwaymen Carter Family Fold Man in Black: His Own Story in His Own Words Cash: The Autobiography Johnny Cash! The Man, His World, His Music Walk the Line We Walk the Line: A Celebration of the Music of Johnny Cash Ring of Fire (2013 film) Ring of Fire (musical) My Father and the Man in Black Dyess, Arkansas The Sound Behind Johnny Cash

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