Sun Records To Release ‘Pure Johnny Cash’ Digitally With Qobuz Exclusive

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Sun Records is digitally releasing Pure Johnny Cash, 18 rare recordings from Cash’s formative years at Sun Records, today (Feb. 20) via Qobuz, the independently-owned streaming platform.

Originally released as a vinyl collection in partnership with McIntosh, Pure Johnny Cash features seldom-heard recordings from Cash’s formative years at Sun, remastered from the original analog tapes to preserve the immediacy, warmth, and unvarnished power that defined Cash’s earliest sessions. Featuring alternative takes and standout versions of classics including “Train of Love,” “Ballad of a Teenage Queen,” and “I Walk the Line,” the collection offers an intimate window into Cash at the beginning of his legendary run.

To mark the digital debut, Sun Records is premiering a new lyric video for “Ballad of a Teenage Queen.” Pure Johnny Cash will receive a wide streaming release March 6.

“Sam Phillips had a way of capturing lightning in a bottle, and these early recordings of Johnny Cash perfectly exemplify that,” says Chase Gregory, Senior Director A&R + Sync, Sun Records. “Releasing Pure Johnny Cashdigitally, in partnership with Qobuz and the HiFi digital platform they offer, is another way to honor what makes these performances so special. Everything you hear was performed in one take with no overdubs. It’s a direct line to the room, the moment, and the voice that changed American music.”

Lorie Hollabaugh
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