Musicians: T. J. Ricer – Lead Vocals and Bass (melodica on Redemption Song) Eric Carlin – Vocals and Guitars Allan Ward – Vocals and Percussion Sara Ricer – Vocals Technical: Recorded, mixed and edited by Bob Potter at FLCC Recording assisted by Matt Ansini Mastering by Frankfort Wayne Mastering I consider this album a respectful tribute to one of my great heroes: Johnny Cash. It includes a representative sampling of songs by J. R. himself. These range from early songs such as Mean Eyed Cat, from the fifties, up to more recent compositions, like Drive On. This may be the first complete recording of Mean Eyed Cat, since the original was recorded before Johnny wrote the final verse and his updated version omitted part of the original second verse. Drive On is an interesting situation because Johnny was too old to have fought in Vietnam and I am too young. He and June played USO shows there and I feel a connection to this tune because my grandfathers, father, and uncle were all in the Army. Uncle Dave fought in Vietnam and is a singer/songwriter in his own right. The way Johnny tells it, soldiers would say “drive on” when a man fell, “it don't mean nothing,” even though it meant everything – you couldn't stop or risk being shot yourself. By doing many of the recordings straight down with no edits, we’ve tried to preserve the spontaneity and energy of the early Sun sessions. If this means a few mistakes made it in, I think it’s worthwhile to preserve continuity. Most of the songs included are what we got on the first take – the good ones made the album and the bad ones didn't. I hope we’ve been able to bring our own experiences to the table on all of these songs without taking away from the tone of Johnny’s versions. The only song on the album that, to my knowledge, Cash never recorded is the Townes Van Zandt tune, Pancho and Lefty. Eric once said that it is a tune that sounds like a song you know - whether you've ever heard it or not. It just seemed to fit with what we were playing that day. Perhaps the furthest we stray from the traditional “boom-chicka-boom” of the Tennessee Two is on Bob Marley's immortal Redemption Song. Cash kept two homes; one in Hendersonville, Tennessee and his “Cinnamon Hill” estate in Jamaica. I like to think of tunes like I Walk the Line and Folsom Prison Blues getting played on the porch in Hendersonville and Redemption Song on the porch at Cinnamon Hill, maybe with someone picking out a note or two on an accordion that somebody found – wrong notes and all. You'll hear great vocals on Jackson, It Ain't Me Babe, and The Far Side Banks of Jordan from the June Carter to my Johnny Cash: my wife, Sara. I can't say enough about Allan and Eric. These guys can play any style you ask of them – a little Tex-Mex in Devil's Right Hand or mid-tune style changes, as in Casey's Last Ride. They even put in some harmony vocals on One Piece at a Time, Drive On, and Don't Take Your Guns to Town. Allan holds us together throughout the album. I am always surprised by the ways he makes every tune feel fresh, even when we play a dozen old shuffles in a row. Eric, of course, gets a fair amount of feature time as the solo guitar in the band. The lonely blues he puts into Leonard Cohen's Bird on a Wire stands out in my mind among many great solos. The ensemble really shines on Sting's I Hung My Head. The tune just keeps building until the “lone rider” returns in a ethereal march to the scaffold. The album closes with Geoff Mack's I've Been Everywhere. This song has become one of our favorites to play live and I think we captured some of the raw energy of a live show here. I hope you have as much fun listening to this album as we had making it. Nothing would please me more than if we were able to bring the music of Johnny Cash to an ear or two that hasn’t heard it. . . About the Band: CASH back’s mission is to keep the “Man in Black” and his music in the hearts and minds of the people of Upstate New York, East Tennessee, and wherever else we happen to be. Formed shortly after Cash’s death in the fall of 2003 in Knoxville, TN, CASH Back can now be seen and heard all around the Rochester area. T. J. Ricer is the heart of the band on vocals and bass, while Rochester regulars Allan Ward and Eric Carlin round out the band’s fresh, yet authentic sound on drums and guitar, respectively. Like Johnny, CASH Back branches out from the typical country repertoire. Selections may be heard from Bob Marley, Sound Garden, Leonard Cohen, or Neil Young, as well as such classic country artists as Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard, and of course, J.R. himself. Over one hundred and fifty songs strong, CASH back has fans in any audience and can keep the music playin’ all night long… One of the most highly educated and experienced country bands around, each member of CASH Back holds a Master of Music degree or higher and is an alumnus of the Eastman School of Music.