Route 66 - January 24, 2019

The next installment of our look back at 1994 features the first "American Recordings" record by Johnny Cash.

It's inaccurate to call this a comeback for the Man in Black, as he never really went away. But by 1994 he was already a living legend. Johnny Cash was 62 years old and had just been inducted into the Rock and Roll of Fame. This album, released on April 26, 1994, was more of a re-introduction to a new generation.

Produced by Rick Rubin, this is the first of a series of albums returning Cash to not only his roots as a singer-songwriter of guitar ballads, but also a return to his homegrown American roots. Every song is both powerful and emotional, and this really defied expectations when it was released back in '94.

The album went on to win a Grammy Award and was followed-up by 5 more American Recording albums.

Here are the first two songs from Side 2: "Bird on a Wire" - originally written and recorded by Leonard Cohen, and "Tennessee Stud" - written by Jimmy Driftwood.  Enjoy the amazing, timeless voice of Johnny Cash.

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And continuing our look back 50 years to the anniversary of the Woodstock Music Festival, I thought we'd play something from Sweetwater, who was the second act of the concert. They are a band not played very often these days, and one probably unfamiliar to modern audiences.

Sweetwater was a psychedelic eight-piece group from Los Angeles. Consisting of flutes and cellos, they had an unusual sound that is very representative of the era. Unfortunately, after Woodstock in late 1969, the lead singer was injured in a car accident and they never recorded another album with their original lineup.

So here is their version of "Motherless Child" which was performed on opening night of Woodstock on Friday, August 15, 1969.