Elvis Costello, Chris Cornell & more set unknown Johnny Cash writings to music on new LP

Johnny Cash was a prolific writer and while he released dozens of albums and hundreds of songs over his long career (he died in 2003), he also had scores of unused lyrics, poetry and other writing he didn’t set to music. Some of that, including letters, has become the basis for a new tribute album titled Johnny Cash: Forever Words, which has artists writing music for his unused text, and recording the songs.

Contributors include Elvis Costello, Kris Kristofferson with Willie Nelson, Kacey Musgraves with Ruston Kelly, The Jayhawks, I’m With Her, T. Bone Burnett, the late Chris Cornell, Cash’s daughter Rosanne Cash and June Carter Cash’s daughter, Carlene Carter. The album is out April 6 via Legacy Recordings. and you can watch a trailer for it, including some of the music, below. The full tracklist and album art is also below.

Elvis Costello, meanwhile, will play three NYC-area shows in March and tickets are on BrooklynVegan presale now.

Johnny Cash: Forever Words tracklist:
01 Kris Kristofferson & Willie Nelson – “Forever/I Still Miss Someone”
02 Ruston Kelly and Kacey Musgraves – “To June This Morning”
03 Brad Paisley – “Gold All Over The Ground”
04 Chris Cornell – “You Never Knew My Mind”
05 Alison Krauss And Union Station – “The Captain’s Daughter”
06 T. Bone Burnett – “Jellico Coal Man”
07 Rosanne Cash – “The Walking Wounded”
08 John Mellencamp – “Them Double Blues”
09 Jewel – “Body On Body”
10 Elvis Costello – “I’ll Still Love You”
11 Carlene Carter – “June’s Sundown”
12 Daily And Vincent – “He Bore It All”
13 I’m With Her – “Chinky Pin Hill”
14 Robert Glasper – “Goin’, Goin’, Gone” (Feat. Ro James & Anu Sun)
15 The Jayhawks – “What Would I Dreamer Do?”
16 Jamey Johnson – “Spirit Rider”