3 comments about Johnny Cash: The Songs.

1. This item's description is ambiguous, so I want to point to people that it is NOT a book-length analysis or appreciation of Cash's songs, it is merely a COLLECTION OF HIS LYRICS, categorised by the editor. The introduction is interesting and well-written, but can be read easily with Amazon's preview feature without purchasing.



2. I bought this because I'm starting to learn to play an acoustic guitar. This music is written for organs, pianos and electric keyboards but it's so easy to read, I can use the same notes. It has all the lyrics of the songs too. This song book would be great for people who have a hard time seeing notes.... these are nice and big. I love Johnny Cash and June Carter's music and to be about to start with something so simple like this, is great.



3. This book is definitely not for someone who doesn't already know a good deal of guitar chords. It's all lyrics, strumming patterns and chord names. If you are looking for something with actual sheet music, keep searching. If you are looking for just chords and lyrics, you can buy this book or read them off ultimate guitar tab archive.

3 comments about Ring of Fire: A Tribute to Johnny Cash.

1. Brian Mansfield's Ring Of Fire isn't just another biography of country singer Johnny Cash - many of these have been produced already - but a celebration of his music. Included are tributes from fellow musicians and black and white photos by Les Leverett, who captured Cash moments on film for over thirty years. A music cd in back adds a touch of elegance to Ring Of Fire: though it can't compete with the many Cash cd compilations on the market, it's the perfect conclusion.



2. 
   A fitting tribute.This pocket-sized little gem,including a CD of Ring of Fire,is a small reminder of how great The Man in Black really was.Though just a handful of remarks from his friends,it is only a taste from his numerous friends and admirers.
   It is not necessary to describe how great Cash was,all you have to do is to listen to his music.
   Although not mentioned in the book,I particularly remember the comment made by Bob Dylan:
   "Johnny Cash was the North Star and you could guide your ship by him."



3. This nice little package is a fitting tribute to the memory of Johnny Cash. This small book contains only 95 pages. Half of the pages are pictures and the other half are partially blank, with just a paragraph or two of tribute from someone who knew Cash. Inside the back cover is a cd of Cash singing "Ring of Fire."
   
   This book probably does not contain deep insights that are presently unknown to Johnny Cash fans, that's not the purpose. Non fans would be better off with one of his biographies. This book is, however, likely to give a warm fuzzy feeling to his fans. It will probably become a collector's piece.
   
   Don't think of it so much as another book about Johnny Cash. Think of it as a fitting tribute to a legendary performer.

1 comments about The Original Carter Family: with a biography by Johnny Cash.

1. great book could not put it down

1 comments about Walk the Line: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack.

1. Many people are finding a new appreciation for the Cashs and their music - check out this book that matches the new movie. Piano parts/vocals/and guitar chords for 15 songs including "Cocaine Blues," "It Ain't Me, Babe," and "Wildwood Flower."

No comments about Hal Leonard The Best of Johnny Cash Easy Guitar.

5 comments about Orange Blossom Boys: The Untold Story of Ervin T Rouse, Chubby Wise and the World's Most Famous Fiddle Tune.

1. I would like to know where the book tells about Chubby's other family living in Georgia and Florida. He had a wife before Rossy and she was no stupid farmgirl. He also had a daughter that loved her father more than anything. Where in the book does it talk about them. It does not say a single word because of one women could not stand to have anything to do with his other family. If women would leave married men alone (this goes both ways), maybe the right family would be in the book. The picture of Chubby's step-grandson is a slap in the face to my husband. He is the bloodline of Chubby Wise. I feel my husband's family deserves a right to tell the unknown years of what really happened and how Rossy became Mrs. Wise. I enjoy knowing Chubby was my husband's grandfather, but on the other hand, I get really upset when I hear how much pain and greif was caused by this piece of history.



2. What a wonderful job Mr. Noles does in telling the story and interweaving the lives of these two unfortunate souls against a backdrop of old Florida. He is able to convert his massive research into such an interesting read; I had difficulty putting it down!



3. I am proud to know that Ervin has finally been recognized for his raw genious in playing the fiddle, composing music, performing for us when I was growing up, and telling about many of the episodes written about in the Orange Blossom Boys. Rany Noles did his research and answered questions which needed to be made known about the life of Ervin, Gordon, his siblings and the joy they brought to many as they sang and made music with the best of Artist, including Johnny Cash. I learned more than we ever knew, as I sat, spellbound, reading the book. Now, I can say I have read the book through and through several times. It is wonderful. I was born April 28,1929 and was privileged to record the Rouse's music when they visited my home. It is my hope that a Documentary will be forthcoming. Ervin ranks right up there with Bill Monroe, The Carter Family, Flatt and Scruggs,Doc Watson, Roy Acuff, etc. He is an Icon in Blue Grass, and respected by the best of them in the business. The Orange Blossom Special is likened to The Star Spangled Banner by me and my relatives. Audrey W. Hartsoe, 24 Scott Place, Clinton, N.
   C.28328 PS I did speak with Randy Noles upon receipt of the book; it is wonderful!



4. I am chubby's great grand son on the so called dumb farmgirls side. I find it very disrespectful to write a book about a man's history without interviewing or elaborating on the one person who was there. My grandmother could shed more light on the Orange Blossom conspiracy than any one alive. she has shared very vivid and detailed stories about the man and the song. And believe me, she is no dumb farmgirl. She is brilliant and deserves some respect for keeping an entire family together while he turned his back on them.



5. This book began, in part, with Noles' curiousity about the true origins of the famous fiddle tune. A common belief amongst bluegrass and country musicians was that Chubby Wise co-wrote the tune with Ervin Rouse. But by the late 1980s, this story was coming under serious scrutiny. Noles provides convincing evidence that the tune was co-written by Ervin and Gordon Rouse and that Chubby Wise should be seen as more of a popularizer of the tune -- rather than as a co-author. Both Rouse and Wise emerge as multi-faceted men, and it's to Noles' credit that he provides sympathetic portraits of both of these fine musicians, while giving the story a fair hearing. The book is especially strong when the focus is on the musical careers of the musicians, and the "Orange Blossom Special" almost appears as another important character (along with Johnny Cash, Hank Snow, and other stars) within the story. Along with gaining a glimpse of important parts of the history of bluegrass and country music, readers gain a good understanding of ways in which opportunities are made available to musicians. Readers also will discover that sometimes there are times when not taking advantage of certain opportunities may, in fact, be a wise decision in the music business. The book also includes wonderful anecdotes that Noles collected, including terrific stories about Chubby Wise's mishaps and a very funny story about a night at the Grand Old Opry that involved split pants.

3 comments about The Essential Johnny Cash.

1. Johnny Cash was a man that enjoyed a lengthy music career, and thus has a large library of songs credited to or associated with him. I guess that this could explain why this book left me wanting for more. Although 40 tracks to choose from is quite a nice selection, and there are definitley multiple tracks that I can't wait to dig into; there are also quite a few of my favorites that are missing. If you like the more known Johnny Cash tunes, this book won't let you down "ring of fire", "walk the line", "boy named sue" are all there. The format and music notation is quite well done, and in the begining there are three or four pages of nice pictures of the man himself throughout his life, black and white but nice. Looking at the tracks that are in the other "strum it guitar" Johnny Cash book, I think this is without a doubt the better one, I just wish that someone would make a book with a more thorough selection of songs. If you buy it, it won't be money wasted, but at the same time Johnny Cash songs are pretty easy to figure out, and you can always look it up on the internet. 4 stars.



2. This book is good for the lyrics and melody lines. However they are not in the key of
   the recordings and include chords that Mr. Cash never used dim chords.
   Also , in classic Hal Leonard style, the songs are written for piano. Who play's these
   songs on a piano? They should offer this book for guitar with tabs. Or maybe they have and I couldn't find it.



3. I like Johnny Cash but this book is written for someone to sing to and I just like to play the piano.

No comments about The Classic Country Book (Book (Hal Leonard)).

3 comments about The Very Best of Johnny Cash (Strum It Guitar).

1. Very easy to follow even for a beginner. Contains some of the early hits.



2. I am a intermediate guitarist 26 yr. old. I know his songs aren't too complex, so I probably don't need a "simplified" song book. I really doubt if all of the songs are played with Capo I. Its probably a shortcut to match his tuning, but it just doesn't sound right with any recordings that I have. I didn't have any luck learning any of his songs which I assumed would be easy.



3. Things start out looking quite straight forward with this one. Then you start working on strumming patterns that will wear you down. If you plan on playing country, you have to learn this stuff, and this is a fun way to build chops.
   
   It's a a keeper.

2 comments about Fiddler's Curse: The Untold Story of Ervin T. Rouse, Chubby Wise, Johnny Cash, and The Orange Blossom Special (Revised and Updated).

1. I don't know what is more relentlessly compelling: the story of the "Orange Blossom Special" or the story of the man who wrote it.
   In the end, of course, the stories end up being intertwined, and the author pulls both up out of the swamps of the Everglades and places them in the realm of legend. History was made by real people, and Ervin Rouse was about as real as you get--if you consider "truly strange" to be "real." But he produced from deep inside himself (real deep, it seems) one of the great tunes of our times. I love the story; I love the writing.



2. This book is a great read for anyone who is interested in bluegrass, early country music, or rural American life in the 1930s. It takes distant musical legends that we now take for granted and gives them faces and voices. It draws an unforgettable bridge between early 20th century itinerant traveling musicians and the teething early world of recording and radio. It reads like "O Brother, Where Art Thou", but with real-life musical pioneers and heroes.
   
   When I got my copy of this book, I started thumbing through it, and the next thing I knew, it was two hours later and I was still glued to it! Until I finished it --and I read some parts twice just because they were so interesting-- the dishes went unwashed, the family went unfed, the house went uncleaned, the instruments went untouched (and that is hardly an exaggeration!). I certainly recommend it!
   
   Reja Jager
   President, Northern Illinois Bluegrass Association