Maps of Music

VH1 Storytellers (1998)

Where the lyrics of VH1 Storytellers take you, and where it was really made.

This live album came out just before Cash's health problems forced him to cut back on concerts, yet it sits outside the American Recordings series.

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VH1 Storytellers: live album by Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson
Released in 1998 on American Recordings
Produced by Rick Rubin
Cash and Nelson take turns on songs tied to each artist, with the other usually singing harmony
The opening track is a duet
Some tracks feature guitar solos by Nelson
Between tracks they joke and discuss the songs and their origins
Mixed at Bill Schnee Studios, Los Angeles; mastered at Precision Mastering, Los Angeles

Third record in Cash's ten-year collaboration with Rubin
Not counted in the American Recordings series, which is reserved for Cash's studio work with Rubin
Final album of new performances by Cash before health problems forced him to curtail live concerts
Those health problems changed the timbre of his voice, noticeable from American III: Solitary Man (2000) onward
Final purpose-recorded live album released during Cash's lifetime

Mixing credits: Randy Ezratty (audio mixer), Paul Cohen (house mixer), Al Schmitt
Koji Egawa credited as assistant engineer and mixing assistant
Stephen Marcussen credited for mastering

Born Willie Hugh Nelson on April 29, 1933, in Abbott, Texas.
Wrote his first song at age seven and joined his first band, Bohemian Polka, as a guitarist at age nine.
Attended Baylor University for two years before dropping out to pursue music.
Moved to Nashville in 1960 and joined Ray Price's band as a bassist.

Songs such as "Crazy" (Patsy Cline), "Funny How Time Slips Away" and "Pretty Paper" became hits for other artists.
Debut album ...And Then I Wrote was released in 1962; joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1965.
Helped lead the outlaw country movement after moving to Austin, Texas in 1972.
Red Headed Stranger (1975) was a critically acclaimed concept album; the single "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" became his first number one hit.
Co-founded Farm Aid in 1985 with Neil Young and John Mellencamp.
Acted in over 30 films, including The Electric Horseman (1979).
Received a Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance for "Ride Me Back Home" (2019).
Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993 and received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998.

Released in 1998 on American Recordings
Produced by Rick Rubin, third record in Cash's ten-year collaboration with him
Not counted in the American Recordings series, which is reserved for Cash's studio work with Rubin
Cash and Nelson alternate on songs tied to each artist
The partner usually sings harmony, occasionally verses
The opening track is a duet, and some tracks feature Nelson's guitar solos
Between tracks they joke and discuss the songs and their origins

The storytelling format, with banter about each song's origin, defines the performance
Nelson's solos and the shared harmonies give the set its character
Italian Wikipedia notes that with only two acoustic guitars, it could be called unplugged
Final purpose-recorded live album released in Cash's lifetime, made before his health problems

15 tracks in total
Cash sings lead on Flesh and Blood, Unchained, Drive On, I Still Miss Someone and Folsom Prison Blues
Nelson sings lead on Funny How Time Slips Away, Crazy, Night Life, Me and Paul and Always on My Mind
Duets and duet choruses on Riders in the Sky, Worried Man, Family Bible, Don't Take Your Guns to Town and On the Road Again

The album is not part of the American Recordings series, which covers Cash's studio work with Rubin
It was Cash's final purpose-recorded live album released during his lifetime
An archival recording, Johnny Cash at Madison Square Garden from 1969, came out a year before his death
Between songs, Cash and Nelson joke with each other and discuss the songs and their origins