The track appears on the forthcoming Songwriter
More than 30 years in the making, Johnny Cash’s new album, Songwriter, will be released June 28th via Mercury Nashville/UMe, and now those eagerly awaiting its release can hear the second track, “Spotlight,” streaming everywhere now. A bluesy guitar solo from Grammy-winning musician and producer Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys bolsters the song.
The vocals for “Spotlight” were recorded by Johnny in early 1993 at LSI Studios in Nashville as part of a demo session. John Carter Cash, the son of Johnny and June Carter Cash, found Johnny’s vocal performance incredibly strong and sought to free it from the somewhat dated production. Along with co-producer David “Fergie” Ferguson, he stripped the song down to just Johnny’s powerful, pristine vocals and brought in a handpicked group of musicians that played with Johnny, including guitarist Marty Stuart and the late bassist Dave Roe, along with drummer Pete Abbott and several others, to the Cash Cabin, a hallowed space for Johnny in Hendersonville, Tenn., to create a new arrangement for the song. Dan Auerbach was recruited by longtime friend and recording associate, Fergie. “Spotlight” like all the songs on Songwriter was written solely by Johnny Cash.
“It was the thrill of a lifetime to be able to play guitar on a Johnny Cash song,” states Dan Auerbach. “Hearing his voice through the speakers in my studio sent chills down my spine. I can’t thank John Carter and Fergie enough for including me.”
“It was great to have Dan be a part of ‘Spotlight’ and to add his guitar tones and his sounds to this incredible song,“ adds John Carter Cash. “I think it really opened it up in a different direction. It’s good to hear two fantastic guitarists, Dan and Marty, working together to bring this song alive.”
“Spotlight” follows the first single, “Well Alright,” which has been incredibly well received by fans, press and radio alike. The track is quickly soaring up the Americana radio chart where it is currently No. 21 after just a few weeks of airplay and is also making an impact at Non-Comm/Triple A radio with more than 20 adds across the country as well as national play from “World Café” and SiriusXM Outlaw Country.
Returning the focus to Johnny’s songwriting, the 11-track collection, Songwriter, showcases the breadth of his writing, one that has always represented the great expanse of the human condition: there are songs of love, family, sorrow, beauty, spiritual salvation, survival, redemption, and of course, some of the lighthearted humor Johnny was known for, all sung in his unmistakable, trademark, resonant voice.
