Mailbag Round-Up: Johnny Cash Christmas Specials

Nov 29, 2007- Permalink

While some people’s thoughts at Christmas turn to the man in the red suit, country fans might find their thoughts drifting to the man in black.

Shout Factory has released two new DVDs Johnny Cash Christmas 1976 and Johnny Cash Christmas 1977. The Country Music Hall of Famer teams up with other musical legends in these two Xmas TV specials chock full of music.

In the 1976 special, Cash and wife June Carter Cash invite pop star Tony Orlando and country great Roy Clark to their family farm in Bon Aqua, Tennessee. In this segment of the show, they perform hits and classics like “Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree”, “Far Away Places” and “That Lucky Old Sun”. Later Clark and Orlando join Cash in a medley of Stephen Foster classics including “Camptown Races”, Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair” and “Oh! Susanna”.

Later in the special, Johnny and June head to their home in Hendersonville, where they joined by Merle Travis, Barbara Mandrell, the Carter Family and Billy Graham.

In the 1977 special, filmed at the Grand Ol’ Opry two months after Elvis’ death, Cash pays tribute to Presley by inviting along the other artists that worked with Elvis at Sun Records: Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison and Jerry Lee Lewis. Besides singing some of their hits, they also pay tribute to Elvis’ love of gospel by signing “This Train Is Bound For Glory”.

Roy Clark makes his second appearance on a Cash Xmas show, and he and Johnny pay tribute to the Gene Autry Christmas classics “Here Comes Santa Claus”, Frosty the Snowman” and “Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Cash and the gang are also joined by the Statler Brothers. The entire cast of the special then join Johnny and June in a closing rendition of “Children Go Where I Send Thee.”

Fans of Cash or the big ol’ Xmas variety shows will love these two new DVDs.