Even though his record sales were not stacking up to his past achievements, Johnny Cash was still sought after entertainment personality in the mid- to late-1970s. He had dabbled in acting in the late ‘50s with the film Five Minutes To Live, but in the ‘70s he began to make more guest appearances on networks staples like Columbo and Little House on the Prairie. It was during this time that he also made a series of Christmas Specials for CBS, beginning in 1976.
Through the joint agreement between Shout! Factory and the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Archive Series, the first two Christmas specials, from 1976 and 1977, were released in 2007. This year the venture brings us the specials from 1978 and 1979.
Breaking from the pattern established in the two previous years, the 1978 Christmas Special was filmed in California rather than Nashville. Guests for the show include long time Cash friend and associate Kris Kristofferson and his then-wife Rita Coolidge. Comic relief for the show was provided by Steve Martin who had had his own television special earlier in the year on which Cash had guested.
In 1979 the Christmas Specials return to Nashville. Also returning is the biographical portion of the show featuring clips of Cash’s father Ray and brother Roy visiting their old Dyess, Arkansas home and reminiscing about the 1937 flood as Cash performs “Five Feet High and Rising†on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry House.
The shows musical guests are the popular Anne Murray and singer-songwriter Tom T. Hall who joins Cash for a medley of his hits. The role of comic relief for 1979 is filled by Andy Kaufman, who inexplicably stays in his Taxi character of Latka Gravas (except for his Elvis impersonation) for the entirety of the show.
Both shows follow nearly the same format. Although they are Christmas shows, they include only three or four Christmas songs with the rest of the set lists being made up of the current or past hits of the guests. On the ’78 Special, Cash revisits “Ballad of a Teenage Queen,†a song he didn’t perform often, but was one of his biggest early hits. He also performs “Sunday Morning Comin’ Down†as a duet with the songs co-writer. He performs two gospel oriented songs (“Fourth Man†and “The Greatest Cowboy of Them Allâ€) and a new song, “I Will Rock and Roll With You,†released on 1978’s Gone Girl. He ends the Special joined by his daughters for “Silent Night.â€
The ’79 Special sees Cash include the recitation “The Ballad Of The Harp Weaver†and joined by wife June to reprise their 1970 hit “If I Were A Carpenter.†June takes the spotlight on the bluegrass classic “Back Up And Push,†joined by Marty Stuart on mandolin and Vassar Clements on fiddle.
These shows come at an interesting time in the life of Johnny Cash. The family had lost Mother Maybelle earlier in 1978 and was facing their first Christmas without her. While his concerts were still selling well and his work with Billy Graham was growing, Cash’s record sales were waning and Columbia’s support was weakening.
According to Marshall Grant, Cash’s long time bass player, Cash began using drugs again around 1976 after over five years clean. His addiction worsened as the years progressed. Watching these two Specials back to back it is easy to see subtle changes in Cash’s movements and demeanor.
It would be easy to dismiss these DVD releases as trying to capitalize on the name of Cash in the name of cash, but they fulfill the mission of the Country Music Hall of Fame’s agreement with Shout! Factory in releasing rarely seen archival footage from the vaults of the Hall of Fame. These Specials (the previously released 1976 and 1977 Specials are also being re-released in a boxed set that also includes the two newly released Specials) show Cash reminiscing about his past, interacting with stars of the time and using his platform to write his own biography and speak on his faith. While they may not be essential purchases, like the recently released At Folsom Prison: Legacy Edition, they are great additions to the library of Cash fans.
Related posts: