Ride This Train

Ride This Train
Studio album by Johnny Cash
Released	September 1960 (1960-09)
Recorded	December 14, 1959 – February 16, 1960
Genre	Country Western folk spoken word rockabilly
Length	32:20
Label	Columbia
Producer	Don Law Al Quaglieri
Johnny Cash chronology
Sings Hank Williams (1960) Ride This Train (1960) Now, There Was a Song! (1960)
Singles from Ride This Train
"Going to Memphis" Released: September 19, 1960

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
PopMatters	favorable
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music

Ride This Train is the eighth album by country singer Johnny Cash. It was originally released in September 1960 (see 1960 in music) and re-issued on March 19, 2002, (see 2002 in music) with four bonus tracks.

It is considered to be Cash's first concept album. The album is billed as a "travelogue", with Cash providing spoken narration before each song to give context, in several cases playing historical characters, such as John Wesley Hardin, and describing different destinations around the United States visited by train. The songs themselves are not generally railroad-themed.

The original album was included on the Bear Family box set Come Along and Ride This Train. The success of this LP inspired his first label, Sun, to release the compilation LP, All Aboard the Blue Train which consisted of previously released "train" inspired songs, including his hit, "Folsom Prison Blues".

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Loading Coal"	Merle Travis	4:58
2.	"Slow Rider"	Johnny Cash	4:12
3.	"Lumberjack"	Leon Payne	3:02
4.	"Dorraine of Ponchartrain"	Cash	4:47
5.	"Going to Memphis"	Hollie Dew, Alan Lomax; arranged (new words and music) by Johnny Cash	4:26
6.	"When Papa Played the Dobro"	Cash	2:55
7.	"Boss Jack"	Tex Ritter	3:50
8.	"Old Doc Brown"	Red Foley	4:10
Total length:			32:20

Bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
9.	"The Fable of Willie Brown"	Cash	1:57
10.	"Second Honeymoon"	Autry Inman	1:57
11.	"Ballad of the Harp Weaver"	Thelma Moore, Edna Millay	3:50
12.	"Smiling Bill McCall"	Cash	2:06
Total length:			42:10

Personnel

• Johnny Cash - Guitar, Liner Notes, Main Performer, Leader, Vocals

THE TENNESSEE TWO

• Luther Perkins - Guitar
• Marshall Grant - Bass

ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS

• Johnny Western - Guitar
• Shot Jackson - Dobro, Steel Guitar
• Gordon Terry - Fiddle
• Floyd Cramer - Piano
• Buddy Harman - Drums

TECHNICAL CREW

• Don Law - Original Recording Producer
• Al Quaglieri - Reissue Producer
• Seth Foster - Mastering
• Mark Wilder - Mastering, Mixing
• Stacey Boyle - Tape Research
• Matt Kelly - Tape Research
• Kay Smith - Tape Research
• Arthur Levy - Liner Notes
• Darren Salmieri - A&R
• Steven Berkowitz - A&R
• Patti Matheny - A&R
• Howard Fritzson - Art Direction
• Alan Lomax - Adaptation, Arranger
• Randall Martin - Design
• Don Hunstein - Photography
• Nick Shaffran - Series Consultant
• Dick Miller - CD Art Adaptation