Johnny Cash 3" Records for RSD Black Friday
Once again, we’ve partnered with our friends at Sun Record Company and Record Store Day to create a set of three inch vinyl records for the RSD3 Mini Turntable, just in time for the holidays. This time around, we’re focussing solely on the "man in black" himself, Johnny Cash. The records were created using original Sun Records masters, with unique packaging designs by artist Jonathon Kimbrell.
I WALK THE LINE. Recorded on April 2 and released on May 1, 1956 “I Walk The Line” was Johnny Cash’s first #1 Billboard country chart single, crossed over to #17 on the Pop chart, and stayed on the Billboard charts for 42 weeks. It was originally intended as a slow ballad, but producer Sam Phillips encouraged a faster tempo, and magic was made!
GET RHYTHM. Originally released in May 1956 as the B-side of “I Walk The Line” this tale of optimism from the point of view of a shoeshine boy was re-recorded with dubbed “live effects” and released as an A-side of its own in 1969.
I GUESS THINGS HAPPEN THAT WAY. Released on May 19, 1958 “I Guess Things Happen That Way” (originally written by Jack Clement) was Johnny’s fourth chart single—hitting #1 on the Country charts and #11 on the Hot 100. The head of religious programming for the BBC banned it from the airwaves when it was first released!
FOLSOM PRISON BLUES. First recorded and released in 1955, “Folsom Prison Blues” became one of Johnny Cash’s signature songs. A live version, recorded among the inmates at Folsom State Prison in 1968 became a #1 chart hit and in June 2014 Rolling Stone magazine ranked it #51 on its list of the 100 Greatest Country Songs of All Time.
More about three inch records and the RSD3 Mini Turntable:
3-inch records were originally released and marketed for a short time in Japan in the early 2000s, just before the worldwide re-birth of vinyl began to take hold. Fast forward 14 years, the idea of resurrecting the format stemmed from a trip to Japan when representatives of Record Store Day met the only factory that used to make these “8ban” records. After a year of ideation, prototyping, tweaking and collaboration with the Record Store Day team, the RSD3 Mini Turntable by Crosley was born. This mini belt-drive turntable has a lot of the same features as its big brother: AT3600 moving-magnet cartridge, adjustable pitch control, fully supported platter and aux out port with RCA adaptor. The RSD3 has a built-in speaker that gets the job done, but use the aux-out and included RCA cable adapter to hook this mini turntable into larger speakers and you’re in for a surprise.