Unreleased until 1965, seven years after
Johnny Cash
's 1958 departure from
Sun
for the greater artistic and financial freedom of
Columbia Records
,
Original Sun Sound
spans both his first and final recordings for the label. The early "Wide Open Road" shows the singer still under influence of
Hank Williams
(as well being a rarity in featuring the steel guitar of
A.W. "Red" Kernodle
, who left the group shortly afterwards), but the sardonic,
Charlie Rich
-penned "Thanks a Lot," from one of his final
sessions, finds
Cash
beholden to no one but himself. There's also
's self-penned gospel song, "Belshazah," an unusual inclusion in that his producer,
Sam Phillips
, usually recorded only the performer's secular material.