The Owsley Stanley Foundation has released never-before-heard audio of Johnny Cash covering Bob Dylan‘s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” live at the Carousel Ballroom in San Francisco.
The concert was recorded in full by legendary Grateful Dead sound engineer and “Wall of Sound” architect Owsley “Bear” Stanley III on April 24th, 1968. Full-show audio is slated for release on October 29th as Bear’s Sonic Journals: Johnny Cash At The Carousel Ballroom, April 24th, 1968.
While Cash had covered the Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan staple many times before his gig at the Carousel, this rendition represents an important cross-pollination of American life. Johnny Cash, the Sun Studio star-turned-outlaw country trailblazer who sang for those living on the outskirts of society, travels to the heart of the burgeoning counter-cultural movement in Haight-Ashbury to sing them a song written in the beatnik-filled coffee shops of Greenwich Village. Together, these three movements form a cultural timeline of where society was, where it is, and where it’s going circa the late 1960s.
The historical significance of Cash’s performance aside, Johnny Cash, At The Carousel Ballroom is a unique musical document for Bear’s audio mixing techniques. The tapes feature Cash coming entirely out of the left speaker while the rest of the Tennessee Three emit fully from the right. This decision, while unorthodox, provides the closest audio experience to actually standing front and center in the Carousel 53 years ago and watching Cash perform.
Listen to the never-before-heard audio of Johnny Cash covering “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” by Bob Dylan at the Carousel Ballroom on April 24th, 1968 via the player below. Bear’s Sonic Journals: Johnny Cash At The Carousel Ballroom, April 24th, 1968 is available now to pre-order here. Vinyl and CD copies of the album, out October 29th, host new essays from Johnny and June Carter Cash’s son John Carter Cash, Owsley Stanley’s son Starfinder Stanley, Bob Weir, and Dave Schools, as well as new art by Susan Archie, and a reproduction of the original Carousel Ballroom concert poster by Steve Catron.
Johnny Cash — “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” (Bob Dylan) — San Franciso, CA — 4/24/68
[Video: Johnny Cash]