The Lure of the Grand Canyon
Encyclopedia
The Lure of the Grand Canyon: is the eleventh album by Johnny Cash, it was, in the opinion of some, one of the first-ever concept album
s in the rock era, released in 1961 (see 1961 in music
) on Columbia Records
, featuring spoken narration by country
singer Johnny Cash
, and was his eleventh album. However, it consists primarily of a recording of Ferde Grofé
's Grand Canyon Suite
, conducted by Andre Kostelanetz
, and includes authentic sounds recorded in the Grand Canyon
itself. The spoken commentary by Cash is the sixth and last track, preceded by five subsequent movements
, and describes a day spent visiting the famous canyon. The Lure of the Grand Canyon is one of the first concept albums in country music history and quite possibly one of the first in general, though Cash had already released a concept album entitled Ride This Train
the year before.
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
s in the rock era, released in 1961 (see 1961 in music
1961 in music
-Events:*January 15 – Motown Records signs The Supremes.*January 20 – Francis Poulenc's Gloria receives its premiėre in Boston, USA.*February 12 – The Miracles' "Shop Around" becomes Motown's first million-selling single....
) on Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, featuring spoken narration by country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, and was his eleventh album. However, it consists primarily of a recording of Ferde Grofé
Ferde Grofé
Ferde Grofé was a prominent American composer, arranger and pianist. During the 1920s and 1930s, he went by the name Ferdie Grofé.-Early life:...
's Grand Canyon Suite
Grand Canyon Suite
The Grand Canyon Suite is a suite for orchestra by Ferde Grofé, composed during the period from 1929 to 1931. It consists of five parts or movements, each an evocation in tone of a particular scene typical of the Grand Canyon...
, conducted by Andre Kostelanetz
Andre Kostelanetz
André Kostelanetz was a popular orchestral music conductor and arranger, one of the pioneers of easy listening music.-Biography:...
, and includes authentic sounds recorded in the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
itself. The spoken commentary by Cash is the sixth and last track, preceded by five subsequent movements
Movement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
, and describes a day spent visiting the famous canyon. The Lure of the Grand Canyon is one of the first concept albums in country music history and quite possibly one of the first in general, though Cash had already released a concept album entitled Ride This Train
Ride This Train
Ride This Train is the eighth album by country singer Johnny Cash. It was originally released in September 1960 , but later re-issued on March 19, 2002 with four bonus tracks...
the year before.
Track listing
- "Sunrise" – 5:58
- "Painted Desert" – 3:59
- "On the Trail" – 8:34
- "Sunset" – 4:46
- "Cloudburst" – 8:07
- "A Day in the Grand Canyon" – 11:18