Johnny Cash - Give My Love To Rose - 1957 Country - SUN 279

Johnny Cash - Vocal and guitar
Luther Perkins - Guitar
Marshall Grant - Bass

"Give My Love To Rose" is more minimalist than ever. A western ballad, it represents the first time that Cash's infatuation with the Old West (which would later consume entire albums) intruded itself onto disc. "Rose" is a mournful tale of a dying man's wishes told to the minimalist accompaniment. The slight change in direction brought forth some reward when the single rose quickly to number 5 in the country charts and number 88 in the pop listing before dying away. That showing encouraged Jack Clement to persevere in his attempt at sweetening Cash's sound. Billboard was correct when they described this as a "very strong reading of an unusual piece of country material".