Red Velvet (song) explained

Red Velvet
Type:	single
Artist:	Johnny Cash
Album:	Old Golden Throat
A-Side:	"Red Velvet"
B-Side:	"The Wind Changes"
Genre:	country
Label:	Columbia 4-44288
Producer:	Don Law and Frank Jones

"Red Velvet" is a song written by Ian Tyson. While the Johnny Cash version is the best known, it was first recorded by Ian & Sylvia Tyson in 1965 on their album Early Morning Rain.^[1]

Recorded by Cash at the Columbia Studios in Nashville, Tennessee,^[2] the song was released in September 1967 as a single^{[3] [4]} (Columbia 4-44288, with "The Wind Changes" on the opposite side).^{[5] [6]} It was later included on his album Old Golden Throat (1968).

Billboard magazine gave the song a "Country Spotlight" review, stating: "Folkster Ian Tyson's plaintive ballad serves as potent material for Cash as he performs it in his compelling and winning style. Another big Cash hit."^[7] Actually, it did not chart at all. "The Wind Changes" made it to 60 on the Billboard country chart, then dropped off completely after only six weeks.^[8]

Other Versions

• Gordon Lightfoot included it on a 1998 album, A Painter Passing Through.^[9]
• Tom Russell includes the song in his tribute album to Ian & Sylvia, Play One More - The Songs of Ian & Sylvia, 2017.^[10]

External links

• "Red Velvet" on the Johnny Cash official website

Notes and References

1. Web site: Early Morning Rain ~ Release by Ian & Sylvia . Musicbrainz . 18 February 2021 .
2. Book: John L. Smith. Another Song to Sing: The Recorded Repertoire of Johnny Cash. 1 January 1999. Scarecrow Press. 978-0-8108-3629-7.
3. Book: The Johnny Cash Record Catalog. 1994. Greenwood Publishing Group. 978-0-313-29506-5. 8–9.
4. Book: Peter Lewry. I've Been Everywhere: A Johnny Cash Chronicle. 2001. Helter Skelter. 978-1-900924-22-1. 53.
   September
   "The Wind Changes"/"Red Velvet" (Columbia 4-44288) released. Following the recent chart successes this single is a relative failure, reaching only #60 during a six-week chart spell..
5. Book: C. Eric Banister. Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black. 1 August 2014. Backbeat. 978-1-61713-609-2. 138–.
   Book: C. Eric Banister. Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black. 1 August 2014. Backbeat Books. 978-1-61713-608-5. 123–. Curiously, just prior to the album's release, Columbia issued another single featuring two songs—"Red Velvet" and "The Wind Changes"—that were not duets, with the latter stalling at #60 on the Country chart before quickly dropping off. Released in the fall of 1967, Carryin' On brought together Johnny and June's two ....
6. Billboard. Billboard. 23 May 1970. 1–. 0006-2510.
   Book: Standard Catalog of American Records, 1950-1975. 2000. Krause Publications. 978-0-87341-934-5.
   Book: Tim Neely. Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records: 1950-1975. 1 August 2002. Krause Publications. 978-0-87349-471-7.
   Book: Tim Neely. Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records: 1950-1975. 31 August 2006. Krause Publications. 9780896893078.
   Book: John L. Smith. Another Song to Sing: The Recorded Repertoire of Johnny Cash. 1 January 1999. Scarecrow Press. 978-0-8108-3629-7. Book: John L. Smith. The Johnny Cash Discography. 1 January 1985. Greenwood Press. 978-0-313-24654-8.
7. Billboard. Billboard. 23 September 1967. 18–. 0006-2510.
8. Book: Joel Whitburn. Top Country Singles, 1944 to 2001: Chart Data Compiled from Billboard's Country Singles Charts, 1944-2001. 2002. Record Research. 978-0-89820-151-2.
   Book: Joel Whitburn. Joel Whitburn's Top Country Songs: 1944-2005, Billboard. 2005. Record Research. 978-0-89820-165-9.
   The Wind Changes Chart History. Billboard. 2020-05-11.
9. Web site: A Painter Passing Through . Wikipedia . 18 February 2021.
10. Web site: Play One More - The Songs Of Ian & Sylvia ~ Release by Tom Russell. Musicbrainz . 18 February 2021.