Orange Blossom Special (album)

Orange Blossom Special (album)

Orange Blossom Special is the 21st album released by country singer Johnny Cash on Columbia Records in 1965. The recordings include country and folk standards, such as "The Long Black Veil", "When It's Springtime in Alaska", "Danny Boy" and "Wildwood Flower".

The song that gave the title to the album was "Orange Blossom Special", released previous to the album, it became a success. At the time it was recorded, the authorship of the song was not widely known, being commonly covered by diverse artists. Cash learned from Maybelle Carter that the song was written by Ervin T. Rouse, who Cash later met during a show in Miami, Florida. The album credited for the first time the writer of the song. The recordings also contain three covers of Bob Dylan songs, that he gave Cash after a concert in Newport, Rhode Island. "It Ain't Me Babe", "Don't Think Twice, it's Alright" and "Mama, You've Been on My Mind". The last one was only recorded by Dylan as a demo, but it was first released in an album by Cash.

Released on February 1965, the album reached number three in Billboard's Country albums as well as forty-nine in pop albums respectively. The single "Orange Blossom Special" peaked number three on Billboards Hot Country Singles and the duet with June Carter "It Ain't Me Babe" peaked number four in Hot Country Singles.