| "Tennessee Flat Top Box" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byJohnny Cash | ||||
| from the albumRing of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash | ||||
| B-side | "Tall Men"[1] | |||
| Released | December 1961 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:00 | |||
| Label | Columbia #42147 | |||
| Songwriter | Johnny Cash | |||
| Producers | Don Law, Frank Jones | |||
| Johnny Cash singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Tennessee Flat Top Box" on YouTube | ||||
"Tennessee Flat Top Box" is a song written and recorded by Americancountry music singerJohnny Cash. It was released as asingle in late 1961, reaching 11 on theBillboard country singles charts and 84 on the pop charts. In 1987, Cash's daughterRosanne also release a rendition of the song, which peaked at number one on theBillboard country music charts.
The song is a story of a little boy aspiring to be a country singer, who starts his career at a localcabaret in a South Texas border town. He has no physical abilities, only his ability to play the guitar, which he loves so much that making money is secondary to him. He becomes so popular that girls "from there toAustin" would secretly leave home andpawn jewelry for money to make the trip to hear him play, and "all the girls from nine to ninety, were snapping fingers, tapping toes, and begging him: 'Don't stop.'"
Ultimately he disappears from the local scene, only to re-emerge on television, having fulfilled his dream. The title of the song refers to anacoustic guitar.
| Chart (1961) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USHot Country Songs (Billboard)[2] | 11 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[3] | 84 |
| "Tennessee Flat Top Box" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byRosanne Cash | ||||
| from the albumKing's Record Shop | ||||
| B-side | "Why Don't You Quit Leaving Me Alone"[4] | |||
| Released | November 1987 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:09 | |||
| Label | Columbia #07624 | |||
| Songwriter | Johnny Cash | |||
| Producer | Rodney Crowell | |||
| Rosanne Cash singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Cash's daughterRosanne Cash recorded acover version of "Tennessee Flat Top Box" in 1987 on her albumKing's Record Shop. Released in November 1987 as the album's third single, it was also the third of four consecutive number-one country hits from that album,[4] peaking in February 1988.Randy Scruggs played theacoustic guitar solos on it.[5]
Rosanne Cash recorded the song at the suggestion of her then-husband, fellow country singerRodney Crowell. When she recorded the song, she was unaware that her father wrote it, and assumed that it was in thepublic domain.[6] Johnny later told Rosanne that her success with the song was "one of [his] greatest fulfillments."[6]The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll cited Rosanne's cover as a "healing of her strained relationship with her dad."[7] Following her father's death in 2003, Rosanne Cash performed the song duringThe Johnny Cash Memorial Tribute concert TV special.
| Chart (1987–1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USHot Country Songs (Billboard)[8] | 1 |
| CanadianRPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| Chart (1988) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[9] | 50 |
A version was madeavailable to download on January 4, 2011, for use in theRock Band 3 music gaming platform in both basic rhythm, and PRO mode which allows use of a real guitar / bass guitar, and MIDI-compatible electronic drum kits / keyboards in addition to vocals.
tennessee flat top box.
tennessee flat top box.
