More Posthumous Johnny Cash Albums On The Way?

Entering a dubious pantheon shared by musicians as disparate as Jimi Hendrix and Tupac Shakur, Johnny Cash’s newest record, American VI: Ain’t No Grave is the third collection of posthumous records to be released under the deceased singer-songwriter’s name since his death in September 2003.

Set to be released on the Man in Black’s 78th birthday (February 26), Ain’t No Grave is the fifth (and supposedly final, in that Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter kind of way) in Cash’s American series, a collection of spare, ruminative records produced by Rick Rubin and featuring a slew of surprising, sometimes oddball, covers.  While American IV featured the now-classic cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt,” Ain’t No Grave boasts tunes from Sheryl Crow and Kris Kristofferson, along with the stunning title track, in which the late great sounds as if he’s singing from beyond a rather rollicking grave.

That’s not all, however – in addition to Grave, Cash fans have begun to clamor for more.  Specifically, what many fans consider to be the “lost” Johnny Cash album, 1964’s Bitter Tears.  =Released on vinyl nearly 40 years ago, Tears is a concept record that deals with America’s treatment of Native Americans, and was largely ignored by Columbia Records, Cash’s label at the time, due to its controversial (at the time) content.

Reuters now reports that Cash superfan and Bitter Tears biographer, Anthony D’Ambrosio (author of A Heartbeat and a Guitar: Johnny Cash and the Making of Bitter Tears), is joining forces with Cash’s son, John Carter Cash, to lobby Sony records into re-releasing the lost album.  While the disc is available on CD and iTunes, the two men feel that the record is criminally neglected and overlooked due to Columbia’s reservations over Tears‘ content.

“Nobody did concept albums back then, and this album solidifies my father’s role as a humanitarian and a spokesman for the underdog,” the younger Cash stated.  “It’s such an important historical record, and I’d love to see it get a proper re-release.”

What do you think?  Do you think record labels should continue to release posthumous material after an artist has passed away?