The strange story of Bob Dylan’s “lost” 1969 album with Johnny Cash
Two days of studio time in February 1969 saw Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash come together to create some of their most memorable collaborative moments. Within the week, Cash would debut ‘Wanted Man’ during his performance at San Quentin prison, later immortalised on his At San Quentin album. A few months after the session, their duet ‘Girl From the North Country’ would open Dylan’s Nashville Skyline, cementing the encounter as a high-water mark in cross-genre collaboration.
The groundwork for their sessions had been laid years earlier, though, with mutual admiration defining the relationship between the two icons throughout the 1960s. Dylan had become a key voice in the counterculture movement, penning socially conscious anthems like ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’, while Cash was navigating a darker personal path, singing about addiction, redemption and the rawer edges of American life, all through his unique blend of country, gospel and rockabilly.
Until recently, most of what emerged from those 1969 sessions was thought to be limited. But new outtakes have come to light, thanks to a bootleg collection that revealed previously unheard versions and lost material. According to a source who spoke to Rolling Stone, roughly half of the tapes from Dylan’s Nashville Skyline sessions were believed to be lost for years.
“There was an engineer who had taken some of the tapes home and put them in a storage locker,” the source explained. “Someone later bought them for a couple of grand and Sony had to buy the tapes back. Most of what we have comes from the storage locker, but the rest were lost. From the best we can tell, they are just gone.”
Fortunately, the Dylan-Cash recordings were part of the recovered stash. Among the rediscovered gems are outtakes dated February 17th-18th, 1969, captured at Columbia Studio A in Nashville. June Carter Cash also appears in the studio, adding a further layer of intimacy and charm to the recordings. Another take of ‘Wanted Man’ surfaces, with many Dylan fans particularly eager to hear him perform the song himself – a rarity, given the track’s strong association with Cash.
“They don’t have the words together, so they’re making the lyrics up as they go,” the source noted. “You can hear June say, ‘Johnny, you need to get that ‘Wanted Man’ from Bob so you know the melody of it.’”
The sessions also include playful takes on ‘One Too Many Mornings’, ‘Matchbox’ and ‘Ring of Fire’, as well as a breezy medley of Jimmie Rodgers tunes. “They’re just singing Jimmie Rodgers songs off the top of their heads,” the source added. “Johnny starts, Bob joins in. It’s just two guys relaxing in the studio and having fun. That’s what we tried to focus on. We wanted to focus on the fun they were having.”
In a way, it makes perfect sense that this album slipped through the cracks. These weren’t sessions chasing chart success or critical acclaim, they were something looser, rougher, more human. Dylan and Cash were just two friends chasing songs in the moment, passing melodies back and forth like cigarettes. There’s something oddly beautiful about that kind of spontaneity ending up lost for a while, and it gives the music room to breathe, to be rediscovered with fresh ears, long after the fact.
What we’re left with isn’t some polished monument to two icons. It’s a handful of recordings soaked in warmth, humour, and the occasional bum note. But that’s where the magic is. This isn’t the sound of legacy being built – it’s the sound of it already being lived in. The fact that we’re only just hearing these moments now doesn’t dull their glow; if anything, it makes them shine brighter.
Never Miss A Tale
The Far Out Bob Dylan Newsletter
All the latest stories about Bob Dylan from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.