Johnny Cash is a music legend. A bigger than life, genuine, real deal outlaw who will go down in history as one of the great American musicians of all time. The Man In Black lived larger and played harder than most of the countless he influenced, and kept at it until his final days thanks in part to his collaborations with Rick Rubin. Whether you only know him as the guy from River Phoenix’s brother’s movie or if you like me have dug deep and listened, watched, and read just about everything on or about JC, this collection of his prolific Columbia records years is without a doubt a fine fine stockpile of Americana that embodies the sound & spirit of the working man.

I love Johnny Cash — I love his voice and his lyrics, his originals and covers. His story and soul are in evident in every one of his songs. I also love that he was almost killed by an ostrich — look it up — so for me even though I already have loads of his material this is yet another serious pile of cash I can not turn down. The Johnny Cash: The Complete Columbia Album Collection box set includes 59 of his albums collected on 63 CDs — from 1958’s The Fabulous Johnny Cash through to 1990’s Highwayman 2 with Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson. 35 of the albums will be released on CD for the first time in the U.S., including the first 19 albums (1958-1967) released in Mono. Of course rarities abound: Live albums in London, Prague, Sweden, and New York; 1970 movie soundtrack albums; The Holy Land and The Gospel Road bible chronicles; Christmas and Children’s albums and more, all housed in a black box with a lift-off cover. Johnny Cash: The Complete Columbia Album Collection will be available everywhere October 30, 2012, through Columbia/Legacy.