Back in 1958, Merle Haggard experienced Johnny Cash’s performance at San Quentin, sparking his journey to crafting sincere country tunes for the rebels of the genre. In a similar fashion, 1982 saw the future Rage Against the Machine guitarist, Tom Morello, witness Joe Strummer with The Clash in Chicago, leading him to create fervent and righteous rock for passionate punk enthusiasts. Although they departed from this world within a year of each other, Cash and Strummer were revered as musical visionaries, motivating others to uphold their messages. Bob Marley also belonged to this illustrious league, each with their own interpretation of “redemption,” yet all united in believing in music’s power to effect positive change.
Above, savor the collaboration of Cash and Strummer as they deliver Marley’s “Redemption Song,” with Morello accompanying them on guitar. The track was serendipitously recorded during the production of Cash’s last album, American IV: The Man Comes Around by Rick Rubin.
According to Rick Rubin, “Joe was a regular visitor during the sessions, as he cherished Johnny Cash, and happened to be on vacation in L.A. Joe even extended his stay by a week to spend more time with Johnny.” Additionally, Rubin captured a solo rendition of Strummer performing “Redemption Song,” later appearing on Strummer’s final album, Streetcore, released posthumously.
“The original intent was to record the song as a duet,” Rubin elaborates, “but just in case, both Johnny and Joe recorded the full song repeatedly.” The duet can be found on the third disc, named Redemption Songs, within the Cash box set Unearthed, featuring a collection of outtakes and alternate recordings from Rubin’s American Recordings with Cash. There’s a poetic justice in this being one of the final recordings for both Strummer and Cash, uniting them in one harmonious finale. Quite fittingly, it has been described as showcasing “the pioneering punk rock star and the final one, together forever.”
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Josh Jones is a writer and musician from Durham, NC. Connect with him via @jdmagness
