single · June 21, 1955

Hey, Porter! / Cry! Cry! Cry!

Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two

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Sun RecordsSee this day

countryrockrhythm and blues

Cash's debut single for Sun Records paired a spiritual with a country tune, establishing the sound that would soon conquer American airwaves.

• The A-side, "Cry! Cry! Cry!", was written by Cash himself, while the B-side, "Hey, Porter!", was penned by Bob Hicks, later known as Slim Whitman.
• The single was recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis with producer Sam Phillips. It was released on June 21, 1955, and became Cash's first charting single, reaching number 14 on the Billboard Country Chart.
• Cash and the Tennessee Two (Luther Perkins on guitar and Marshall Grant on bass) would go on to become one of the most influential acts of the 1950s.

Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two were a pioneering rock and roll and country group from Memphis, Tennessee. This 1955 single marked their debut for Sun Records.