Daddy Sang Bass

"Daddy Sang Bass" is a 1968 single written by Carl Perkins, with some lines from "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" and recorded by Johnny Cash. "Daddy Sang Bass" was Johnny Cash's sixty-first release on the country chart. The song went to number one on the country charts for six weeks and spent a total of nineteen weeks on the chart.^[1] "Daddy Sang Bass" was also released on the Columbia Records Hall of Fame Series as a 45, #13-33153, b/w "Folsom Prison Blues" (live version).

"Daddy Sang Bass" was Cash's thirty-sixth entry on the pop charts and the last before his "A Boy Named Sue" became his first and only top ten hit there. No other act has had a longer such drought on the pop charts that was finally broken.

According to Johnny Cash's book, The Man in Black, Carl Perkins had been an alcoholic. Cash helped Perkins, who spent a lot of time on the road with Cash. Cash had issues with drug usage, and overcame those addictions through spirituality. Cash eventually found God, and helped Carl Perkins. Feeling inspired, Perkins wrote the song, "Daddy Sang Bass" in 1967. Johnny says the line, "Me and little brother will join right in there" was written about Johnny's brother Jack, who died when they were both boys.

Chart performance

Cover versions

• Glen Campbell
• Bryan Chalker's New Frontier
• Skeeter Davis
• Maury Finney
• Gospel Echoes Quartet
• Jerry Lee Lewis
• The Oak Ridge Boys
• The Rhythm Masters
• Leon Russell
• Sego Brothers and Naomi
• Jean Shepard
• Connie Smith
• The Statler Brothers
• Carl Story
• Nat Stuckey
• Jackie Thompson
• Mel Tillis

References