Which 1960 Johnny Cash album is often described as his first concept album?

Ride This Train is the 1960 Johnny Cash album often described as his first concept album.

Cash’s sixth album, released by Columbia in 1960, is structured as a musical travelogue across the United States. Between songs, Cash provides spoken narration that introduces places, historical settings, and characters associated with the journey. The result is more unified than a standard collection of unrelated country tracks.

The album’s title can suggest that its songs are all about railroads, but that is a common misunderstanding. The train is primarily a framing device: it carries listeners through different American regions and stories. In several passages, Cash adopts or describes historical viewpoints, including that of outlaw John Wesley Hardin.

Ride This Train was recorded between December 1959 and February 1960. Its travelogue format helped distinguish it from neighboring Cash releases such as Now, There Was a Song! and The Sound of Johnny Cash. The album’s success also inspired Sun Records to assemble the later compilation All Aboard the Blue Train.