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1976 Country Album Carried a Hidden Debut From a Future Grammy Winner

By Lauren Anderson Parade - Trending Stories

Updated May 1, 2026 8:10 AM

Fifty years ago on May 1, 1976, Johnny Cash released his 54th studio album.

But what they might not know are the two other reasons why the country legend's One Piece at a Time stood out for more than just its music.

At the time, Cash was already firmly established as one of country music's most influential voices. One Piece at a Time marked a meaningful return to his roots because it was credited to "Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Three." The core members were Luther Perkins, who played lead guitar, Marshall Grant on the bass, and W.S. Holland on drums.

Cash hadn't used the credit since the 1960s, which at the time served as a nod to the stripped-down, signature sound that helped define his early career. When fans saw Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Three on One Piece at a Time, they knew they were getting that same musical style that first made Cash a star. Songs like "Daughter of a Railroad Man" and "Love Has Lost Again" capture that essence.

Ironically, Cash didn't write the country hit "Love Has Lost Again"-his daughter did.

Rosanne Cash wrote the tune before launching her own successful solo career. Cash putting the song on the album gave the world an early taste of her talent and served as a "passing of the torch" moment between the country music generations.

In the years that followed, Rosanne, 70, would go on to become a major force in country music in her own right with hits like "Tennessee Flat Top Box" and "Blue Moon With Heartache." But Cash's inclusion of her song on One Piece at a Time helped kick off all of that success.

She would go on to win four Grammy Awards, the first of which came in 1985. She won Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me." Rosanne has also won Grammys for:

Best Americana Album for The River & the Thread (2015)
Best American Roots Performance for "A Feather's Not a Bird" (2015)
Best American Roots Song for "A Feather's Not a Bird" with John Leventhal (2015)

Of course, country music fans know and love the album for the title track, which went on to become one of Cash's most memorable hits of the era. It's a playful, storytelling-driven song about an auto worker who builds a car piece by piece over the years that showcased Cash's enduring ability to blend humor, narrative, and relatability into a chart-topping country hit.

This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 6:59 AM.