Johnny Cash: Camptown Races

Johnny Cash was many things--including a terrific student of history. Here he performs Stephen Foster's "Camptown Races." Foster, who also wrote "Oh Susanna" and "My Old Kentucky Home," was arguably America's first professional songwriter. Although Foster learned it was impossible to make money doing so in ante-bellum America, as copyright law was in its infancy and unauthorized sheet-music printing was the illegal downloading of the time.

This clip come from the Bell Telephone hour and it was aired in 1959.

Look for folk singer Burl Ives playing cards as the song ends.

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