The newest addition to Columbia/Legacy’s highly acclaimed Bob Dylan Bootleg Series has been announced for release this fall. Titled Bob Dylan (featuring Johnny Cash) – Travelin’ Thru, 1967-1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 15, the set collects unreleased recordings from Dylan’s pivotal musical journey to Nashville from 1967 to 1969, focusing on previously unavailable recordings made with Johnny Cash and unreleased tracks from the John Wesley Harding, Nashville Skyline, and Self Portrait sessions.

The often bootlegged recording sessions with Cash took place in February 1969. The two musicians spent their time together in a Nashville studio playing around – singing each other’s songs, spontaneously jamming on covers of tunes such as “Mystery Train” and “You Are My Sunshine” and even writing the song “Wanted Man” that Cash debuted at San Quentin prison a week later. Rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Carl Perkins also joined them for a time, playing guitar on six tracks, including his own composition, “Matchbox”.

One of the resulting tracks from these sessions was the Dylan and Cash duet “Girl From the North Country” which appeared on Dylan’s LP Nashville Skyline later that April. A number of other tracks have been leaked over the years, however, most of this musical treasure trove has never been heard since.

Unlike the sessions with Cash, the John Wesley Harding sessions have never been leaked to the bootleg community and, because Dylan has never spoken in-depth about his songwriting process for this album, these sessions have been a source of fascination for fans for decades.

There are only seven John Wesley Harding tracks on the new collection. “There just doesn’t seem to be many alternate versions of the songs,” a source close to the Dylan camp told Rolling Stone. “The ones we have are often very similar to each other. We had to include ‘All Along the Watchtower,’ but it’s not like ‘All Along the Watchtower’ cha-cha or anything. But ‘I Pity the Poor Immigrant’ is great and has a completely different melody. I don’t think anything had more than three complete takes.” (Check out a video of “I Pity the Poor Immigrant” below)

The album Nashville Skyline was recorded over eight days in February 1969, though unfortunately, nearly half of the session tapes have been lost. “There was an engineer who had taken some of the tapes home and put them in a storage locker,” says the source. “Someone later bought them for a couple of grand and Sony had to buy the tapes back. Most of what we have comes from the storage locker, but the rest were lost. From the best we can tell, they are just gone. That is unusual [in relation to the rest of the Dylan catalog, which has been carefully preserved], and I think it’s just because nobody in Nashville was paying attention. They weren’t thinking about future reissues.”

What does exist, however, offers an intriguing look at the process of making Nashville Skyline and the alternative takes of “One More Night,” “Peggy Day,” and “Country Pie” are markedly different from the versions that were released on the album.

The new box set closes with tracks recorded on May 17, 1970, with Grammy Award-winning bluegrass banjo legend Earl Scruggs for the PBS television special, “Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends” (originally aired January 1971). “It’s a little outside of our chronology,” says the source. “But to us, it put a nice bookend on the set. They sound really relaxed and there’s a very nice, casual feeling to all of it.”

Due out November 1, 2019 Travelin’ Thru will feature a total of 47 previously unreleased recordings and will be available in three-CD, three-LP, and digital configurations. Pre-order your copy now.

See below for a complete tracklist.

Bob Dylan – “Pity The Poor Immigrant”

Complete Tracklist for: Bob Dylan (featuring Johnny Cash) – Travelin’ Thru, 1967 – 1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 15

DISC 1

October 17, 1967
Columbia Studio A, Nashville, TN
John Wesley Harding sessions

01. Drifter’s Escape – Take 1 (Alternate Version)
02. I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine – Take 2 (Alternate Version)

November 6, 1967
Columbia Studio A, Nashville, TN
John Wesley Harding sessions

03. All Along the Watchtower – Take 3 (Alternate Version)
04. John Wesley Harding – Take 1 (Alternate Version)
05. As I Went Out One Morning – Take 1 (Alternate Version)
06. I Pity the Poor Immigrant – Take 4 (Alternate Version)
07. I Am a Lonesome Hobo – Take 4 (Alternate Version)

Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica
Charlie McCoy: bass
Kenneth Buttrey: drums

February 13, 1969
Columbia Studio A, Nashville, TN
Nashville Skyline sessions

08. I Threw It All Away – Take 1 (Alternate Version)
Previously released on The Bootleg Series, Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait
09. To Be Alone with You – Take 1 (Alternate Version)
10. Lay Lady Lay – Take 2 (Alternate Version)
Previously released as a digital download with iTunes pre-orders of Together Through Life
11. One More Night – Take 2 (Alternate Version)
12. Western Road – Take 1 (Outtake)

February 14, 1969
Columbia Studio A, Nashville, TN
Nashville Skyline sessions

13. Peggy Day – Take 1 (Alternate Version)
14. Tell Me That It Isn’t True – Take 2 (Alternate Version)
15. Country Pie – Take 2 (Alternate Version)

Bob Dylan – vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica
Kelton D. Herston, Norman Blake, Charlie Daniels, Wayne Moss (10 & 12): guitars
Bob Wilson: piano, organ
Peter Drake: steel guitar (13-15)
Charlie McCoy: bass
Kenneth Buttrey: drums

DISC 2

February 17, 1969
Columbia Studio A, Nashville, TN
The Dylan-Cash Sessions

01. I Still Miss Someone – Take 5
Written by Johnny Cash and Roy Cash, Jr.
02. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right/Understand Your Man – Rehearsal
Written by Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash

February 18, 1969
Columbia Studio A, Nashville, TN
The Dylan-Cash Sessions

03. One Too Many Mornings – Take 3
04. Mountain Dew – Take 1
Written by Bascom Lamar Lunsford and Scott Wiseman
05. Mountain Dew – Take 2
Written by Bascom Lamar Lunsford and Scott Wiseman
06. I Still Miss Someone – Take 2
Written by Johnny Cash and Roy Cash, Jr.
07. Careless Love – Take 1
Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash
08. Matchbox – Take 1
Written by Carl Perkins
09. That’s All Right, Mama – Take 1
Written by Arthur Crudup
10. Mystery Train/This Train Is Bound for Glory – Take 1
Mystery Train written by Junior Parker
This Train Is Bound for Glory written by Woody Guthrie
11. Big River – Take 1
Written by Johnny Cash
12. Girl from the North Country – Rehearsal
13. Girl from the North Country – Take 1
14. I Walk the Line – Take 2
Written by Johnny Cash
15. Guess Things Happen That Way – Rehearsal
Written by Jack Clement
16. Guess Things Happen That Way – Take 3
Written by Jack Clement
17. Five Feet High and Rising – Take 1
Written by Johnny Cash
18. You Are My Sunshine – Take 1
Written by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell
19. Ring of Fire – Take 1
Written by June Carter and Merle Kilgore

DISC 3

February 18, 1969
Columbia Studio A, Nashville, TN
The Dylan-Cash Sessions

01. Studio Chatter
02. Wanted Man – Take 1
03. Amen – Rehearsal
Written by Jester Hairston
04. Just a Closer Walk with Thee – Take 1
Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash
05. Jimmie Rodgers Medley No. 1 – Take 1
Based on Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas), The Brakeman’s Blues (Yodeling the Blues Away), and Blue Yodel No. 5 (It’s Raining Here) written by Jimmie Rodgers
06. Jimmie Rodgers Medley No. 2 – Take 2
Based on Waiting for a Train, The Brakeman’s Blues (Yodeling the Blues Away), and Blue Yodel No. 1 (T For Texas) written by Jimmie Rodgers

Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar
Johnny Cash: vocals, guitar
Carl Perkins: guitar (08,10, 02, 04-06)
Bob Wootton: guitar
Marshall Grant: bass
W.S. Holland: drums

May 1, 1969
Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
Live on The Johnny Cash Show
Originally broadcast on ABC-TV, June 7, 1969

07. I Threw It All Away
included on 2010 DVD The Best of the Johnny Cash TV Show: 1969-1971
08. Living the Blues
09. Girl from the North Country
included on 2010 DVD The Best of the Johnny Cash TV Show: 1969-1971

Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar
Johnny Cash: vocals, guitar (09)
Norman Blake and Charlie Daniels: guitars
Peter Drake: steel guitar
Bob Wilson: piano
Charlie McCoy: bass
Kenneth Buttrey: drums

May 3, 1969
Columbia Studio A, Nashville, TN
Self Portrait sessions

10. Ring of Fire (Outtake)
Written by June Carter and Merle Kilgore
11. Folsom Prison Blues (Outtake)
Written by Johnny Cash

Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar
Fred F. Carter, Norman Blake: guitars
Charlie Daniels: guitar (11), bass (10)
Bob Wilson: piano
Peter Drake: steel guitar
Charlie McCoy: harmonica (10), bass (11)
Kenneth Buttrey: drums
Delores Edgin and Dottie Dillard: background vocals

May 17, 1970
The Home of Thomas B. Allen, Carmel, New York
With Earl Scruggs

12. Earl Scruggs Interview
13. East Virginia Blues
Written by A.P. Carter
Included in 1971 documentary Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends
14. To Be Alone with You
15. Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance
Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan
16. Nashville Skyline Rag
Previously released on the album Earl Scruggs Performing with His Family and Friends

Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar
Earl Scruggs: banjo
Randy Scruggs: acoustic guitar
Gary Scruggs: electric bass

All songs written by Bob Dylan except where noted

All tracks previously unreleased except where noted

Produced by Jeff Rosen and Steve Berkowitz

John Wesley Harding, Nashville Skyline, and Self Portrait sessions originally produced by Bob Johnston

Liner notes by Colin Escott and Rosanne Cash