One of the last songs late Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell recorded before his death was “You Never Knew My Mind” for the Johnny Cash ‘Forever Words’ release, featuring artists recording songs based on Cash’s unrecorded written lyrics. Cornell recorded the song at Cash’s home, and it was later posthumously released in 2018. Legendary Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, who played with Cornell in Temple of the Dog, has now followed in his footsteps by recording at Cash’s studio.
He called the experience of singing a song there especially after having played with so many talented singers, including Cornell, Eddie Vedder, and Layne Staley, ‘terrifying.’
McCready recorded music for ‘The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash,’ which recently premiered at South by Southwest. The movie, directed by Thom Zimny (Elvis Presley: The Searcher), uses archival footage and interviews with Cash’s family and friends and attempts to add color to the story of the Man in Black. It also proved to be a transformative experience for McCready.
“I got to actually go to his house and play at his studio, which was a total honor,” McCready tells Rolling Stone. “I actually sung a song there, which is terrifying to me, because I’ve been around so many amazing singers in my life.”
