Born and Raised in Black and White
{{short description|Song by The Highwaymen}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Born and Raised in Black and White
| cover =
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = The Highwaymen
| album = Highwayman 2
| B-side = "Texas"
| released = {{start date|1990}}
| genre = Country
| length = 3:32
| label = Columbia 38-73381
| writer = {{hlist|Don Cook|John Barlow Jarvis}}
| producer = Chips Moman
| prev_title = Silver Stallion
| prev_year = 1990
| next_title = American Remains
| next_year = 1990
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|iP1OEzEIiXc|"Born and Raised in Black and White"|link=no}}|header=}}
}}
"Born and Raised in Black and White" is a song written by Don Cook and John Barlow Jarvis,{{cite web|url=https://www.johnnycash.com/track/born-and-raised-in-black-and-white/|title=Born and Raised In Black and White|publisher=Johnny Cash official site|access-date=2021-10-27}} and originally recorded by The Highwaymen on their 1990 album Highwaymen 2. Mark Collie covered it for his 1991 album Born and Raised in Black & White, and Brooks & Dunn on their 1998 album If You See Her.
The Highwaymen version
The song was recorded by The Highwaymen, a supergroup consisting of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson. It served as the second track of their 1990 album Highwayman 2.{{cite web|url=https://www.johnnycash.com/music/highwayman-2/|title=Highwayman 2|publisher=Johnny Cash official site|access-date=2021-10-27}} For their rendition, Jennings sings lead vocals.{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/306240476/ | title='Highwaymen' disappoints again; Johnny Cash solo effort doesn't | work=Quad City Times | date=March 11, 1990 | accessdate=June 3, 2022}} At the time, Billboard had shortened the Hot Country Songs charts to 75 positions, and ran a secondary chart called Country Radio Breakouts, which consisted of the songs just below the top 75 for that week. "Born and Raised in Black and White" peaked at number one on this chart without ever entering Hot Country Songs.{{cite magazine|url=http://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1990/BB-1990-06-30.pdf|title=Hot Country Radio Breakouts|date=June 30, 1990|magazine=Billboard}}
Content
The song is about a pair of brothers who live differing lives. One of the two is a convicted murderer, and the other becomes a preacher. Bob Allen of the Evening Sun called the song a "dramatic stand-out of the sort that almost grabs listeners by the ears and lifts them up."{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/367639657/ | title=Good outweighs bad on quartet's second LP | work=The Evening Sun | date=March 8, 1990 | accessdate=June 3, 2022 | pages=C1, C11}}
Other versions
A year later, Mark Collie recorded it as the title track of his album Born & Raised in Black & White.{{cite web | url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/born-raised-in-black-white-mw0000264878 | title=Born & Raised in Black & White | work=AllMusic | accessdate=June 3, 2022}} Brooks & Dunn also cut it on their 1998 album If You See Her. Their rendition was the first time in their career that both halves of the duo (Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn) sang lead on the same song, as opposed to just one of the two doing so.{{cite magazine|last=Price|first=Deborah Evans|date=9 May 1998|title=Arista's B&D Set In Ties with Reba|magazine=Billboard|volume=110|issue=19|page=41|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UQ0EAAAAMBAJ&q=%22brooks+%26+dunn%22+%22billboard%22&pg=PA41}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.johnnycash.com/track/born-and-raised-in-black-and-white/ "Born and Raised in Black and White"] on the Johnny Cash official website
{{Highwaymen}}
{{Mark Collie}}
{{Brooks & Dunn}}
{{authority control}}
Category:The Highwaymen (country supergroup) songs
Category:Waylon Jennings songs
Category:Kris Kristofferson songs
Category:Songs written by Don Cook
Category:Songs written by John Barlow Jarvis
Category:Song recordings produced by Chips Moman