Johnny Cash

**John R. Cash** (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his career. He was known for his deep, calm bass-baritone voice, the distinctive sound of his Tennessee Three backing band characterized by train-like chugging guitar rhythms, a rebelliousness coupled with an increasingly somber and humble demeanor, free prison concerts, and a trademark all-black stage wardrobe which earned him the nickname "The Man in Black".

Born to poor cotton farmers in Kingsland, Arkansas, Cash rose to fame in the burgeoning rockabilly scene in Memphis, Tennessee, after four years in the Air Force. He traditionally began his concerts by simply introducing himself, "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash," followed by "Folsom Prison Blues", one of his signature songs. Alongside "Folsom Prison Blues", his other signature songs include "I Walk the Line", "Ring of Fire", "Get Rhythm", and "Man in Black". He also recorded humorous numbers like "One Piece at a Time" and "A Boy Named Sue", a duet with his future wife June called "Jackson" (followed by many further duets after their wedding), and railroad songs such as "Hey, Porter", "Orange Blossom Special", and "Rock Island Line". During the last stage of his career, he covered songs by contemporary rock artists of the time; his most notable covers were "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails, "Rusty Cage" by Soundgarden, and "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode.

Cash is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 90 million records worldwide. His genre-spanning music embraced country, rock and roll, rockabilly, blues, folk, and gospel sounds. This crossover appeal earned him the rare honor of being inducted into the Country Music, Rock and Roll, and Gospel Music Halls of Fame.

## Links to Kershaw

Kershaw described Johnny Cash as iconic in a piece he'd written for the Independent newspaper published on 22nd January 2006:

> *"Cash, for me, was more than legendary, he was iconic; a man I'd admired since childhood, a voice that was just as compelling, compassionate and humane in the elderly man stalking the fields of a dairy farm in Somerset as it had been back in the Sun Studios in Memphis or on stage at Folsom Prison. No antecedents, no derivatives. If the cliché "the one and only" applied to anyone, it was to Cash."* [1]
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In the same article, he also described how he was worried how the rock and dance crowd would receive him on the stage at Glastonbury in 1994:

> *"Cranking up the anxiety was my real fear about how he would be received by this huge, predominantly rock and dance music crowd. Glastonbury had not only grown to the size of a city in recent years but the drug of choice had changed. What was once a gentle gathering of herbalists had become a frenzied convention of freelance pharmacists whose tolerance of country music could not altogether be relied upon. I was worried they were going to boo him or bottle him."* [2]
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At the end the crowd loved Cash's performance and both him and Kershaw had tears rolling down:

> *"I stepped aside to let Johnny move to the mic. For a moment, he just stood there and looked out either in relief or disbelief. Tears were rolling down those Mount Rushmore features. Tears were rolling down my face too. I darted for the wings. He moved to the mic. "Hello," he said, "I'm Johnny Cash," and the lead guitarist cracked out the familiar twang. We were off into "Folsom Prison Blues" and the roaring never let up."* [3]
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## Live

Recorded at Glastonbury on 1994-06-26. First Broadcast: 25 December 1994. Repeated: 23 May 2003

1. Folsom Prison Blues
2. Get Rhythm (available only on 25 December 1994)
3. Sunday Morning Coming Down
4. Ring Of Fire
5. Guess Things Happen That Way
6. Delia's Gone (available only on 25 December 1994)
7. The Beast In Me
8. Let Her Blow (available only on 25 December 1994)
9. Bird On The Wire (available only on 25 December 1994)
10. Let The Train Blow The Whistle (available only on 23 May 2003)
11. Big River
12. I Walk The Line (available only on 25 December 1994)
13. Jackson (available only on 25 December 1994)
14. Orange Blossom Special (available only on 25 December 1994)
15. A Boy Named Sue

## Other Shows Played

   1987
* 15 October 1987: I Walk The Line

1991
* 10 March 1991: Hey Porter
* 25 August 1991: Hey Porter

1994
* 18 June 1994: Folsom Prison Blues

1996
* 10 March 1996: Wide Open Road
* 17 March 1996: Mean Eyed Cat
* 01 December 1996: Rusty Cage
* 01 December 1996: I Never Picked Cotton
* 15 December 1996: I've Been Everywhere

1997
* 05 January 1997: Mean Eyed Cat

1998
* 16 March 1998: Go On Blues (CD - Johnny Cash) American Recordings
* 01 June 1998: A Backstage Pass To The Willy Nelson Show (CD - Boom Chicka Boom) Mercury

1999
* 04 March 1999: Family Bible (CD - VH1 Storytellers) Columbia

2000
* 13 April 2000: So Doggone Lonesome (Compilation CD - Live At the Big D Jamboree Volume 2) Rollercoaster
* 13 April 2000: I Walk The Line (Compilation CD - Live At the Big D Jamboree Volume 2) Rollercoaster
* 04 May 2000: I Washed My Face in the Morning Dew (Compilation CD - Real: The Tom T. Hall Project) Sire

2001
* 04 May 2001: I Walk The Line (revisited) (CD - The Houston Kid) Sugar Hill

2002
* 15 November 2002: Give My Love To Rose (CD - American IV: The Man Comes Around) American
* 20 December 2002: The Man Comes Around (CD - American IV: The Man Comes Around) American

2003
* 12 September 2003: The Man Comes Around (CD - American IV: The Man Comes Around) American
* 23 November 2003: Like A Soldier (4xCD - Unearthed) American
* 23 November 2003: Redemption Song (4xCD - Unearthed) American
* 30 November 2003: The L & N Don't Stop Here Anymore (4xCD - Unearthed) Universal Promo

2004
* 29 February 2004: Just The Other Side Of Nowhere (4xCD - Unearthed) American
* 02 May 2004: Wanted Man *(Recorded live in 1969 and available on a compilation album called Johnny Cash Live)*
* 21 November 2004: Hard Times Come Again No More (4xCD - Cash Unearthed) Lost Highway

2006
* 22 January 2006: Highway Patrolman (CD - Johnny 99) Columbia
* 29 January 2006: Johnny 99 (CD - Johnny 99) Columbia
* 19 February 2006: Sunday Morning Coming Down (CD - Classic Cash) Mercury
* 09 April 2006: Unclouded Day (v/a CD - Voice Of The Spirit: The Gospel Of The South) Dualtone
* 09 July 2006: Like The 309 (CD - American V: A Hundred Highways) Lost Highway
* 09 July 2006: I'm Free From The Chain Gang Now (CD - American V: A Hundred Highways) Lost Highway
* 20 August 2006: On The Evening Train (CD - American V - A Hundred Highways) American

2007
* 14 January 2007: The Night Hank Williams Came To Town (album - Johnny Cash Is Coming To Town) Mercury

2022
* Andy Kershaw Podcast Episode 13: A Backstage Pass (album - Boom Chicka Boom) Mercury
* Andy Kershaw Podcast Episode 15: Wanted Man (album - Johnny Cash At San Quentin) Columbia

## External Links

* Wikipedia
* Discogs
* Official Website