Johnny Cash

you are right, a great eulogy for Mr. Cash. I had to have a listen to Roseanne and Johnny Cash singing "september when it comes" after reading it. I woke up to hear it playing the morning I heard Johnny Cash died.

thanks
 
Good stuff. One of my favorite artists. Certainly my favorite solo artist.
 
Johnny Cash went into a deep cavern near his home in Tennessee.
I never really understood if Johnny Cash physically entered a cave, or if he used that as a metaphor for a dark time in his life.

-Bob
 
Thank you, that is a good piece, it really sums up a lot of thoughts and feelings that are difficult to put into words.

"Johnny Cash went into a deep cavern near his home in Tennessee."

I'm guessing it was an actual cavern, maybe somewhere he had grown up playing in. The rest of the piece doesn't have the alliteration and vagueness that this would lead you to think if it were not real. JMHO
 
I was never cetain about the "cave" story, but I saw Cash discuss it with Peter Jennings. Cash was definitely mixing reality and metaphors throughout the entire interview. No biggie either way, Johnny Cash was a true artist and his non-literal reality is what made his tunes special.

-Bob
 
I was never a big Johnny Cash fan. But he was obviously something very special, a unique and talented guy in a big, John Wayne kind of way. Didn't like his music much, but still admired him for being really cool.
 
A Dogs Best Friend said:
I was never a big Johnny Cash fan. But he was obviously something very special, a unique and talented guy in a big, John Wayne kind of way. Didn't like his music much, but still admired him for being really cool.
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I take it back. I really liked 'Ring of Fire.' Still do.
 
There was an amusement park in Oklahoma City called Springlake. Roller coasters, ferris wheels, that sort of thing. It was probably back in the mid-50s. Mom and Dad took my brother and I to the park. Cash was there doing an outside show. My brother and I got in free cause we were just puppies but Mom and Dad had to buy tickets. I remember the tickets were 50 cents!
I like this picture of Johnny with an attitude.

(Mods - If this picture is too much for Community let me know and I will edit it out. Please don't move FullerH's thread)
 
Ring of Fire is one of my favorites too, along with I Walk the Line.

Anyone seen the movie I Walk the Line with Gregory Peck? A real ass-kick in the end, and Johnny Cash music throughout.

-Bob
 
...Just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there outta' be a man in black.

That song always gets me. :(
 
Great writeup for him.

I grew up listening to his music on AM stations as a kid in the 1970s and always had a "best of" tape or CD around. Two of his more recent albums, American Recordings and Unchained, are also favorites.

By the way Hugh, being a politically-minded guy, you might appreciate one of his songs from the Viet Nam era.

:D

There once was a musical troupe
A pickin' singin' folk group
They sang the mountain ballads
And the folk songs of our land

They were long on musical ability
Folks thought they would go far
But political incompatibility led to their downfall

Well, the one on the right was on the left
And the one in the middle was on the right
And the one on the left was in the middle
And the guy in the rear was a Methodist

This musical aggregation toured the entire nation
Singing the traditional ballads
And the folk songs of our land
They performed with great virtuosity
And soon they were the rage
But political animosity prevailed upon the stage

Well, the one on the right was on the left
And the one in the middle was on the right
And the one on the left was in the middle
And the guy in the rear burned his driver's license

Well the curtain had ascended
A hush fell on the crowd
As thousands there were gathered to hear The folk songs of our land
But they took their politics seriously
And that night at the concert hall
As the audience watched deliriously
They had a free-for-all

Well, the one on the right was on the bottom
And the one in the middle was on the top
And the one on the left got a broken arm
And the guy in the rear, said, "Oh dear"

Now this should be a lesson if you plan to start a folk group
Don't go mixin' politics with the folk songs of our land
Just work on harmony and diction
Play your banjo well
And if you have political convictions keep them to yourself

Now, the one on the left works in a bank
And the one in the middle drives a truck
The one on the right's an all-night deejay
And the guy in the rear got drafted
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To sum it all up, Johnny Cash was real. He wasn't one of those poser-types that puts up the outlaw act but really is just a fake. Johnny Cash was the real thing--lived the hard life, but found the right path again, and snag the truth.
 
Johnny Cash's cover of NIN "dirt" was great if I may:

"I cut myself today just to make sure I was still alive"

An american original without doubt patriotisim mixed with neccesary cynicism
makes him a seminal artist. He was more mainstream popular in his waining
years and that is a sign of greatness.
 
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