Johnny Cash

The Backwards Man

He was alright, the David Beckham of country music I'd call him.

More of a Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, or Townes Van Zandt man meself.

MRnotlob606

Paul Simon is a legend.

ZeroThreat

eternal wrote: »

Anyone see Walk the Line. That was not bad and it showed the constant rejection he suffered from his father.

It's especially hard to met with parental approval when your Dad happens to be the T-1000.

Tearin It Up

Whispered wrote: »

You skipped Willie nelson

Sorry, Willie Nelson too

gg2

The Backwards Man wrote: »

He was alright.

Take that back!

blackbullet

I think he was awsome them prison concerts he done 25 mins to go,cocaine blues,and busted better than the studio versions.

K.Flyer

johnny osbourne wrote: »

ya and the girl who played his first wife, isn;t she still alive

CJ Haughey wrote: »

She may will be.

Afraid not, Vivian (Viv) Cash was married to Johnny Cash for 14 years until their divorce in 1965.
She wrote a book which was eventually published in 2007 called "I Walked The Line", which is a fascinating insight into the early years of Johnny Cash's life.
It's full of letters, pictures and memoirs from their life together portraying him as an incurable romantic. The quotation on the back cover reads...
"To the world, Johnny had been the "Man In Black". But to our four girls he was simply 'Daddy'. And to me, he is and always will be my first love, my wonderful, caring, protective husband, and the father of my children."
-Vivian Cash 2004.

Vivian Dorraine Liberto Cash Distin (April 23, 1934 – May 24, 2005)

ygolometsipe

My favorite songs are
Highyway man (this is one of the few song I can play pretend to play on the old giiittar)
ghost riders in the sky
hurt
I hung my head
one
oh danny boy
sunday morning coming down

too many...

One thing to mention is about "I hung my head"

I know how his older brother died and the guilt that Johnny felt.
I think he felt like it really was his fault, hence the lyrics in the song.

I fell sorry for how deeply this hurt him all his life...

The Th!ng

I first heard Cash's music by way of an 8 track tape that my father had called 20 Foot Tappin' Greats, years later I would buy the same album on CD which I still have to this day. In 1993 my friends and I went to see Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson play in the Forum, Waterford. Before the concert I bought a black guitar pick with Cash's name written in silver on it, I think it was June Carter that sold it to me.

One of my favourites.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq344ks1ieg

DeadHand

For me, the difference between Cash and most other artists was he often believed the words he sung.

I'll never forgive the appalling Leona Lewis. She butchered "Hurt" (yes, yes I know Cash didn't write it either) for the most cynical, commercial reasons possible.

When Cash sang Hurt he had his tough childhood, his brother's untimely death, his father's rejection, a lifetime's struggle with a legion of addictions, a lifetime's worth of ruined relationships, the death of most the people he had ever loved and his own imminent death to draw on.

When Lewis "sang" Hurt she had a break up with a boyfriend and a dirty kitchen to draw on.

And it shows.

Rothko

I like him and all but I'll never understand why so many people say that he's the only country musician that they can listen to. He's not that much different from Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams etc.

Frito

Orange Blossom Special,
The Circle,
Redemption Day,
She Used To Love Me A Lot,
Folsom Prison Blues,
Five Feet High And Rising.

My mum is a huge Cash fan, her favourite is Delia, must find some Southern Gothic for her.

KK4SAM

This does it for me.....

This is my favourtire

Summer wind

Folsom Prison Blues
Ring Of Fire
A Boy Named Sue
Forty Shades Of Green
I Walk The Line
One Piece At A Time
Hurt

These are just some of the songs that I love. Johnny Cash is a true legend.

Heckler

Think Trent Reznor of NiN said he'd never play the song Hurt live again because Cash did such a good job.

I'm a hugh NiNs fan and to be fair Cashs version is superior.

Rabo Karabekian

Would agree that Cash turned Hurt from a mopey, awful, hilariously OTT song into one with gravitas and depth, but Cash's best stuff is before his reinvention by Rick Rubin. The American recordings have some great songs on it, but the stuff I'm always returning to is the stuff before that.

GerB40

Rabo Karabekian wrote: »

Would agree that Cash turned Hurt from a mopey, awful, hilariously OTT song into one with gravitas and depth, but Cash's best stuff is before his reinvention by Rick Rubin. The American recordings have some great songs on it, but the stuff I'm always returning to is the stuff before that.

Yeah definitely. I remember my "party piece" as a kid was singing Daddy Sang Bass and being pretty good with the varying vocal range. Then puberty came along and fúcked that up for me... But the earlier stuff like that will always have a special place in my heart that the Rick Rubin stuff (despite being unbelievably good) could never replace..

padd b1975

Whispered wrote: »

You skipped Willie nelson

....and Waylon Jennings.

Rosie Rant

My two favourites are covers - "Hurt" and "In My Life". Both are songs that I just have to listen to with my eyes closed. They are just beautiful.

rob316

When you consider hurt was his last major release it just the perfect song to some up his life. An amazing artist my favourite of the country rock and roll, I would have zero time for elvis ,johnny is the real king.

He's a bit of tragic figure, who found something to live for in June. Once June passed he was a broken man and was waiting to follow.

GerB40

Rosie Rant wrote: »

My two favourites are covers - "Hurt" and "In My Life". Both are songs that I just have to listen to with my eyes closed. They are just beautiful.

It's worth remembering that "It ain't me babe" is also a cover that is (in my opinion) far better than the original. Johnny often told audiences that he was about to sing a song written by "the best young writer around" before performing it with June. That shows how humble he was, not wanting to take credit for Bob Dylans writing.

When Bob and John finally got together to record Bobs "Girl from the north country" the result was phenomenal. Johnny Cash seemed to add a touch of class to any song he covered, even back when he was at his height of fame..

Rothko

Rabo Karabekian wrote: »

Would agree that Cash turned Hurt from a mopey, awful, hilariously OTT song into one with gravitas and dept.

I think the original is just as good.

ZeroThreat

Summer wind wrote: »

Folsom Prison Blues
Ring Of Fire
A Boy Named Sue
Forty Shades Of Green
I Walk The Line
One Piece At A Time
Hurt

These are just some of the songs that I love. Johnny Cash is a true legend.

I always suspected Ring of Fire was written after a night of curry.

Rabo Karabekian

Suas11 wrote: »

I think the original is just as good.

I can't really listen to it at all anymore (I still listen to the album occasionally). It just seems like a very careful, manipulated attempt at emotion. I think (for me) it's to do with his delivery, as it doesn't come through in any of his other songs.

Baby Jane

I think some of his stuff sounds no different to C&W that would be deemed hillbilly music, but very evocative lyrics, and his The Man Comes Around stuff is brilliant.

lertsnim

His version of Sting's I Hung My Head is fantastic. It's a vast improvement over the original. That American IV album is one of my favourites.