Johnny Cash

"Hello, I'm Johnny Cash..."

The Man In Black simply has too rich of a history to list or even summarize here, so I've taken just the highlights of where his music touched my life and those I love. I'm not really a Johnny Cash fan. But I do appreciate his legendary status as a singer songwriter. I remember hearing his songs on the radio and TV all during my childhood.

The three of us kids grew up hearing country music because that's what our father liked to listen to. Dad would always request I play "Folsom Prison Blues" (the only Cash song I knew on guitar.) "I hear that train a comin'...comin down the bend..."

You had to reach down to your toes to hit the low notes!

Probably the closest I ever got to his music was in the mid-nineties when I worked for WEA, a national record distributor in Dallas. Hip hop/metal producer Rick Rubin's American Recordings released a simple acoustic roots-radical album of just Cash and his guitar, a debut of Cash originals also featuring songs by Nick Lowe, Kristofferson, Glenn Danzig, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits and Loudon Wainwright III. It won a Grammy in 1995 for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

You've simply got to appreciate his rich and record breaking history...

December 1955 "Folsom Prison Blues" is released on Sun records. Sam Phillips originally intended the song as a followup hit to "Davy Crockett" by Tennessee Ernie Ford. Hits # 4 on the Country chart. Cash joins the Elvis Presley Jamboree tour along with Carl Perkins and others. Later in 1968, "Folsom Prison Blues" is redone live at Folsom Prison. The new LP stays at number one for four weeks, and then spends 92 weeks on the country/western chart and 122 weeks on the pop chart, where it's certified platinum by the RIAA and chosen as CMA Album Of The Year.

"I Walk The Line" goes to Number One on the Country/Western charts and crosses over into the Top 20 on the Pop chart in April 1956. Later that same year, Cash is photographed in a Sun Records studio session with Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. They continue to record with each other for decades.

In the 1960's he recorded a string of hits on Columbia records, along with his first concept album mixing music and narration. TV themes and gospel hits also followed. He became a staple of the Grand Ole Opry. The Carter family joined the Johnny Cash road show, which found acceptance in the burgeoning folk music scene in the early 60's, especially in New York, along with rising stars Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan.

"Ring Of Fire" written by June Carter and Merle Kilgore number one on the Country chart. A Best Of album was released, also called Ring Of Fire which was number one on Billboard magazine's first Hot Country Album chart. Johnny's duet with June Carter on "Jackson" not only hit the country charts, but was covered by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood as a pop hit just three months later. "Jackson" also won a Grammy award for Best Country/Western
Performance by a Duo/Group.

Johnny Cash and June Carter were married in 1968. Their family impacts the country, folk and the pop music worlds for decades.

One of my favorite Cash songs is "Daddy Sang Bass," which was written by Carl Perkins and performed by Perkins on guitar, the Statler Brothers and Carter family. Number one for six weeks, it was from "The Holy Land," a concept album of inspirational songs about Israel.

Cash also sat in on Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline sessions. A man of many talents, he also recorded the immortal "A Boy Named Sue" written by Shel Siverstein, which captured a Grammy award for Best Male Country vocal Performance in 1970. Cash also performed for President Nixon, appeared in several movies and countless TV shows. The Johnny Cash Show appeared on two major television networks spanning two decades.

I'd say my other favorites include "If I Were A Carpenter" (written by Tim Hardin,) "Sunday Morning Coming Down" (written by Kris Kristofferson) and "If I Had A Hammer."

Inducted into the Country Music Association Hall Of Fame in 1980.
Recieved the Academy of Country Music's Pioneer Award in 1990.
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, and presented the Grammy Legend Award for ongoing contributions and influence in the recording field in 1992.
Honored at the annual Kennedy Center Awards in 1996.
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is bestowed in 2000.
Awarded the National Medal of Arts by President George W. Bush in 2001.
He recorded some 1,450 titles for the Columbia Records label over 28 years, and received eleven Grammy Awards.

Johnny Cash passed away in Nashville in September 2003 of complications from Diabetes.

God Bless You, Johnny. You've left the world a richer place. Thanks for the music!
I think I'll wear black tomorrow.



Written By: Mikiesoft

Christmas Music

Ya know, Thanksgiving was just last week. Today is Monday, Cyber Monday, if you will. Everywhere I go, I'm hearing Christmas music. Mind you, I'm in Dallas and local temperatures are still hovering in the 60's, so it doesn't feel like Christmas yet. But you certainly know Christmas is just around the corner because of all the advertising. I got a newspaper last Thursday (on Thanksgiving Day) that had more ads than actual newspaper (meaning content!) There were ads for stores I've never even heard of.

But I digress. Back to the music. Now don't get me wrong. I love Christmas music. During December. When it's cold. Snow is optional. Remember, we're in Dallas. But there's something odd about hearing it on every radio station and in every store I'm in. Especially wearing a T-shirt.

For instance, I heard the Beach Boys' "Little Saint Nick" in Quizno's sandwich shop. Sorry, burn out. Heard it too many times. On the radio, the Eagles "Please Come Home For Christmas." OK fine, I like it. Timeless, no burn out. Then there's that awful Mariah Carey sound alike stuff that wails all over the place and never gets to the melody. I have no idea what song I was even listening to. Too bad I couldn't turn it off, but the store manager probably wouldn't appreciate me pulling his PA speakers out of the walls.

Sorry, lost my head there for a moment. Ahh, there are just some things that shouldn't be messed with. Remakes of classic songs, even Christmas music, are like that. They're either really good and or clever, or simply awful.

Speaking of simply awful, now I remember what Christmas song I heard on the radio the other day that just turned me off. "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer." Don't remember the artist, doesn't matter. Point is, I used to enjoy the song, but don't anymore.

Why? Burn out. Simply put, burn out is what you get when you hear a song so much, you just can't stand to hear it anymore, anywhere at any time. Unplug it, yank the wire, rip out the speakers type of thing. But that maybe too radical a thought, so let's get back to the gentle subject of Christmas music.

The point is...I'm tired of hearing Christmas music already. The first week after Thanksgiving. So, I've decided to make my own CD. Collecting my favorite Christmas songs. Why not? Leave out the burn out, just the good stuff. I'll post my list soon. Meanwhile, I suggest taking your Ipod with you next time you go shopping.

Paul McCartney Concert

I just got home from seeing Paul McCartney in Dallas at American Airlines center. The show was AWESOME!! I had some doubts about section 328, being that far up, but once the show started, I was amazed that we could see everything, just at a distance. If we had gone any farther up, we probably would have needed oxygen.

The song selection was superb, especially when he pulled off the surprise tune from Ram. I've never heard him do any of that album live. 2 & 1/2 hours of mostly Beatle tunes, with some Wings and solo stuff thrown in for good measure. Paul switched off between bass, acoustic and electric guitar and of course, piano. The grand piano emerged onto the stage from a center platform that rose from beneath the stage...a very nice effect.

The lighting was just awesome, and from our vantage point, it was quite impressive. The video screens were real clear too. The stage looked like little crystal squares that would light up from inside and sometimes they projected images on it like another screen. The pyrotechnics on "Live & Let Die" were spectacular, but really loud.

The most touching moment came when Paul was telling a story and paused to ask the crowd to remember John, George and Linda. His request caused a standing ovation.

THANKS to BeatleChik71 for the great tickets!! You are a wonderful person and a true Macca Fan!! It was a pleasure to meet you!! Nice to know Beatle fans still look out for one another.

It truly was a "Beautiful Night."