Johnny Cash – The Soul of A Generation

“Everyone I know, goes away, in the end” – HURT rendition by Johnny Cash

Music fans are lucky whenever a person like Johnny Cash is born. With a career that started in 1954 and not ending until his death in 2003, Cash touched 5 decades of fans. To me, Johnny Cash is an artist in the same vein as Ray Charles. Like Charles, Johnny Cash had the fascinating ability to dabble in several genres of music and be equally potent. Johnny Cash was able to touch Country Music, Rock and Roll Music, and Gospel Music. He was actually inducted into the Hall of Fame for each of these styles of music. Man, what an artist Johnny Cash turned out to be.

I remember debating people on a music board years ago about various musical legends. When I said Johnny Cash was better than Elvis Presley needless to say, I caught a lot of heat. I will express today what I expressed on that day. Cash is one of the greatest artists ever. Johnny Cash touched me with his lyrics, voice, passion and the emotional journey he could take listeners on. Johnny Cash looked at life like a Poet and this vision translated into songs that were vivid and thought provoking. Artist that deal with real life struggles, are often filled with angels and demons that fight their way into the art.

After watching the biopic, I appreciated “The Man In Black” even more. Joaquin Phoenix portrayal and performance on Walk The Line did Johnny Cash justice in my humble opinion. When you have such an interesting life, it’s cool to view it on the big screen. To be perfectly honest, Johnny Cash is the reason I have a deep newfound respect for Country Music. After watching Walk The Line, I started researching his music and his life.

One of my favorite artists Mos Def stated on a song called Cream of the Planet that “Life is fantastic, beautiful and tragic”. I believe this line describes the life of Johnny Cash perfectly. He was such an amazing but flawed individual. That said, some of the greatest artist of all time lived on a roller coaster of sorts. In the end, his legacy is signed, sealed and delivered. As stated in the song HURT, “Everyone I know, goes away”. The harsh reality of our existence is a reality.

Recommended Songs: “HURT”, “Walk The Line”, “Ring Of Fire” & “Folsom Prison Blues”.

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