Today Is Johnny Cash's Birthday, - How 'bout A Cash Appreciation Thread?

[Dinger]

Thank you Johnny for being the voice of the common man, the voice of the "poor and beaten down, livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town, the voice of the prisoner who has long paid for his crime, and thank you for speaking/singing about the road to happiness through love and charity, and for so much more.

"Just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought 'a be a Man In Black. "

[laylah]

1. Thank you

for starting this thread!

I once saw Johnny in Telluride 1998 (?) along with June and Roseanne...what a treat! Thank you our Man in Black for all you gave to us, the "little" people. You are sorely missed. :hug:

[Dinger]

2. I Wore All Black To Church Today, and BLARED "Man In Black" As I Rode Out

Damn, it felt so good!

[crispini]

3. Darn right.

Here's to Johnny. :toast:

[RC]

4. I wore all black when I finally saw the movie 'Walk the Line'

a week ago. I normally wear all black every Friday in mourning for all the death and destruction resident bu$h has caused. I think Mr. Cash would approve.

[IsItJustMe]

5. Good friend of Cash, Kristofferson wrote the song "Jesus was a Capricorn"

I love that song and think if more christians could relate to it, we just might get some common ground going.

Jesus was a Capricorn
He ate organic food
He believed in love and peace
And never wore no shoes
Long hair, beard and sandles
And a funky bunch of friends
Reckon we'd just nail him up
If he came down again
Chorus:
'Cause everybody's gotta have somebody to look down on
Who they can feel better than at any time they please
Someone doin' somethin' dirty decent folks can frown on
If you can't find nobody else, then help yourself to me
Eggheads cussing rednecks cussing
Hippies for their hair
Others laugh at straights who laugh at
Freaks who laugh at squares
Some folks hate the Whites
Who hate the Blacks who hate the Klan
Most of us hate anything that
We don't understand

[bliss_eternal]

6. Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt--

I wasn't sure what to make of it the first time I heard it. THEN, I saw the video--Oh. My. God. A visual masterpiece, so incredibly moving. I can't watch it without weeping. Mark Romanek's talents mixed with Mr. Cash's indelible touch on Trent Reznor's song...

Rest in peace, Mr. Johnny Cash.

[tenshi816]

7. I was an extra in a film with Johnny Cash

and June Carter Cash in 1984. It was a really cheesy made-for-TV movie filmed in and around Atlanta, called The Baron and the Kid and it also starred Darren McGavin and Michael J. Fox's wife, Tracy Pollan.

During the lunch break, Johnny and June stepped in and actually served up the food to the extras (it was a canteen with cafeteria-style service, with Mr. and Mrs. Cash right in there ready to help dish it up). I don't know if they did that often, or if it was just a spur of the moment thing, but they made a lot of people very happy that day. Johnny and June were both very friendly and down to earth, and happy to talk to even the lowliest extras on the set.

It was a dreadful movie and being an extra paid very little, but meeting Johnny Cash - however briefly - more than made up for it.

[Dinger]

8. You Met Him? So Cool - Wish I would Have

Neat story though - thanks!:)

[tenshi816]

10. We only talked for a minute,

and then he gave me some fried chicken. I've met a few famous people in my life and Johnny Cash was one of the nicest.

[bliss_eternal]

9. When invited to perform at the White House in 1972...

When invited to perform at the White House for the first time in 1972, President Richard Nixon's office requested that he play "Okie from Muskogee" (a Merle Haggard song that negatively portrays youthful drug users and war protesters) and "Welfare Cadillac" (a Guy Drake song that derides the integrity of welfare recipients). Cash refused to play either song (he apparently found both songs morally reprehensible) and played a series of his own more left-leaning, politically-charged songs, including "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" (about a brave Native-American World War II veteran who was racially mistreated upon his return to Arizona) and "Man in Black" (which contains angry, anti-war lyrics, which Cash almost certainly wrote about the Vietnam War).

taken from:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143602/bio

[Elwood P Dowd]

14. He wore black to honor the poor and oppressed

"In his song "Man in Black" he explained that he wore predominately black clothing to honor and remind others of the suffering of the world's poor and oppressed."

From the site listed above.

[FreedomAngel82]

11. RIP

[La Coliniere]

12. I was surrounded by

a "Sea of Heartbreak" for a month after Johnny passed away. I once saw him perform at the Carter Barn along with wife June and the Carter Sisters in the early eighties. I even bought moonshine from some guy who was selling it out of the trunk of his car (The Carter Barn was in a dry county in Tennessee). I'll never forget that Saturday night. Happy Birthday Johnny, thanks for the good times!

[msongs]

13. 100's of new Cash recordings found! soon to be released - ->

in today's LA Times:

johnny cash sat in his own recording studio and recording many hours of songs with just him and his guitar. the songs are mostly cover versions of country, folk, blues, and pop classics from 20's-40's.

eveidently Cash did not get label interest in releasing this stuff back in the 70's when he recorded it so it was put away.

recently his son has found and catalogued all of it.

a new 2 disc Cd is coming out later this year (I think this year) with a bunch of those songs.

yippeee.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/political-shirts.htm

[Dinger]

16. Way Cool - Thanks!

Bookmarked!:)

[SeattleGirl]

15. Thank you, Johnny, for never, ever losing touch with the

common man and woman, for never forgetting about the people you sang about in "Man in Black," and for the touching, wonderful, sometimes funny music you gave us for so long; music that will stay with us always.

[Lefty48197]

17. now here I am far away from Austin prison...

my friend the jailer handed me a file. now all I want between me and you is a lot of friendly people and miles and miles and miles and miles and miles and miles and miles.

[bklyncowgirl]

18. I love Johnny Cash

A man of absolute integrity who recorded some of the funniest songs ever as well as some of the saddest. The same artist doing "A Boy Named Sue" and "Hurt" and somehow made it all work.

[Loge23]

19. Johnny, June, and Carl at Carnegie Hall

My older sister (I may be old, but she's ancient!) took me to Carnegie Hall in NYC when I was a very young man. It was '66 or '67 I think. She was a big fan and I got interested listening to records in her bedroom at night.
It was the Johnny Cash show, but on the bill that memorable night was the entire Carter family including Mother Mabelle, The Statler Brothers (Flowers on the Wall), Carl Perkins, and the Man himself.
I recall a great night of music capped off by the entire bill onstage for "Will the Circle be Unbroken".
After the show, my sister and I went around the back by the stage door hoping to get Johnny's autograph on an album that we actually brought with us that night. We lived about an hour away on the subway! Anyway, they all came out and quickly went into waiting limos. Next to last was John and June. I can still see it like it was yesterday - Johnny was definitely f%#&ed up! They just blew by us and got into the car and left. No big deal - they weren't rude or anything - just wasted.
The last to leave the stage door was the great Carl Perkins carrying his guitar in case. Carl stopped, talked, put his guitar case down and signed everything we had. He took an interest in me - a 13 year old kid who knew his music. He talked for about 15 minutes like he was a relative and then just picked up his guitar and shuffled off down the street, no car, no taxi. I'll never forget it.
It was my first concert - what a night!
RIP Johnny, Carl, and June.

[OzarkDem]

23. Great story, thanks!

Pretty typical for what Johnny was going through back then.

Johnny Cash was like family in our home. My mom was a huge fan of C&W and R&B music (unusual for a middle class white woman in the 60's). We grew up on a steady diet of Cash's music from the playpen to high school, then on into college. He was always the patriarch, so much like the rawboned, country men I grew up around.

It was a great feeling when Johnny sympathized with our generation during the Vietnam War. His tv show was amazing, with so many up and coming acts. I've got to buy those DVD's.

[Lars39]

26. My mom and dad talk about seeing JC wasted at some place

in Chicago back in the late sixties I think.
Carl Perkins was a very nice modest-living man. Very underrated,imo.
We used to live about a mile or so from him in Jackson, TN.

[SeattleGirl]

28. My mom and dad saw Johnny live, during the time he was messed

up on drugs and alcohol. Unfortunately, that is my mom's lastng image of him, though she does like his music.

[Lars39]

30. Same with them.

Love his music, but can't forget. They do give June full credit for probably saving his life, though.

[SeattleGirl]

20. For those who are interested, here's a link to the video for "Hurt"

One of the most visually powerful video's I think I've ever seen. I love his version of "Hurt", and the video really kicks it up.

http://www.losthighwayrecords.com/e/cash11403.html

[deutsey]

21. I love you, Johnny

You really touched my life in more ways than I can express.

:thumbsup:

[Initech]

22. Johnny Cash is the fucking man.

Really. I think I'll go blast At Folsom Prison now.

Cant wait for Walk The Line on Tuesday! :woohoo:

[H2O Man]

24. "What Is Truth?"

Heck of a good song. Any other DUers remember when that one came out?

[Dinger]

29. Not Me, But I Just Ordered The CD

Looking forward to it & the DVD release of Walk The Line!

[Elwood P Dowd]

25. Kick for The Man In Black

:kick:

[immoderate]

27. Get Rhythm!

Hey, get rhythm when you get the blues
Hey, get rhythm when you get the blues
Yes a jumpy rhythm makes you feel so fine
It'll shake all the trouble from your worried mind
Get rhythm when you get the blues


Little shoeshine boy never gets low down
But he's got the dirtiest job in town
Bendin' low at the peoples' feet
On the windy corner of the dirty street
Well, I asked him while he shined my shoes
How'd he keep from gettin' the blues
He grinned as he raised his little head
Popped a shoeshine rag and then he said

Get rhythm when you get the blues
Hey, get rhythm when you get the blues
It only costs a dime, just a nickel a shoe
Does a million dollars worth of good for you
Get rhythm when you get the blues

Well, I sat down to listen to the shoeshine boy
And I thought I was gonna jump for joy
Slapped on the shoe polish left and right
He took a shoeshine rag and he held it tight
He stopped once to wipe the sweat away
I said you're a mighty little boy to be-a workin' that way
He said I like it with a big wide grin
Kept on a poppin' and he said again

Get rhythm when you get the blues
Hey, get rhythm when you get the blues
Get a rock 'n' roll feelin' in your bones
Get taps on your toes and get gone
Get rhythm when you get the blues

That's Johnny the rocker. I was surprized when I found out he wrote that. But it screams life experience and observation.

I never met Johnny Cash. And at a time when I had little appreciation for country music, a friend, a rock and roller, remarked, "He's so honest! Ya' gotta love that honesty." I later broadened my appreciation of music, including country. Johnny Cash was unique. Hell, I even listen to Slim Whitman!"

I got to spend some time with Carl Perkins, composer of "Blue Suede Shoes," who backed Johnny for years. Like everybody says, he was a nice guy, as well as one of the gods of rock n' roll.

--IMM

[Eric J in MN]

31. Johnny Cash was against the Vietnam War,

as he indicated in his introduction to "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream" at Madison Square Garden in NY in 1969.

[Dinger]

32. I Think He Was The Lone (Almost) Country Singer Against It At The Time

Wasn't he?

[SPKrazy]

33. "There's A Man Coming Round, Taking Names"

I think Johnny Cash was a true Christian and Visionary.

I think he saw the end of humanity in the last days of his life when he wrote this song, "When the man comes around"

The Man Comes Around



And I heard as it were the noise of thunder
One of the four beasts saying come and see and I saw
And behold a white horse



There's a man going around taking names and he decides
Who to free and who to blame every body won't be treated
Quite the same there will be a golden ladder reaching down
When the man comes around



The hairs on your arm will stand up at the terror in each
Sip and each sup will you partake of that last offered cup
Or disappear into the potter's ground
When the man comes around



CHORUS



Hear the trumpets hear the pipers one hundred million angels singing
Multitudes are marching to a big kettledrum
Voices calling and voices crying
Some are born and some are dying
Its alpha and omegas kingdom come
And the whirlwind is in the thorn trees
The virgins are all trimming their wicks
The whirlwind is in the thorn trees
It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks
Till Armageddon no shalom no shalom



Then the father hen will call his chicken's home
The wise man will bow down before the thorn and at his feet
They will cast the golden crowns
When the man comes around



Whoever is unjust let him be unjust still
Whoever is righteous let him be righteous still
Whoever is filthy let him be filthy still
Listen to the words long written down
When the man comes around



CHORUS



Hear the trumpets hear the pipers one hundred million angels singing
Multitudes are marching to a big kettledrum
Voices calling and voices crying
Some are born and some are dying
Its alpha and omegas kingdom come
And the whirlwind is in the thorn trees
The virgins are all trimming their wicks
The whirlwind is in the thorn trees
It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks
In measured hundred weight and penny pound
When the man comes around

And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts
And I looked and behold, a pale horse
And it's name it said on him was Death
And Hell followed with him.