The 500 - #366 - American Recordings - Johnny Cash

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

Album # 366

Album Title: American Recordings

Artist: Johnny Cash

Genre: Folk, Country

Recorded: Rick Rubin's Living Room & The Viper Room (Los Angeles), Johnny Cash's Cabin (Hendersonville, Tennessee)

Released: April, 1994

My age at release: 28

How familiar was I with it before this week: A little

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Bird On A Wire

Johnny Cash, The Man in Black, was special because he exuded empathy and a genuine spirit that transcended his music. Indeed, even people who say they "don't like Country and Western music" will back-pedal when asked..."What about Johnny Cash?" 

Cash's life has been well documented, through television specials, biographies, theatre productions and, perhaps most memorably, the award-winning 2005 film Walk The Line.

Movie Poster for Walk The Line (2005)

John R. (J.R.) Cash was born in 1932 in Kingsland, Arkansas, to a poor family who had been given land to work as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal in the middle of the Great Depression. Surrounded by music from a young age. Cash grew up with gospel songs as he worked in the cotton fields at the age of five, and would spend evenings huddled around the family radio. His mother taught him guitar at age 12, which was when his voice began changing from a high-tenor to his trademark bass-baritone.

Cash as a boy (circa: 1939)

American Recordings was the 81st record released by The Man In Black. It is a compendium of songs written by Cash and others, including Kris Kristofferson, Leonard Cohen, Nick Lowe, Tom Waits and even punk-rock legend Glenn Danzig. The songs are stripped-down acoustic versions, featuring only Cash and his guitar. It was recorded over two, one-week sessions at Cash's Tennessee cabin-studio and the living room of music producer and Def Jam founder Rick Rubin. Rubin was, at the time, best know for his work with more contemporary artists, including Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers and LL Cool J -- all of whom have records on The 500.

Cash, with Rubin, in his Los Angeles home recording studio. (1993)

Two additional tracks were included from a live performance at the Viper Room in Hollywood, a legendary club that was at the time owned by actor Johnny Depp.

The Viper Room entrance  - with a promotional poster for the
Johnny Cash performance used on this record.

Cash's fascinating life was filled with the kind of triumphs and tragedies that one might think are the stuff of fiction. More than anything, his experiences shaped him into a person who could connect with the common man. He was, much like the acoustic versions of the songs on American Recordings, genuine, sincere...and, as we all are, sometimes contradictory.

He was an Air Force staff sergeant who would go on to speak out against the war in Vietnam and was a proponent of the peace movement.

Cash as an Air Force Private - early 1950s

Although a fierce patriot, who insisted a US Flag be displayed every stage on which he performed, Cash could also be an outspoken critic of the United States government and became an activist for Native Americans. Indeed, his 1964 album, Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian, focused on the harsh treatment of Indigenous People.

A devout Christian and biblical scholar, Cash also cultivated an outlaw image during the mid-sixties and landed in jail several times for various misdemeanors. His struggles with addictions were well documented, inculcating within him a deep understanding and empathy for those in similar pain.

He supported the police but also believed in prison reform, backing that up with many free concerts at prisons in the United States and abroad. One such concert, at Folsom Prison in California, was recorded and released in 1968. It was a huge success and appears at #88 on The 500.

The Man In Black passed away in September, 2003, predeceased by June Carter, his wife of 45 years, who died five months earlier. Cash met June while touring with her and The Carter Family. He proposed to her on stage in London, Ontario, in 1967  -- about three kilometers from where I am currently typing

Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash

Johnny Cash was many things in life - an addict, a Christian, a patriot, an outlaw, a husband, an activist and a criminal. Most importantly, he was a man of great empathy and honesty. It's no wonder people, even those who don't like Country and Western music, are drawn to him.