Celebrations: Happy Birthday, Johnny Cash!

By Whitney Long 

February 26th marks the 80th birthday of  “The Man in Black”.  Although Johnny  passed away in 2003,  the larger-than-life memory and influence of this singer, song-writer, author and actor looms in the sphere of musicians from all genres.  He was one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century having recorded country, rockabilly, rock-n-roll, gospel, blues and folk music.

Johnny’s humble upbringing in Kingsland, Arkansas, had him picking cotton alongside his family at the tender age of five.  It was then that he began to sing with his family as they worked.  Cash’s earliest memories were of gospel music playing on the radio.  Perhaps because of the life his hard-working family lived, Johnny wrote many songs about people facing similar difficulties and situations.

During his career, he wrote over 1,000 songs and released dozens of albums.  Beginning with his first recordings at Sun Records in 1955 until his resurgence to fame in the 1990s, Johnny influenced countless artists and is revered the world over for his deep, distinctive baritone and haunting lyrics.

Of special note – if you just happen to be in Brooklyn, NY this week, don’t miss the Johnny Cash Birthday Bash.  Performances of  “Johnny Cash at San Quentin” and “Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison”  by Alex Battles Whiskey Rebellion will be held at The Bell House and Littlefield.  For more info go to  http://brooklyncountrymusic.com/cashbash.html

For your listening and viewing pleasure, check out five of Johnny’s top hits:

I Walk the Line
This song was written by Johnny Cash and was recorded in 1956. It became the groups very first number one hit, which stayed at the top for six weeks. The music to the song was inspired by an accidental backwards-play.

Ring of Fire
This song was written by June Carter Cash in 1963. June’s sister originally recorded it but it didn’t become a hit. This song became the biggest hit of Johnny Cash’s career. This hit stayed at the top of the charts for seven weeks.

Folsom Prison Blues
Johnny Cash wrote this song after seeing the movie Inside The Walls Of Folsom Prison. Another inspiration for writing this was from a song by Gordon Jenkins (1953) titled Crescent City Blues, which had a similar concept.

Daddy Sang Bass
Carl Perkins wrote this song in 1968 and Johnny Cash brought it to number one for six weeks. Perkins was an alcoholic and Cash had prior problems with drug abuse. Cash overcame his troubles through spirituality and helped Perkins in his troubles.

Get Rhythm
This song was written and recorded in 1956 by Johnny Cash. This is a song that he wrote in his early days about optimism and dealing with the tedious nature of his job. This was a big hit and very encouraging to many people.

(source: www.listmyfive.com)

photo via www.gactv.com