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Johnny Cash sings here a duet with a Navy lieutenant
during a performance.
© Photo: U.S. Navy / Public domain
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Music was in his blood. He had already written his first
songs by the age of 12 years. He also started playing music
when still a young boy. His first records were released in
1955, with reasonable success. Many songs and many successes
followed. In all he wrote more than 1000 songs and although
he wrote and sang songs in the music genres of rock and roll,
blues and gospel, he became the personification of country
music. Much of his songs became world-famous, for example
:- I Walk the Line, Ring of Fire, Solitary man, Jackson, Don’t
Take Your Guns to Town, Orange Blossom Special, It Ain't Me,
Babe , I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, The City Of New Orleans,
Sunday Morning Coming Down, Happy To Be With You, (Ghost)
Riders In The Sky, A Boy Named Sue and many more…
Johnny Cash had always had the reputation of being a
rebel. There exists a commonly accepted, yet false belief,
that he served time in prison. He did not. But, he was arrested
a few times for ‘minor crimes’. One of these was
for picking flowers at night. Johnny Cash had, however, a
strong feeling for the oppressed elements of society, for
`Native Americans' and also for prisoners. He performed several
times in prison where legendary albums such as `Johnny Cash
at Folsom Prison' (1968,) and `Johnny Cash at San Quentin'
(1969) were recorded.
Johnny Cash was a religious man. He was a Baptist. He
himself said that his earliest memories were dominated by
gospel music and radio. He recorded an album with the name
`My Mother Hymn Book'. On this album there is a collection
of songs which he learned from his mother as a boy. Johnny
Cash explained later that this was his most favourite album
he had ever recorded. In one of these songs he sings clearly
God’s name.
Johnny Cash died on 12 September 2003. He was 71 years
old.
We wish to quote from his song ‘I Shall Not Be
Moved’
