Johnny Cash, also known as the man in black, was a great American folk singer who started making music in back in the 50’s. Johnny had always had a talent for playing the guitar and singing since he was a young farmhand working in the fields. In the 50’s though he was enlisted in the United States Air Force and started his first official band called the Landsberg Barbarians. While in the service he was stationed in Germany after his basic training in Texas. It was also in Texas where he met his first wife Vivian Liberto.

Johnny’s family was both religious and musical and his mother would often play hymns and folk songs while working in the fields at the family’s farm. This is what originally inspired Johnny to become a musician. Johnny just had a natural gift for music and all things musical. He was definitely a natural born musician and performer. 

After his discharge from the Air Force, Johnny married Vivian and the pair made their way down to Memphis Tennessee where John worked odd jobs while trying to get his feet wet in the music industry. It was 1954 when Johnny auditioned as his first gig as a solo artist for Sun Records which was ran, at the time, by Samuel Phillips.

His first attempt at landing a record deal was unsuccessful but Johnny wasn’t the kind of guy that gave up on things. Later that year he was back at the studio with a three man band and were calling themselves the Tennessee Three. The band consisted of Cash, Luther Perkins and Marshall Grant and was signed to the label shortly after. Before being the Tennessee Three, Perkins and Grant were in a band called the Tennessee Two, adding Johnny to the group required the obvious name change.

The group recorded singles and started performing various gigs in 1954 through 1956. It was in ‘56 that Johnny was invited to play at the Grand Ole Opry and a year later released his first studio album titled Johnny Cash and His Hot and Blue Guitar. Songs on this album include  “I Walk the Line”, “Folsom Prison Blues”, “Cry Cry Cry” and “Hey Porter”.

Also featured on this album are “Get Rhythm” and “(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle”. The album was later re-released with unreleased tracks never before heard with alternative versions of “Folsom Prison Blues” and “I Walk the Line”. You can get the expanded album, in vinyl form here.

Johnny then releases The Songs That Made Him Famous the following year and this album would be his last release under the Sun label. Songs on this record include “Big River”, “There You Go” and “Home of the Blues”. After this album Johnny went to the Columbia record label in search of more freedom to his art form. Johnny really wanted to sing gospel music, since he was raised on the gospel and all. 

Now, under a new label, Johnny continues to perform a great amount of shows. He even performed on national television a few times for shows like the Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show amongst others. His first album release for Columbia is called The Fabulous Johnny Cash. Songs feature on this album include “Frankie and Johnny”, “One More Ride”, “Pickin’ Time” and “Shepherd of My Heart”.

It was also during this time that Johnny and his wife Vivian moved out of Tennessee and moved into a home in California. Here Johnny started to rely heavily on amphetamines and alcohol to keep the show going on the road. This was not good. He still continued touring however and kept recording records as well during this time.

His next album release is Hymns by Johnny Cash. Featured on this record are the songs “It Was Jesus”, “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”, “He’ll Be a Friend” and “I Saw a Man”. Hymns by Johnny Cash would be followed up by Songs of our Soil. Songs on this work feature “Clementine”, “Caretaker”, “Drink to Me” and “Don’t Step on Mother’s Roses”. The Fabulous Johnny Cash, Hymns by Johnny Cash and Songs of our Soil were all released in 1959.

See, Johnny was a no nonsense kind of guy. He wasn’t perfect by any means but he was an honest man. He may not have been the best role model in the world but he was certainly talented in the art of playing music.

I mean, he sang the gospel but definitely lived by the method of do what I say, not as I do during this time.  He was a religious man and liked to spread the good word, even if he couldn’t follow it in his own life. I think this is why he always wore black; to add color to his music, instead of his clothing.

Ride this Train would be his next album released in 1960. Songs on this album include “Loading Coal”, “Boss Jack”, “Old Doc Brown” and “Dorraine of Ponchartain”. This would be his fourth album for Columbia records. His old label, Sun Records, was also still releasing some of Johnny’s work as well. Under the Sun label he releases Johnny Cash Sings Hank Williams and Other Favorites in this year too, songs covered on this album feature “Hey, Good Lookin”, “I Can’t Help It”, and “You Win Again”.

Throughout his career, and even after his death Johnny Cash has won an astonishing 13 Grammy Awards. The first one in 1967 for a duet with Carter performing the song “Jackson” and the last one being in 2007 for “God’s Gonna Cut You Down”. He also had his own television show in 1969 called The Johnny Cash Show. He recorded over 1,500 tracks and performed with many talented artists within his career and was an advocate for prisoner’s rights. Some of his life was also turned into a feature film in 2005 called Walk the Line.

Sadly on September 12, 2003 Johnny dies due to complications from diabetes. He was a talented performer, a skilled musician and will be missed by millions of adoring fans. He had come a long way from being a Barbarian, to a member of the Tennessee Three, and finally resting on a solo music career. May we always remember the man in black.