segunda-feira, 27 de fevereiro de 2017

JOHNNY CASH (February 26, 1935 - September 12, 2003)

“Sometimes I am two people.
Johnny is the nice one.
Cash causes all the trouble.
 They fight”.
(Johnny Cash)



Before Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones there already existed in this universe a "Man in Black". His name was John R. Cash, better known as JOHNNY CASH.


CASH is known as the embodiment of country music. Country? But why talk about country music here? Well, because a lot of rock 'n' roll lovers also admire country music (our dear Sam is one of them) and especially because we can not forget that CASH made great contributions to the style, especially at the beginning of the career Cry, Cry, and Rock n Roll Ruby and was a member of the "Million Dollar Quartet" next to Rockabilly icons Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, all Sun Records artists.

But, let’s come back to the “Man in Black”...

In 2017 CASH would have been 85 years old and one of the registered mark of his career; which lasted nearly five decades and includes 55 studio albums, 6 live albums, 84 compilations, 165 singles (13 of which were in the charts), 19 videos and 2 soundtracks; was his unmistakable sepulchral voice. In 1999, he was diagnosed with Shy-Drager Syndrome, a neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive damage to the autonomic nervous system that controls involuntary functions, which would then be changed to a neuropathy associated with diabetes. And it was due to diabetes that JOHNNY CASH died on Sept. 12, 2003, at the age of 71 in Tennessee.


As on the Internet there are many articles about the life and work of this great artist, we have compiled the most striking and curious facts of JOHNNY CASH. We hope you like it !!!

1. As a child, CASH was fascinated by the original version of the movie "Frankenstein", because for him the monster was a character made "of bad parts, but who tries to do good"

2. 'Folsom Prison Blues', one of his most famous songs, was composed in Germany while serving the American Air Force.

3. It was also in Germany that CASH composed the sketch of the melody of 'I Walk The Line'. But the most important detail is that the inspiration came from listening back from the tape (Xu-Xu-Xu/Xa-Xa-Xa)

4. While he was brave enough to visit Sun Records studios and get a contract, CASH sold door-to-door home materials, studied to be a radio announcer, and played with guitarist Luther Perkins and bassist Marshall Grant . Both musicians later became part of the band that would accompany CASH in his career as The Tennessee Three with drummer W.S. Holland.

5. JOHNNY CASH was the first Sun Records artist to release a full album.


6. It was in the early 1970s that CASH began to be called the "Man in Black" because it was always dressed in black, in contrast to the dress worn by most country artists. The song 'Man in Black' was the way JOHNNY CASH found to explain why his style of dressing:.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down
livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime
but is there because he's a victim of the times

But in the biography "Johnny Cash: The Life" (2013), author Robert Hilburn reveals that CASH chose black because it was easier to keep himself clean on long tours ..

7. We have already commented [in the Elvis Presley special] that there is a legend about the song 'Blue Suede Shoes' by Carl Perkins that became even better known thanks to the version of Presley. Second this legend, CASH used to say, "Dude, do not step on my blue suede shoes" when he was serving in the army. But another version said that CASH gave Perkins the idea of ​​this song based on the uniform of the African American Air Forces ..

8. Despite CASH's outlaw image, he never served time in prison, only a few nights in jail for misbehavior (one of those nights, CASH broke his toes kicking the bars of the cell). And ironically, his two most successful live albums were recorded in prisons: 'Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison' (1968) and 'Johnny Cash at San Quentin' (1969).


9. One of JOHNNY CASH's most copied photos (taken from the middle finger, illustrating our subject, you know?) Was taken by photographer Jim Marshall during the San Quentin show in 1969 and is a "message" to the prison director. This performance almost resulted in an uprising when the musician played a part of the song named with the prison name:

“San Quentin, I hate every inch of you”

10. Between 1969 and 1971, CASH presented his own television show, ABC, called "The Johnny Cash Show" where several prominent figures made special appearances as Bob Dylan and Kris Kristofferson.

11. CASH decided to start rehabilitating his addiction to amphetamines and barbiturates following the tragedy with his neighbor and great friend Roy Orbinson (of the famous song "Pretty Woman"): his house caught fire and two of his three children died in the incident.

12. In spite of the visible differences, JOHNNY CASH had in the list of friends the vocalista Ozzy Osbourne (ex- Black Sabbath).

13. Even with his low popularity, the autobiography titled "Man in Black" (1975) sold more than one million copies. The second autobiography "Cash: The Autobiography" (1997) was written in collaboration with the journalist Patrick Carr and released in Brazil under the name "Cash: A Autobiografia de Johnny Cash" by the Leya publisher with an Angélica Freitas translation.

14. There is also a JOHNNY CASH comic strip by German Reinhard Kleist titled "CASH - I See A Darkness", released in 2006 that shows the artist's early career in the 1950s and 1960s. In addition to CASH's story, There is another told by a convict of Folsom Prison. The Portuguese version, entitled "Johnny Cash – Uma Biografia", arrived in Brazil in 2009 through the 8INVERSO publisher with translation by Augusto Paim (check here the interview that the site "Mr. Cash" did with the translator).



15. JOHNNY CASH also published the novel: “Man in White” that talks about the apostle Paul.

16. In the 1990s, and under the production of renowned Rick Rubin, CASH released two albums that helped him conquer a new audience: "American Recordings" (1994) that included covers by Tom Waits and Glen Danzig (from the punk band Misfits) and " Unchained "(1996) featuring Tom Petty's band The Heartbreakers and more-than-special participation of Flea, Red Hot Chilli Peppers' 's bassist and included covers by Soundgarden and Beck. "Unchained," even being ignored by the country scene, won the Grammy as "Best Country Album". After these two releases, there have always been in his albums (even postholes)  one or more cover songs by “current” artists as Tom Petty, U2, Nine Inch Nails, Sting, Depeche Mode, Bruce Springsteen and Sheryl Crow, among others.

17. The 'Hurt' version of Nine Inch Nails deserves a separate paragraph. His music video won the Grammy Award for "Best Music Video" in 2004 and was considered the best music video of all time in 2011 by New Musical Express, a major British music magazine. June Carter also makes an appearance in the clip. A few months after the recording, in May 2003, she died after complications from heart surgery.




18. Two months after the death of CASH, a box set with five CDs was released: four of unpublished material and one with the best of the artist.

19. The film "Walk The Line"  in 2005 tells the story of the CASH / CARTER couple and was based on two of the artist's autobiographies. Starring Joaquin Phoenix (who was nominated for an Oscar for best actor) and Reese Witherspoon (Oscar winner for best actress), who were chosen by Johnny and June themselves, the film had the production of their only son. It is interesting to highlight that the actors themselves interpreted the songs.



20. CASH's songs are used so far on movie soundtracks (such as "Django Unchained" by Quentin Tarantino), series ("The Walking Dead") and games ("Red Dead Redemption")



21. JOHNNY CASH also participated in the seventh art in the 70s and 80s. Some films were: "A Gunfight", "Pride of Jesse Hallam" and "Stagecoach". Some scenes from these films are part of the 'Hurt' clip. CASH also participated,  along with June, in several episodes of the series "Doctor Quinn Medicine Woman". 

22. CASH asket to be married to June Carter during a concert in London. This marriage has always been considered an example to other couples, but gossip has it that happiness was not "so happy". Some friends of CASH thought June was very manipulative (You remembered an Englishman and a Japanese woman, right? Yeah, us too).
From this relationship would be born CASH's only son, John Carter Cash, in 1969.

23. At her last show, JOHNNY CASH talked about her beloved who had recently died: "The spirit of June Carter covered me tonight for the love she had for me and for the love I have for her. We connect somewhere between here and the heaven. She came for a little visit, I guess, from heaven to visit me tonight and give me courage and inspiration, as she always did."



24. Although CASH had a serious face and his songs were dark, he was very playful: on one tour, the musician and his band dropped 100 chicks on each of the five floors of the hotel where they were staying. Also, they put cherry bombs in a toilet, destroying the hotel's plumbing system (hopefully it's not in the same hotel, but we have no information about it)

25. In 1984, CASH recorded a purposely bad album, "Chicken in Black", and the main song was about the singer's brain transplanted into a chicken (remember we said he was playful?). But why did he do it? CASH felt his recorder was ignoring him. But his relationship with birds does not end here ...

26. ...CASH was already attacked by an ostrich (yes folks, you read correctly: an ostrich) from his farm. The reason for the attack is unknown, but the consequences were five broken ribs and internal bleeding.

27. And ending with the "CASH PLAYFUL" section: CASH's firstborn daughter name with his first wife Vivian, Rosanne, is the union of nicknames he gave to Vivian's breasts: Rose and Anne.



28. When the artist was in the Air Force had to undergo a surgical procedure in the face, due to a cyst. However, the procedure went awry (they say the doctor was drunk during surgery) and hence the famous scar on CASH's face.

29. Coldplay's song  'Til Kingdom Com' should have been performed by JOHNNY CASH and Coldplay together, but unfortunately CASH passed away before being able to record it ..

30. The members of Brazilian band Matanza are big fans of CASH. In 2005, the band released the album / tribute "To Hell With Johnny Cash" only with covers of the American artist. There are 13 tracks in total.

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