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THE MAN IN BLACK – JOHNNY CASHJul 22 '03 (Updated Sep 14 '03) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line “Johnny Cash” better known as "The Man In Black" was born “J. R. Cash” on 26 February 1932 in Kingsland, Arkansas
Johnny was called John during his teen years as he was raised by his father “Ray Cash” who was a cotton farmer. At the age of there he and his father moved to a Federal Government resettlement colony in Dyess, AR. He was an avid Country music fan since very early childhood and at the age of 12 he wrote his very first song. While in High School he sang on the local radio station KLCN. After he graduated Dyess High School he went to college and he graduated in 1950. He moved to Detroit, MI for a short while taking a job at an auto factory. With the outbreak of the Korean War he joins the US Air Force and is stationed in Germany. He purchased his very first guitar and teaches himself how to play. He forms a group called the “Landsberg Barbarians” with 5 other servicemen who all have some type of country music background. In 1953, he has his very first published song titled “Hey Porter” that is printed in the Stars and Stripes Military newspaper. On 3 July 1954 he left the Military and moved to Memphis, TN. He begins working as a door-to-door electrical appliance salesman in August and also enrolls part-time in a radio announcers’ course. He meets the “Tennessee Three” for the first time who are part-time musicians and work as mechanics at the same garage as Johnny’s brother Roy. They had previously played along with Roy in another group called “The Delta Rhythm Ramblers”. Johnny begins to rehearse and play small local bars with the trio, which are “Marshall Grant” on guitar, “Luther Perkins” on guitar and “Red Kernodle” on steel guitar who does not stay with the others very long. On 7 August Johnny marries a woman from Texas by the name of “Vivian Liberto” who he had only met 3 weeks prior to entering the Air Force. In March 1955 Johnny, Marshall and Luther audition for “Sam Phillips” of “Sun” records as a gospel act. Sam tells them that they would only succeed as a country trio. Marshall begins playing bass as Luther switches to electric guitar. They are signed to a recording contract with “Sun” and they record their first single “Cry, Cry, Cry” with “Hey, Porter!” being the “B” side. On 24 May Johnny’s first child “Rosanne Cash” is born. On 21 June his first single is released but does not hit the national charts right away. On 5 August he makes his first professional appearance since signing with “Sun” records in Memphis, TN at Overton Park as the opening act for “Elvis Presley”. In September “Cry, Cry, Cry” is the #1 song in Memphis. They also support Elvis on several appearances for the next several months and also perform on a 15-minute radio show in Memphis on KWEM. On 26 November “Cry, Cry, Cry” makes the national Country singles charts for 1 week only debuting at #14. In December he appears on the “Louisiana Hayride” in Shreveport, LA and the following month would become a regular on the weekly show. In January 1956 he decides to quit his daytime job to commit fulltime to his music career. On 4 February his second single “So Doggone Lonesome” debuts on the country charts. It would be followed the next week on the charts by the flip side titled “Folsom Prison Blues” and both would eventually peak at #4 on the charts. In March “Bob Neal” who was the ex-caretaker for Elvis becomes Johnny’s Manager. In May his next release is “I Walk The Line” with the flip side being “Get Rhythm” that both debut on the country singles charts separately on 9 June. The single would go all the way to #1 where it would stay for 6 weeks. This would also become his first crossover hit as it debuted on the pop singles charts on 15 September and would later peak at #17. On 4 December Johnny is at Sun Studios when “Carl Perkins”, “Jerry Lee Lewis” and “Elvis Presley” all at the same time as they sit down to an impromptu session of mostly gospel songs. On 22 December his next release “There You Go” with the flip side of “Train of Love” debut separately on the country singles charts. The single would become his second #1 single where it stayed for 5 weeks as the “B” side peaked at #7. In January 1957 he begins a tour of Florida, Colorado, California and Ontario, Canada. He appears on CBS TV on “The Jackie Gleason Show” and also on “The Jimmy Dean Show”. On 27 May his next release debuts on the country charts titled “Next In Line” backed by “Don’t Make Me Go” that also charts separately. The single would later peak at #9 on the country charts, it debuted on the pop charts on 1 July but would stop at #99 on that chart. In September Johnny underwent throat surgery in a Hospital in Memphis and is ordered by his Doctor not to sing for at least one month. Previously recorded “Home Of The Blues” debuts on 16 September on the country charts and would later peak at #3. It would debut on the pop singles charts on 14 October and only go to #88. The flip side titled “Give My Love To Rose” would debut separately on the country charts on 7 October and later peak at #13. On 21 October he releases his very first album titled “Johnny Cash With His Hot & Blue Guitar” but it failed to make any of the charts. On 20 January 1958 his next release debuts on the country charts titled “Ballad Of A Teenage Queen” that later peaks at #1 where it stays for 10 consecutive weeks. It Crosses over to the pop charts and makes it debut there on 3 February and later peaks at #14 on that chart. The flip side “Big River” debuts on the country charts separately on 10 February and later peaks at #4. It is his first flip side to crossover to the pop charts when it debuts there on 17 March and later would peak at #14. He has a total of 8 songs make the country charts in 1958 and 10 make the pop charts. Of these other songs his biggest seller was “Guess Things Happen That Way” that debuted on the country charts on 26 May and later peaked at #1 for 8 weeks. It debuted on the pop charts on 5 June and eventually peaked at #11 on that chart. In August 1958 his contract with “Sun” records expired and he signed with “CBS” affiliate “Columbia” records. Sun would continue to put out singles by Johnny that had been previously unreleased until 1961 and also released a few in 1969 and 1970. In 1959 Johnny began taking amphetamines to help him with his hectic over 300 shows a year pace. In 1960 Johnny’s backup band the “Tennessee Two” would once again become the “Tennessee Three” when they add “W. S, Holland” on drums. His first “Columbia” release titled “All Over Again” debuted on the pop charts on 6 October one week prior to it’s debut on the country charts. It was his very first release to debut on the pop charts before it debuted on the country charts. It would later peak at #38 on the pop charts and peak at #4 on the country charts. His second album release and first on Columbia was his first to make the charts when it debuted on 8 December titled “The Fabulous Johnny Cash” and it later peaked at #19. In 1959 he has 11 songs on the country singles charts and 6 on the pop charts. The biggest of these was titled “Don’t Take Your Guns To Town” that debuted on the country charts on 19 January later peaking at #1 for 6 weeks. It debuted on the pop charts the same week but only made it up to #32 on that chart. On 1 January 1960 he performs his very first of many to come free Jailhouse shows at San Quentin prison as one of the prisoners in the audience that day was “Merle Haggard”. The years 1960 – 1962 would see 11 songs make the country singles charts and 7 make the pop singles charts. The biggest of these was titled “In The Jailhouse Now” that debuted on 14 July 1962 and later peaked at #8 on the country charts. In 1963 Johnny decides to move to New York City and leaves his wife and daughter behind. He appears in his first Movie titled “Hootenanny Hoot” this year starring “Peter Breck”, “Ruta Lee”, “Chris Crosby”, “The Brothers Four”, “Sheb Wooley” and others. He meets “June Carter” who was the wife of one of his drinking buddies by the name of “Carl Smith”. In February he performs at several Air Force Bases in the UK. He has 3 country hits this year and 2 hits on the pop singles charts. The biggest of these would be titled “Ring Of Fire” that debuted on the country charts on 8 June and later peaked at #1 for 7 weeks. The song is co-wrote by “June Carter” and “Merle Kilgore”. He had 2 albums on the pop charts this year “Blood, Sweat & Tears” peaked at #80 and “Ring Of Fire (The Best Of Johnny Cash)” peaked at #26 and was his first gold selling record. It would peak at #1 on the country album charts. In 1964 – 1967 he had 17 songs on the country charts and only 5 on the pop singles charts. The biggest of these was “Understand Your Man” that debuted on the country charts on 22 February 1964 and went all the way to #1 where it stayed for 6 weeks. He had his second #1 country album in 1964 with “I Walk The Line”. His other charting albums were “Bitter Tears (Ballad Of An American Indian)” that peaked at #47 on the pop charts, “Orange Blossom Special” that peaked at #3 on the country charts and at #49 on the pop charts, “Everybody Loves A Nut” that peaked at #5 on the country charts and #88 on the pop charts and “Mean As Hell (Ballads From The True West)” that peaked at #4 on the country album charts. In 1965 Johnny was arrested in El Paso, TX for transporting amphetamines into the country from Mexico in his guitar case. He is also sued by the US Government for burning 508 acres of national forest while under the influence. In 1966 Vivian filed for divorce from Johnny. On 7 May 1966 he begins a 10-date tour of the UK with “June Carter” and “The Statler Brothers”. On 4 March 1967 “Jackson” that is credited to “Johnny Cash & June Carter” debuts on the country singles charts and would later peak at #2. It would not make the pop charts but another version by “Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood” would debut on the pop singles charts on 24 June and later peat at #14. In April 1967 Johnny is found in a small town in Georgia near death due to an overdose and receives medical attention from a local police officer. Vivian’s divorce became final and “June Carter” also divorced husband Carl as she became very close friends with Johnny. She helps Johnny shake his addition and converts him to fundamentalist Christianity. On 2 September Johnny & Junes’ first album as a duet titled “Carryin’ On With Johnny Cash & June Carter” debuts on the country charts and later peaks at #5 but would only peak at #194 on the pop album charts. On 29 February 1968 Johnny & June win “Best C&W Performance by a Duet, Trio or Group” at the 10th annual Grammy awards. In March Johnny and June get married and she becomes “June Carter-Cash”. Johnny now being off drugs and in much better health has one of his best musical years in a while with 2 charting country singles both of which went to #1 on the country singles charts. First on 25 May a new updated live version of “Folsom Prison Blues” debuts on the pop charts and later peaks at #32 on 1 June it debuts on the country charts and goes all the way to #1 where it stays for 4 weeks. On 20 July his biggest album to date debuted on the pop charts titled “Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison” that later peaked at #13 and would sell over 2 million copies being certified double platinum. It would eventually become his 4th #1 country album. This was followed by “Daddy Sang Bass” that debuted on the country singles charts on 7 December and stayed at #1 for 6 weeks. On 7 June 1969 “The Johnny Cash Show” premiers on ABC TV live from the Grand Ole Opry with special guest “Bob Dylan” on his first show. Regulars on the weekly show would be his wife June and the Carter family, “The Staler Brothers”, “The Tennessee Three” and “Carl Perkins”. Luther dies accidentally in a tragic fire and is replaced by “Bob Wooten” in the group. On 12 July his biggest selling album titled “Johnny Cash At San Quentin” debut on the pop charts and later peaked at #1 where it stayed for 4 weeks. It also peaked at #1 on the country album charts and went double platinum. On 26 July his biggest selling single to date debuts on both the pop and country charts titled “A Boy Named Sue” that was recorded live at San Quentin prison. It would stay at #1 on the country charts for 5 weeks and peak at #2 on the pop charts where it would stay for 3 weeks and would become his only gold selling single. He had 3 more charting singles this year on both the country and pop charts the biggest of these was a duet with his wife June titled “If I Were A Carpenter” a remake of a “Bobby Darin” #8 pop hit for him in 1966. It would peak for them at #2 on the country charts and reach #8 on the pop charts. In 1970 he had 6 songs make the country singles charts and 5 make the pop singles charts. Two of these songs went to #1 on the country charts the first titled “Sunday Morning Coming Down” that debuted on 5 September and stayed at #1 for 2 weeks. The second #1 song was “Flesh And Blood” that debuted on the country charts on 19 December. His biggest selling album of the year was titled “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash” that peaked at #1 on the country charts, peaked at #6 on the pop charts and was his final gold selling record. In April he performs from President Richard M. Nixon at the White House. In May he wins four awards at the 1st ever UK Country Music Awards ceremony in London, England. In 1971 he has 1 charting pop single and 4 charting country singles the biggest of which is “Man In Black” that debuts on the pop charts on 20 March and later peaks at #58. It would debut a week later on the country singles charts and go all the way to #3. The album of the same name peaked at #56 on the pop charts but went all the way to #1 on the country charts. This would be his very last solo #1 album on any of the charts. He would also star this year in his second Movie titled “A Gunfight” also later renamed to “The Gunfight” starring “Kirk Douglas”, “Jane Alexander”, “Karen Black”, “Keith Carradine” and others. In 1972 he had 1 pop charting single and 6 that charted on the country charts. The biggest selling single of these was “Kate” that debuted on the country charts on 6 May and peaked at #2 where it stayed for 3 weeks. He had 2 big charting country albums this year in “A Thing Called Love” that peaked at #2 and “Johnny Cash: America (A 200-Year Salute In Story And Song)” that peaked at #3. From 1973 through 1975 he had no charting pop singles and 11 charting country singles. The biggest seller of these was “Lady Came From Baltimore” that debuted on 14 December 1974 and would eventually peak at #14 on the country singles charts. His biggest selling album during this period was “Any Old Wind That Blows” that peaked at #5 on the country charts. On 17 April 1976 he had his final song debut on the pop charts and his biggest in 6 years in “One Piece At A Time” that would eventually peak at #29 on that chart. The song debuted one week earlier on the country singles charts and later would peak at #1 for 2 weeks and would be his final solo #1 hit on any chart. The album of the same name would peak at #2 on the country charts. On 31 January 1977 he is presented with a special award of merit at the 4th annual American Music Awards in Santa Monica, CA. From 1977 through 1985 he had 28 charting country singles the biggest of which was titled “Highwaymen” that was credited to (“Johnny Cash”, “Waylon Jennings”, “Kris Kristofferson” and “Willie Nelson”) that debuted on 18 may 1985 and eventually peaked at #1. The album of the same name also goes to #1 on the country charts. On 13 October 1980 he had been inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame. On 27 January 1986 Johnny representing “The Highwaymen” wins “Favorite Video, Duo or Group”, and “Favorite Video Single” in the country categories at the 13th annual American music Awards in Los Angeles, CA. On 25 February “The Highwaymen” wins Best Country Song of the year at the 28th annual Grammy Awards. 1986 would see only one single on the charts with “Even Cowgirls Get The Blues” a duet with “Waylon Jennings” that debuted on 17 May and later peaks at #35. In 1986 he appears in the Movie “The Last Days Of Frank And Jesse James” starring “Margaret Gibson”, “Marcia Cross”, “Kris Kristofferson”, “Willie Nelson”, “David Allen Coe”, “Ed Bruce” and “June Carter-Cash”. After 28 years with “Columbia” records he signs a new contract with “Mercury” and his first release with them titled “The Night Hank Williams Came To Town” debuts on the country singles charts on 28 March 1987 and later peak at #43. “Waylon Jennings” would perform as a guest vocalist on this single. In May 1988 he released “Water From The Wells Of Home” on “Mercury” that eventually peaked at #48 on the country charts. This album had many other stars performing on it such as his daughter “Roseanne Cash”, “Waylon Jennings”, “Emmylou Harris”, “Hank Williams Jr.”, “The Everly Brothers”, “Glen Campbell” and “Paul McCartney”. On 25 February 1989 “Ballad Of A Teenage Queen” an updated version of his 1958 #1 debuts on the country charts this time credited to (“Johnny Cash”, “Roseanne Cash” and “The Everly Brothers”) that would eventually peak at #45. On 3 March 1990 a second single by “The Highwaymen” debuts on the country singles charts titled “Silver Stallion” that would later peak at #25. In April “Highwaymen 2” debuts on the country album charts eventually peaking at #79 on the charts. “Goin’ By The Book” debuts on the country singles charts on 22 September. It would later peak at #69 and be his final charting single in the US for 13 years. On 21 November he appears on TNN then known as “The Nashville Network” and sings a letter titled “A Love Song To America” from “Sgt. Jerry Grantham” who was serving with the 831st Supply Squadron in the Persian Gulf. On 5 December he is honored by the NARAS as a Grammy Living Legend. On 15 January 1992 he is inducted into the “Rock ‘N Roll” Hall Of Fame at their 7th annual banquet in New York City. On 16 October he performs a duet of “It Ain’t Me Babe” with his wife June at the “Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary” celebration at Madison Square Garden in New York City. On 22 February 2000 he is presented with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the 42nd annual awards show. From 1993 to 2002 he continued to tour the world and release many albums as well as making cameo appearances on TV and in Movies. His biggest selling album during this time and only one to make the Top 20 was “American III: Solitary Man” on “Sony” records that was released on 3 October 2000 and eventually peaked at #11 on the country charts. On 26 February 2002 he celebrated his 70th Birthday. On 5 November he released “American IV: The Man Comes Around” that would peak at #12 in early 2003 on the country album charts. His first charting single in 13 years was a song from this album titled “Hurt” that charted on the new Modern Rock Tracks chart and eventually peaked at #33. On 7 May 2003 his wife June died at the age of 73 due to complications following a heart operation. I have many albums and CD’s by Johnny but one of my favorites of his early recordings is "ALL-TIME ORIGINAL GREATEST HITS” that was originally released on 17 June 2003 on “Tee Vee” records. The songs on this CD are from the period of 1955 to 1961 only. The songs on this CD are listed below in the order as they appear, followed by the length of each song then by my rating of each and finally by my overall rating of this CD: 1. I Walk The Line – 2:46 – 5 2. Ballad Of A Teenage Queen – 2:11 – 5 3. Guess Things Happen That Way – 1:51 – 5 4. There You Go – 2:18 – 5 5. Home Of The Blues – 2:40 – 4 6. Folsom Prison Blues – 2:46 – 5 7. So Doggone Lonesome – 2:38 – 4 8. Come In Stranger – 1:41 – 4 9. Train Of Love – 2:24 – 4 10. I Just Thought You’d Like To Know – 2:24 – 3 11. Hey Porter – 2:14 – 5 12. Luther Played The Boogie – 2:04 – 4 13. Next In Line – 2:47 – 4 14. Give My Love To Rose – 2:45 – 4 15. Cry!, Cry, Cry – 2:26 – 4 16. Straight A’s In Love – 2:16 – 3 17. Get Rhythm – 2:15 – 5 18. I Love You Because – 2:27 – 4 (Johnny Cash with the Jean Lowery Singers) 19. Don’t Make Me Go – 2:29 – 4 20. Country Boy – 1:50 – 4 Total Points: 85 divided by 20 = 4.25 or 4 1/4 Stars Rating Key: 5 –Great 4 – Very Good 3 – Good 2 – Fair 1 – Poor 0 – This song does not belong here! Billboard US Top 50 Pop Singles for “Johnny Cash” 1. I Walk The Line/Get Rhythm – Debut on 09/15/56 peaked at #17 2. Ballad Of A Teenage Queen/Big River – Debut on 02/03/58 peaked at #14 3. Guess Things Happen That Way – Debut on 06/02/58 peaked at #11 4. The Ways Of A Woman In Love – Debut on 08/25/58 peaked at #24 5. All Over Again – Debut on 10/06/58 peaked at #38 6. It’s Just About time – Debut on 12/15/58 peaked at #47 7. Don’t Take Your Guns To Town – Debut on 01/19/59 peaked at #32 8. I Got Stripes – Debut on 08/03/59 peaked at #43 9. Ring Of Fire – Debut on 06/01/63 peaked at #17 10. The Matador – Debut on 10/26/63 peaked at #44 11. Understand Your Man – Debut on 02/15/64 peaked at #35 12. The One On The Right Is On The Left – Debut on 02/26/66 peaked at #46 13. Folsom Prison Blues (Live version) – Debut on 05/25/68 peaked at #32 14. Daddy Sang Bass – Debut on 12/28/68 peaked at #42 (with “The Statler Brothers”) 15. A Boy Named Sue (Live) – Debut on 07/26/69 peaked at #2 for 2 weeks (GOLD) 16. Blistered – Debut on 11/22/69 peaked at #50 17. If I Were A Carpenter - Debut 01/24/70 peaked at #36 (with “June Carter-Cash”) 18. What Is Truth – Debut on 04/11/70 peaked at #19 19. Sunday Morning Coming Down (Live) – Debut on 08/29/70 peaked at #46 20. One Piece At A Time – Debut on 04/17/76 peaked at #29 Billboard US Top 40 Pop Albums for “Johnny Cash” 1. The Fabulous Johnny Cash – Debut on 12/08/58 peaked at #19 2. Ring Of Fire (The Best Of Johnny Cash) – Debut on 09/14/63 peaked at #26 (GOLD) 3. Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison – Debut on 07/20/68 peaked at #13 (Double Platinum) 4. Johnny Cash At San Quentin – Debut on 07/12/69 peaked at #1 for 4 weeks (Double Platinum) 5. Hello, I’m Johnny Cash – Debut on 02/21/70 peaked at #6 (GOLD) SOME SONG LYRICS A Boy Named Sue My daddy left home when I was three And he didn't leave much to Ma and me Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze. Now, I don't blame him cause he run and hid But the meanest thing that he ever did Was before he left, he went and named me Sue Well, he must o' thought that is was quite a joke And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk, It seems I had to fight my whole life through. Some gal would giggle and I'd get red And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head, I tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named Sue Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean, My fist got hard and my wits got keen, I'd roam from town to town to hide my shame. But I made me a vow to the moon and stars That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars And kill that man that give me that awful name. Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid July And I just hit town and my throat was dry, I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew. At an old saloon on a street of mud, There at a table, dealing stud, Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me Sue Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had, And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye. He was big and bent and gray and old, And I looked at him and my blood ran cold And I said "My name is Sue how do you do! Now you gonna die!" Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes And he went down but, to my surprise, He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear. But I busted a chair right across his teeth And we crashed through the wall and into the street Kicking and a gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer. I tell ya, I've fought tougher men But I really can't remember when, He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile. I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss, He went for his gun and I pulled mine first, He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile. And he said "Son, this world is rough And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough And I know I wouldn't be there to help ya along. So I give ya that name and I said good-bye I knew you'd have to get tough or die And it's that name that helped to make you strong." He said "Now you just fought one hell of a fight And I know you hate me, and you got the right To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do. But ya ought to thank me, before I die, For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye Cause I'm the son-of-a-bi**ch that named you Sue." I got all choked up and I threw down my gun And I called him my pa, and he called me his son, And I come away with a different point of view. And I think about him, now and then, Every time I try and every time I win, And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him Bill or George Anything but sue I still hate that name! Folsom Prison Blues I hear the train a comin' It's rollin' 'round the bend, And I ain't seen the sunshine, Since, I don't know when, I'm stuck in Folsom Prison, And time keeps draggin' on, But that train keeps a-rollin', On down to San Antone. When I was just a baby, My Mama told me, "Son, Always be a good boy, Don't ever play with guns," But I shot a man in Reno, Just to watch him die, When I hear that whistle blowin', I hang my head and cry. I bet there's rich folks eatin', In a fancy dining car, They're probably drinkin' coffee, And smokin' big cigars, But I know I had it comin', I know I can't be free, But those people keep a-movin', And that's what tortures me. Well, if they freed me from this prison, If that railroad train was mine, I bet I'd move out over a little, Farther down the line, Far from Folsom Prison, That's where I want to stay, And I'd let that lonesome whistle, Blow my Blues away. One Piece At A Time Well, I left Kentucky back in '49 An' went to Detroit workin' on a 'sembly line The first year they had me puttin' wheels on cadillacs Every day I'd watch them beauties roll by And sometimes I'd hang my head and cry 'Cause I always wanted me one that was long and black. One day I devised myself a plan That should be the envy of most any man I'd sneak it out of there in a lunchbox in my hand Now gettin' caught meant gettin' fired But I figured I'd have it all by the time I retired I'd have me a car worth at least a hundred grand. I'd get it one piece at a time And it wouldn't cost me a dime You'll know it's me when I come through your town I'm gonna ride around in style I'm gonna drive ever'body wild 'Cause I'll have the only one there is around. So the very next day when I punched in With my big lunchbox and with help from my friends I left that day with a lunch box full of gears Now I never considered myself a thief But GM wouldn't miss just one little piece Especially if I strung it out over several years. The first day I got me a fuel pump And the next day I got me an engine and a trunk Then I got me a transmission and all of the chrome The little things I could get in my big lunchbox Like nuts, an' bolts, and all four shocks But the big stuff we snuck out in my buddy's mobile home. Now up to now my plan went allright 'Til we tried to put it all together one night And that's when we noticed that something was definitely wrong. The transmission was a '53 And the motor turned out to be a '73 And when we tried to put in the bolts all the holes were gone. So we drilled it out so that it would fit And with a little bit of help with an A-daptor kit We had that engine runnin' just like a song Now the headlight' was another sight We had two on the left and one on the right But when we pulled out the switch all three of 'em come on. The back end looked kinda funny too But we put it together and when we got thru Well, that's when we noticed that we only had one tail-fin About that time my wife walked out And I could see in her eyes that she had her doubts But she opened the door and said "Honey, take me for a spin." So we drove up town just to get the tags And I headed her right on down main drag I could hear ever'body laughin' for blocks around But up there at the court house they didn't laugh 'Cause to type it up it took the whole staff And when they got through the title weighed sixty pounds. I got it one piece at a time And it didn't cost me a dime You'll know it's me when I come through your town I'm gonna ride around in style I'm gonna drive ever'body wild 'Cause I'll have the only one there is around. Ugh! Yow, RED RYDER This is the COTTON MOUTH In the PYSCHO-BILLY CADILLAC Come on Huh, This is the COTTON MOUTH And negatory on the cost of this mow-chine there RED RYDER You might say I went right up to the factory And picked it up, it's cheaper that way Ugh!, what model is it Well, It's a 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56 57, 58, 59 Automobile It's a 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67 68, 69, 70 Automobile. Ring Of Fire Love is a burnin’ thing, And it makes a fiery ring Bound by wild desire I fell into a ring of fire. I fell into a burnin’ ring of fire I went down, down, down And the flames went higher, And it burns, burn, burns, The ring of fir, the ring of fire. The taste of love is sweet When hearts like ours meet. I fell for you like a child Oh, but the fire ran wild. I fell into a burnin’ ring of fire I went down, down, down And the flames went higher, And it burns, burn, burns, The ring of fir, the ring of fire. I fell into a burnin’ ring of fire I went down, down, down, And the flames went higher, And it burns, burn, burns, The ring of fir, the ring of fire The ring of fire JAGUARDOG’S FINAL THOUGHTS Mr. Johnny Cash started his career around the time of what is called “The Birth of Rock ‘N’ Roll” in the early 50’s. He is known as one of the innovators of early rock with a country sound. Johnny earned his famous nickname “The Man In Black” partly because he loved to appear in all black, shirt, pants, hat etc. but also when he appeared on stage at the Grand Ole Opry in 1957 everyone but him was decked out in fancy colorful outfits with rhinestones or sequins while he just wore all black. He has always associated with the greatest in the music field. In the 50’s he hung around with “Elvis Presley”, “Carl Perkins”, “Jerry Lee Lewis” and others. In the 70’s and 80’s it was “Waylon Jennings”, “Kris Kristofferson”, “Willie Nelson” and “Hank Williams Jr.”. He always seemed to be sounded by the best in his field. His music was aggressive, amiable, confident, earnest, fiery, humorous, poignant, rebellious, rollicking, sentimental, spiritual, witty and whimsical. His style was country, country-pop, country-rock, gospel, rockabilly and just plain rock & roll. Always great clean sounding music with a few spicy words here in there but all in good clean fun. I have always loved the man and loved his music. I owed many, of his singles but only a few albums. Well that ends another part of my music history lesson for today Ladies and Gentlemen and I hope your learned something today and maybe were entertained just a little? I hope everyone has a Great evening, thanks for dropping by and taking the time to read and maybe leave a comment and as always God Bless You All, Ron. UPDATE: Johnny Cash died early Friday morning, 12 September 2003 at the age of 71 of complications from diabetes. May the "Man In Black" rest in peace.  |
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