He Walked the Line

The year was, probably, 1984. As a young kid I would often thumb through the parent’s record collection. One album cover struck me in particular. It was a shot of man in front of a microphone, beads of sweat running down his face, thick, rockabilly hair, wearing black. He looked weathered; tough. At an earlier age I learned how to work the record player on my own. So I put it on. Not exactly music for kids, but for some reason it became a personal favorite. There was something about that baritone voice, energy of the live show, which happened to be in front of a prison audience. It became the most heavily rotated album of my parent’s records. It was Johnny Cash: Live at Folsom Prison.

Johnny Cash was the anthem of the beaten down, blue-collared work force. His songs were brutally honest and edgy. I later bought the infamous Live at Folsom Prison when it was remastered for CD, with songs that didn’t make the final cut. If you’re unfamiliar with Johnny Cash, I highly recommend that album as a starter. Over the past few years Cash has gained recognition among the younger, mainstream artists and fans. He was even nominated for some MTV VMAs this year. He’ll be sorely missed.

Johnny Cash, the Man in Black: 1932 – 2003.