The Essential Johnny Cash

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And he cemented his reputation as one of the reigning badasses in American music history — not that that rep really needed much help. In 2015, a new species of black tarantula was identified near Folsom Prison and named Aphonopelma johnnycashi in his honor.

Cash nurtured and defended artists (such as Bob Dylan [49]) on the fringes of what was acceptable in country music even while serving as the country music establishment's most visible symbol. These live shows were produced with help from ABC and local concert producer Bennie Sanchez, during these sets Johnny Cash and Al Hurricane performed together. Sign up below to get the latest from Classic Rock, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox!f] Accordingly, [g] Cash is said to have "contained multitudes", and has been deemed "the philosopher-prince of American country music. On November 22, 1974, CBS ran his one-hour TV special entitled Riding The Rails, a musical history of trains. So when Def Jam’s Rick Rubin signed the Nashville cast-off in the early 90s, he put two mics in front of him, stood back and hit ‘Record’.

His Sings the Ballads of the True West (1965) was an experimental double record, mixing authentic frontier songs with Cash's spoken narration.The meticulously reported biography is said to have filled in the 80% of Cash's life that was unknown, including details about Cash's battles with addiction and infidelity. Other album highlights are the rockabilly bop of Big River and affecting covers of Guy Clark’s Desperados Waiting For A Train and Bob Seger’s Against The Wind.