Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash, known as the "Man in Black" because of his stage outfit, was one of the most influential US country singers and songwriters. He has written over 500 songs, many of which have become classics, including "I Walk the Line" and "Ring of Fire". The artist sold over 50 million records and also appeared as an actor. Johnny Cash was born in 1932 in Kingsland, Arkansas, where he also grew up. He died of respiratory failure in Nashville on September 12, 2003. Although he made his first attempts on the guitar at the age of 10, his real musical career began in Germany, where he was stationed as a soldier in the US Air Force. There he founded a band and wrote his first songs. Back in the USA, he performed regularly with guitarist Luther Perkins and bassist Marshall Grant. Johnny Cash's first single release "Hey Porter" (1955) reached number 14 in the US country charts. This was followed by his first major live performance as the opening act for Elvis Presley. The next single, "Folsom Prison Blues" (1955), also attracted a great deal of attention, reaching number 4 in the US country charts. A year later, the single "I Walk the Line" was released and reached number 1 in the country charts and number 20 in the pop charts. Perhaps his best-known song, "Ring of Fire" (1963), dealt not only with Johnny Cash's addiction to pills but also the difficult relationship between him and his lover June Carter. 1968 saw the release of At Folsom Prison, one of the most famous live albums in country music history: Johnny Cash performs together with June Carter, Carl Perkins and the Statler Brothers at Folsom State Prison in California. The album reached number 1 in the country album charts. His second appearance in a prison, At San Quentin (1969), also made Johnny Cash internationally famous. From 1968 to 1971, Johnny Cash hosted his own TV show, The Johnny Cash Show, which featured Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Stevie Wonder. The album Man in Black, released in 1971, was the last of his solo albums to reach number 1 in the country charts during his lifetime. In the 1980s, country music focused on slick and commercial productions from Nashville, and Johnny Cash no longer really fit into the picture. His releases from this period were no longer able to build on the successes of previous decades. It was only through his collaboration with the well-known producer Rick Rubin and releases such as American Recordings (1994), Unchained (1996), American III: Solitary Man (2000) and American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002) that he made a comeback. One of the best-known songs from this period is the Nine Inch Nails cover song "Hurt", which was awarded a Grammy. Other posthumous releases include Unearthed (2003), American V: A Hundred Highways (2006) and American VI: Ain't No Grave (2010). More than 20 years after his death and over 30 years after the original recordings, the album Songwriter (2024) was released. Produced by his son John Carter, the LP contained 11 songs that Johnny Cash had already composed in 1993. The album reached number 4 in Germany, number 6 in Switzerland and number 42 in the British charts.