The Man In Black

Published by Toronto Mike on September 12, 2008 @ 11:58 in Music

Has it really been five years? It must be true, because I wrote this entry five years ago today.

As is my daily ritual, I was listening to the radio while taking a shower this morning. The news brief opened with word of John Ritters surprising death at 54. Following this piece of information, I heard there was another death to mourn in the celebrity world. Johnny Cash had passed away. Even though I knew he was dying, my heart sank.

The Man in Black really struck a chord with me. He sang for the working man and downtrodden. He sang for the prisoners and the hurt. If you do nothing else today, watch his video for the Nine Inch Nails classic "Hurt". As Trent Reznor said upon first hearing this cover, the song was written for Johnny Cash to sing at this point in his life.

Five years later, I'm still listening to a lot of Johnny Cash. I don't listen to a lot of his older stuff as I tend to gravitate toward his American Recordings.

Johnny Cash's American Recordings were four albums he recorded in his finals years under the guidance of Rick Rubin. I love all four albums, which include plenty of covers and a little original material. Five years after I learnt of his death, here's one of my favourites. It's Johnny Cash covering Soundgarden with "Rusty Cage".

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