Day In
Rock Special Report: Johnny Cash RIP
This special report
is an excerpt of an obituary written by AP’s John Gerome:
Johnny Cash, "The
Man in Black" who became a towering figure in American music with such
hits as "Folsom Prison Blues," "I Walk the Line" and "A Boy Named Sue,"
died Friday. He was 71.
Cash died of complications
from diabetes that resulted in respiratory failure, his manager, Lou Robin,
said in a statement issued by Baptist Hospital in Nashville. Cash died
at the hospital at 3 a.m. EDT.
"I hope that friends
and fans of Johnny will pray for the Cash family to find comfort during
this very difficult time," Robin said.
Cash had been released
from the hospital Wednesday after a two-week stay for treatment of an unspecified
stomach ailment.
He had battled a
disease of the nervous system, autonomic neuropathy, and pneumonia in recent
years. His second wife, June Carter Cash, who co-wrote Cash's hit "Ring
of Fire," died in May.
"More than any single
person I can think of, Johnny Cash broadened interest in country music
all around the world. He was just a huge star, and became a cultural icon
in America," said Ed Benson, executive director of the Country Music Association.
"It's extremely sad. He's certainly someone who is irreplaceable in the
music business, and in the hearts and minds of many Americans."
Rant
or Rave? Your turn, post you comments
and thoughts on this news item. But hey keep it clean, we wouldn't want
to have to wash your mouth out with Old Spice.
Fan
Speak:
Posted by Bear:
the only member of the ROCK AND ROLL, COUNTRY MUSIC, and SONGWRITERS' hall of fame, that alone says it about Johnny Cash...if you have any doubt of his influence, check out the artists at his tribute show a couple years ago, everyone from U2 and Springsteen to Wyclef and Chris Isaak were there playing his stuff. He was one of the first to play Kris Kristoferson's music and brought Dylan to the country fans...Likewise his covers of Rusty Cage and Hurt have showcased music those fans otherwise would not have been exposed to. He was a true Crossover artist and a legend in EVERY sense of the word
Posted by mudpuppy:
he will truly b missed. i had heard of him and some of his songs before, but didnt really take notice till the awsome n.i.n cover. its sad to think that someone with such great infuence isnt even really recognized by the majority of music listeners today, nevermind thoes who consider themselves music fans
Posted by PAGAN RAYGUN:
a true badass. an American Original. and now a legend for eternity. thank you Johnny.
Posted by biggdogg:
we moarned for joe strummer, dee dee, joey, and anyone else great who passed away, but the loss of johnny cash is a true strike to every music genre, the man was beyond legend status, he was a true god, he will be missed by all.
Posted by Me:
Hmmm, "deathrulz", eh? maybe you should:
a)kill yourself
b)take an example from death's angel 666 and open your mind(using the term loosely) a little bit
c)learn how to spell
d)all of the above
the end
Posted by LithiumBliss:
I grew up with folks who loved listening to country, which is probably why I embraced rock, but looking back I can recall that most of the country songs I liked were by Johnny Cash. And his influence upon music is real. OK, maybe the first artists who might have been inspired by him were rockabilly artists, but from that sprang the first "rock'n'roll" (along with the contributions from the early black rockers), and from that you got your Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin, Sabbath, etc. Cash was, rightfully so, a legend.
Posted by gord:
i am a heavy metal fan. and i never gave jonny cash much thought. but after i heard hurt it amazed me. and nine inch nails should be privaleged to have jonny cash sing one of thier songs.
Posted by www.myamericanradio.net:
I have never been a big Johnny Cash fan, but anyone with half a brain know this man influenced all forms of music and all generations. He has won awards in country music as well as MTV showing even the youngest music fans knew the talent this man held. You even find bands in virtually every music genre that have been influenced by his music and lyrics. Although death isn't good, I know his recent health suffering is over and he is again with June - and God now gets to enjoy 'The Man In Black'. My hat off to you and my prayers to your family for the healing they will need. And to those who post BS about this - don't worry... death will be visiting you - it visits everyone eventually.
Posted by Loki:
Now America have no CASH and no HOPE. heh
Posted by I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die.:
Johnny cash was punk before the term was coined. He was the first true rebel of rock and will be greatly missed. RIP
Posted by EycHaus:
The best way to sum up Cash is with a Beavis and Butthead memory: I hadn't heard much of his music at the time, and B & B were huge, of course. One video they showed was "Devil Went Back to Georgia" by Mark O'connor f/ Charlie Daniles, Travis Tritt, Marty Stuart, and Johnny Cash. The boys trashed EVERYONE in the video but "the dude on the hill" (Cash). That says alot when even 2 social misfits can respect Cash. Also, Cash's Salute to Country Radio after that one Grammy Award was classic, too. I got into Cash eventually, because punk bands were covering him, as was III. His music is raw and honest, and the world is a sadder place now.
Posted by death's angel 666:
the only country artist a goth could truly appreciate. he shall be greatly missed.
Posted by dreibel:
I'm saddened by the news, as I grew up with Johnny Cash music from the country music stations my parents listened to. Johnny was one of those rare things, an artist who was 100% original and whose music, when heard, was unmistakably him. Plus he was an open-minded individual when it came to music, judging by some of the covers that he chose to do (in part thanks to Rick Rubin, who finally allowed him to do the songs the closed-minded Nashville establishment wouldn't let him do). He leaves behind an impressive body of work that any musician should check out for his songwriting and his conviction in singing them - sometimes it could be pretty controversial, when he would sing about murder and drug use, but in those songs he underscored that these sort of activities weren't fun and games. Johnny was also a colourful character who got into the types of scrapes and trouble that would make the shenanigans of today's stars look like kid stuff (check out his biography _Cash_ for some confessional stuff, some of it is quite heartbreaking to read). I'd like to add that I saw Johnny years ago at the CNE Grandstand, and he put on one hell of a powerful and entertaining show that had people of all ages show up at and cheer him and June on.
Posted by bowling for columbine:
its a pity i havent even listen to any of is songs but he seem to be real
Posted by reverenedjerbear2003:
mr. johnny cash will be missed, in alot of the american hearts. i will have to admit, that his cover of "HURT" was one hell of a cover that a lot did not expect to hear from the man in black himself. trent reznor should have tooking lessons from mr. cash.thanks for shareing you,re one of a kind talent,the man in black will never be forgotting.
Posted by martyr:
r.i.p he shall be missed
Posted by THE RULER:
A TRUE LEGEND IS DEAD. LIKE VAMPIRE RYAN SAID HE INFLUENCED ALOT OF POPULAR MUSIC ACTS. HE WILL TRUELY BE MISSED. HIS MUSIC WILL LIVE ON FOREVER.
Posted by Porcupine:
For f*ck's sake, don't feed the trolls VampireRyan. May Mr. Cash find whatever peace there is.
Posted by VampireRyan:
To the person calling himself "deathrulz": why don't YOU drop dead. That is unbelievably disrespectful of you. More than half of today's music acts were influenced by in him one way or another.
Posted by deathrulz:
i'm happy he's dead, he was a stupid piece of sh1t, please p1ss on his grave
