He was one of the most instantly recognized performers in the world. From the clothes he wore to that incredibly distinct voice, there was little chance that anyone was going to either confuse him with someone else or not recognize him when he got on stage. But that never stopped him from opening his show every night with the same four words: "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash".
I'm sure by now there are few people who don't know the story of the Man In Black; his struggles to overcome his personal demons, his love for the woman who would become his second wife — June Carter Cash, and his astounding ability to turn almost any song ever written into his own.
In spite of being more well known for longer than probably any other musician, the first words out of his mouth, save for song lyrics, were always the same. Cash delivered them with a huge grin and a laugh, especially if he'd opened with one of his signature tunes before he said hello. It was part of the show and could never be changed, Johnny letting his voice drop down to it's deepest register and rumbling out those four magic words that let the world know he was still standing and ready to go another round.
It had been years since I'd seen Johnny Cash perform before I saw the biographical movie, Walk The Line, and the physical traits that Joaquin Phoenix demonstrated during the performance scenes seemed to border on caricature. But watching New West Records' release of Johnny Cash Live From Austin TX put that physicality into perspective.
Johnny Cash was much more physically imposing than Mr. Phoenix and when he hunched his head back down into his shoulders, it was like he was preparing to counter punch an opponent in the boxing ring or a bull setting himself up for that charge across the arena to take out the matador. But Johnny wasn't fighting any individual, he was standing up to those things he saw wrong with the world.
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