johnny cash "american vi: ain't no grave" review

i picked up johnny cash's "american vi: ain't no grave" on wednesday. the fifth and final instalment of cash's american series was posthumously released on tuesday - 3 days before what would have been his 78th birthday (today). the songs were recorded in 2003, in months before cash's death. material from the approximately 50 songs recorded during those sessions was released in 2006's "american v: a hundred highways."

while the "hundred highways" material was recorded early in those sessions, the songs on "ain't no grave" were recorded in the months following the death of his wife, june carter cash, in may 2003. the producer, rick rubin, noted the cash said recording was the main reason keeping him alive. among the 10 songs on the album, he covers sheryl crow's "redemption day" and kris kristofferson's "for the good times." his one original song on the album of covers and traditional material was "i corinthians 15:55."

surprisingly, and at cash's own insistence, the final song on the album is "aloha oe" - a bright end to an otherwise serious set of music contemplating the end of life. almost every song is wrought with knowledge of cash's impending death. yet none of them is in any way morose or maudlin in it's approach to the lyrics. especially worth noting is his take on "i don't hurt anymore," whose lyrics are of a relationship gone bust. one can't help but appreciate that cash sings about the breakup, but he himself is about to depart the world of the living.

with the real end of life drama that foreshadows the song selection, the upbeat and gracious "aloha oe" (roughly, "until we meet again") is a remarkable close to the album - and, while not literal - to cash's life. for a man who sings a number of potentially dark songs intended to confront mortality, he selected one that lightly reaffirmed the vitality of life - his life and ours - to bid us adieu. "ain't no grave" is a fitting coda to his "american" series - don't pass it up.

happy birthday in heaven, johnny cash - 78 years old today :D

johnny cash played folsom prison 42 years ago today

it was 42 years ago today, january 13, 1968, that johnny cash performed two shows at folsom state prison in california. the album, "at folsom prison," which consisted of the first (morning) performance and one song from the afternoon set, was released 4 months later. the album single-handedly revitalized cash's career.

the album was re-released in 1999 with additional tracks (from the second set). in 2008, to celebrate the 4oth anniversary, a "legacy" edition was released that included both shows on two cds and a companion dvd "making of" documentary. my interest in johnny cash was sparked by the documentary and the legacy edition performances.

one highlight of the folsom visit was cash's performance of "greystone chapel" - a song written by then inmate glen shirley. cash and his fellow musicians practiced for two days at nearby hotel, and were visited by then governor ronald reagan. during the rehearsal sessions they learned shirley's "greystone chapel" - and concluded each of two performances with that song.

the shirley back story is fascinating (and tragic). he recorded "greystone chapel" on a cassette tape and passed it on to the prison pastor, and then found its way to cash, who immediately decided to record it. shirley had some additional success writing songs, and even performed with cash and other artists. but 10 years later, he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

as a follow-up to "folsom," johnny cash went on to record "at san quention" the following year (less well known, but equally as powerful).

michael streissguth, "johnny cash: the biography" book review

I just finished Michael Streissguth’s "Johnny Cash: The Biography" and found it a fascinating read. My interest in Johnny Cash has been building since I caught "I walk the Line" last year, followed by the documentary, "Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: The Making of a Masterpiece." Picking up a Cash biography was the next logical step. Streissguth, the author of "Johnny Cash at Folsom: The Making of a Masterpiece" and editor of "Ring of Fire: The Johnny Cash Reader" is the perfect fellow to tell the story of the "man in black" - detailing the legend and reality.

Johnny Cash would have been 77 years old this year. He wrote not one, but two autobiographies during his lifetime. The public image incorporated the widespread belief that Cash beat his drug habit in the early 1970's and lived a drug-free life thereafter. Streissguth debunked that myth in the first few pages. While Cash did get clean, he only managed to stay free from drugs for a half dozen years - at most. By the late 1970's and until his death in 2003, Cash resumed his drug habit. When under the influence his music suffered, his relationships suffered, and he nearly died.

The second major storybook myth quickly disposed in the book was the "happily ever after" relationship between Johnny and his second wife, June Carter Cash. While they remained married for the rest of their lives, the relationship became strained - to the point June had drawn up the divorce papers. But they overcame the low points and managed to stay together. Any viewer, without the benefit of this knowledge, would leave "I walk the Line" with a sanitized, highly sterilized view of Cash and his life.

But the book just doesn’t tear down the Cash the legend. Streissguth, a serious scholar of Cash, labored - successfully - to present the real portrait of Cash. My favorite part of the book is his description of the Johnny Cash the songwriter. A truly creative writer in his own right, and in collaborating with his contemporaries - especially Bob Dylan in the late 1960's. That Nashville summit, if you will, paved the way for the emergence of country/folk. No small achievement to bring together two very different styles of music (and fan bases).

Cash reached out to Dylan, sensing their share interests: "Listening to "The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan" album of 1963, he heard a voice that siphoned waters from the past, protested the status quo, and sounded as good as any country-music performer’s he knew. Impressed, he dashed off a letter to Dylan, who also recorded for Columbia, initiating a halting correspondence fueled by Cash’s curiosity and Dylan’s obvious respect for a man who had recorded modern electric folk since the 1950s." They remained lifelong friends.

Streissguth conducted extensive interviews (including Cash’s three daughters and his in-laws, to mention just a few individuals with first hand knowledge to share) and exhaustively researched the Cash archives to write this biography. One startling revelation is the extent to which Cash’s father truly resented his son’s success. Despite all of Cash’s efforts to win a modicum of affection (and respect) from his father during his lifetime, he was rebuffed and insulted at every possible opportunity.

"Johnny Cash: The Biography" made me want to explore the complex, multifaceted Cash and his music even more. The one small quibble I have is the narrative. Steissguth often stepped out of the linear timeline and jumped ahead in the story to connect a thread or thought to his current point. That technique does get tiresome. But it won’t prevent me from recommending the book!

johnny cash's 77th birthday today

today, february 26, would be johnny cash's (1932-2003) 77th birthday. i'm new to the johnny cash fan base - having gotten turned on to his music via "walk the line," a great biopic that i watched last year. even more intense was the documentary, "johnny cash at folsom prison," which i was lucky enough to get as a christmas present.

last night i listened to that album during my 6 mile run. i even managed to catch some of the "johnny cash's america" special on the biography channel (which had to give way to the season finale of "top chef" - congratulations hosea!!). i'm also toying w/the idea of getting "walk the line" back from netflix - but joachin phoenix's increasingly bizarre behavior (and the suspect career change from actor to rapper) - gives me pause ;)

so happy birthday to you (up in heaven, i'll presume), johnny cash!

update: check out my book review of: michael streissguth's "johnny cash: the biography"

johnny cash "at folsom prison: the making of a masterpiece" documentary review

only one word is needed here - awesome! it deserves a bit of elaboration, of course, but the original album, the remastered albums which include the second show (performed that same day), and the "making of" documentary, are simply incredible.

very fun, and coincidental, cool fact - the folsom prison concerts took place 41 years ago to the day, on january 13, 1968!

back to johnny cash. this is one musician, one entire genre (country), that i was never really into in the past. even today i hardly know anything about country music. but cash reminds me more of folk music, than anything i'd consider country. either way, cash came to my attention last month when i caught some of the documentary on cable, and then rented "walk the line" from netflix. i was hooked.

the documentary itself is based on the book of the same name, "johnny cash at folsom prison: the making of a masterpiece," by michael steissguth (who also penned a biography of johnny cash). here is the trailer:



the entire film come in at just over 2 hours and in addition to the music itself, it includes archival footage of cash, the prison, many unpublished photos, interviews with former inmates and guards who were at the concerts, and interviews with his children and former band mates. also covered is the back story to the last minute inclusion of prisoner glen sherley's "greystone chapel" song (brought to cash's attention the day before by the prison chaplan).

aside from watching cash and his band work up an arrangement of that song - and perform it live for the first time the next morning, we learn how cash worked to secure the early release on parole of sherley. and, once again, aside from cash's efforts to get sherley included in his concert tours and, ultimately, the tragic end to sherley's life, we learn of how cash got deeply involved in the prison reform movement. an interest he would pursue for the next decade.

while cash wasn't new to prison concerts, having played them many times in the past, it took him 6 years to convince the powers that be at columbia records to make a live album at the prison. that was amazing, considering "folsom prison blues" was a breakout hit for cash more than a decade earlier, and it would have seemed a live album from folsom would have been a "no brainer," so to speak. but, thankfully, it got recorded (and, incidentally, on the heels of its success, so did a sequel - "live at at san quentin").

one interesting nugget contained on the documentary is a primitive black and white animated "music video" of cash performing "25 minutes to go." that hilarious performance/cartoon is (almost) reason alone to check out the documentary. but seriously, this is a classic album, classic performance - check it out.