The Legacy Of Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash achieved many accolades in his long, influential life. Debatably the most noteworthy is how he is one of three artists, Elvis, Hank Williams, and Cash, who is a member of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Becoming a member of both is not an easy feet for any artist. In order to do so one has to be the very best in each style of music. Cash at 48 became the youngest performer to ever be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame (Danker). Kris Kristofferson put it the best way, “You felt like he should've had his face on Mount Rushmore” ( Kristofferson). This view was really how the American public viewed J.C. He was an American hero on par with Presidents or war heroes. He was given as

When learning the meaning of life through an artist one must take into consideration what inspired the artist to write, what barriers were in place, what was going on during the time he put out the music, and how did the artist overcome or succumb to those issues. This paper will inform you of the criticism and memories Marvin Gaye faced while creating his album What’s going on. The black community as able to have hope and something that allowed the black community as a whole. He was able to reach out with love and respect type of approach instead of using his platform to cause more conflict to the war. We must take a moment and look at what he has to offer to our life being that he was a significant figure

Recorded on April 2, 1956, Johnny Cash’s first hit, “I Walk the Line,” features lyrics in which Cash wrote to explain his devotion to his first wife, Vivian Liberto. At least, that was the original intent. Vivian later divorced Cash due to his use of drugs and affairs he had with other women. With the separation, and the lack of faithfulness to both his wife and to the lyrics of this tune, the lyrics obviously do not hold up in Johnny’s case, however the song still serves to explain one’s unwavering love for another (Turner).

Millions of people in the world listen to music for all different reasons. Most people all over the world listen to different genres of music in order to relax, but not too many people pay attention to the actual lyrics of a song. If you listen to the lyrics of a song you will realize that many songs have important messages or themes to them. An example of this is the lyrics of the song “Changes” by Tupac Shakur. If you listen to this song, you will realize that Tupac raps about not only the problems that African Americans face from society, but also the struggles that poor people in society have to endure and overcome. Many

Like instruments in an orchestra being brought in one by one to a melody that fills the ears of its listeners and drives out any other thoughts, King then targets the white moderate population, the white voters. He tries to place this audience into the shoes of the black people by giving vivid descriptions of the trials they have been going through and invoke empathy in their hearts. He says: "When you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your brothers and sisters at whim . . ." This statement brings up an issue every culture has had to deal with, death. Death in the American culture is one that is associated with loss and grief. King deftly imposes this loss on the shoulders of his white audience making it clear to them the pain the black people have been dealt.

Although you could say I am partly biased due to the fact that he was born and raised in the great state of Arkansas. Nonetheless, his music is loved by people all over the country for several reasons. For example, probably the biggest reason why people loved Johnny Cash is because of his humble personality which caused all of his songs to feel very down to earth which related to a multitude of people from all classes. From experiencing many struggles in his own life, Cash was able to translate his own emotions and thoughts into lyrics with rhythmic beats that attracted the average individual who shared the same feelings. Even though I am not able to see him in concert since he passed away, listening to his live recorded songs makes me realize that the rock and roll icon still lives through the music he poured his life

For generations, singers and songwriters of country music have been working to evoke emotions in listeners by performing and writing songs that the listeners will be able to relate to. Country music traditionally reveals stories of life, love, death, and values, all of which can be seen in the works of great singers and songwriters like George Strait, Alabama, Brooks & Dunn, and Alan Jackson. One artist in particular, Garth Brooks, forever left his stamp on country music and on the hearts of his millions of listeners with his hit songs, “The Beaches of Cheyenne”, “Callin’ Baton Rouge”, and “The River”. “The Beaches of Cheyenne” has a storyline containing themes of life, death, love, and regret. The themes of this song branch out much

During the most volatile times in American history, when African Americans had reached the breaking point and made the commitment to forever change the way society treated them, John Lewis had a huge impact on the civil rights movement. John lead peaceful protests, inspired thousands, and changed the world. As John started growing, he began to notice things weren’t fair, such as how the whites had a playground and the blacks had a dirt field, how the roads only got paved if the whites would need to go there. John’s parents didn't want him to make any waves because they were fine with their lives, but he wasn't. There were many turning points in John Lewis’s life. When he got his first bible he decided to become a preacher. When he leaves Alabama

Hank kept his interest in music throughout his whole childhood and began performing in Montgomery, Alabamas main radio station WSFA radio. He remained there from 1937 to 1942. While he was performing on the radio station a street singer and a good friend of Hank Williams Rufus “Tee Tot” Payne an African American influenced his sound and helping him with his guitar playing skills. Once Hank picked up the style that Rufus was doing he made it famous and this is the first time that the honky tonk type of style of music was created. While Hank was performing on the radio station he attracted some kids that lived nearby that knew how to play some other instruments. They called themselves the Drifting’ Cowboys, while Hank was singing and playing guitar in this band his singing voice was as strong as an artists today because since he did have any amplification he had to sing above all of the instruments and this is where he mastered his singing and yodeling without losing control of

“His star ascended higher still in 1958, when he departed from Sun Records and signed with Columbia Records...” (Biography In Context) Cash struggled with substance abuse, especially after his divorce with Liberto, which greatly affected his career. On the flip side of this, he married June Carter, in the spring of 1968, and she helped reform him. Later, he put out his first multimillion-selling album, Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison (1968). This album earned two Grammy Awards. The second prison album, Johnny Cash at San Quentin (1969), helped fuel his image as “...an unrepentant bad boy...” (Biography In Context) After that, he worked with his gospel, folk, and patriotic side. “...young audiences who had flocked to the Folsom and San Quentin albums did not appreciate his gospel and patriotic themes, forcing him to fall back on his core country audience.” (Biography In Context) In 1980, Johnny Cash was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 1985, he “...joined Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson to tour and record as the Highwaymen.” (Biography In Context) Shockingly, in 1986, Columbia Records refused to re-sign him to a record contract due to resurging drug dependence. Regardless, in 1990, Johnny Cash was then inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. Providentially, Cash got a record deal with Rick Rubin. Rubin would help redeem Cash’s recording career and produce his last four

He questions the audience about society and what they have done for their community. “We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality; we can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities; we cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one; we can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity,” (King). King knows how to bring the people into the speech to involve every single person standing before him and make them feel like they are apart of the speech. He mentions what has been taken away from them which creates anger within the crowd. King’s ability to appeal to the audience through emotion affected society for decades after and changed the sense of pride the African Americans had.

Elvis Presley was best known for his integration of R&B and country music. The public was scared that not only Presley would integrate music but also the white and black community. Which was something he did actually achieve according to Little Richard “He was an integrator. Elvis was a blessing. They wouldn’t let black music through. He opened the door for black music” (Elvis After 198). Parents were afraid of his music, considering it was said that he had a voice of a black man. He caused controversy, a white man singing black music on the radio.This controversy grew as Presley grew in

sense of responsibility in the black community, and preaches that good people can’t stand idly by

Music allows an artist to give those whose voice may not be loud enough to be heard. Their music can cover any issue of poverty, discrimination, segregation, people of color, oppression, and etc. The lyrics are the key part to get any point across but also any footage that accompanies gives the viewer more of an insight into these issues. Many artist/bands like Bob Dylan, Fort Minor, Joyner Lucas, Hurray for the Riff Raff, and Michael Jackson address many issues the class talked about and the point of view of those who are viewed as minorities. The music these artists and bands produce gives the listener an idea of what exactly is happening in the world and what has happened. Each song individually covers the importance that we, as humans, must change the way we think and act and listen to the problems others have and even if it does not affect us.

Throughout history, the biggest reforms in government, philosophy, and behavior have been made by freethinking and outspoken people. People such as Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela changed the world with their actions and words. While others, including Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Walt Disney implement their talents to business to change the world. All are spoken highly of and are highly regarded. One name that is wrongly not considered for this list is Kanye West. Kanye West is an intelligent person whose actions and outbursts, despite the media’s attempts to make them look incoherent and uncivilized, actually come from a place of goodwill and promote a platform of free thinking.