#9: Cash  by Johnny Cash

Settle down now, Internets, because I need you to hear (read) something very important: Johnny Cash is AWESOME.

Tug recommended this book to me awhile ago and now I’m disappointed in myself for taking so long in reading it. Cash is truely a must-read autobiography. It is written in a manner that shows humilty, pain, struggle, love, and grace. Rare is the man who can accomplish so much while staying true to himself and I can’t tell you enough how about how much this book has changed my perspective of music. 

I was raised to know about Sam Phillips and Sun Studio. My Dad, certain to impress on me the value of where the “good music” came from, educated me on the skill of Elvis Presley and the likes. [Fear not, I was Motown educated, too.] And when visited Memphis a few years ago, the picture became a little more clear. This is not to say that I know everything there is to know about the origins of country and rock, because I definitely don’t, but that I now understand my own musical taste a little bit better. There are three things I’m attracted to in a song: harmonies, clean guitar, and rhythm (preferrably hand claps). Johnny Cash incorporated all of these in his early days and has inspired so much of my current musical rotation. 

Another wonderful aspect of Cash was the portrayal of the relationship between Johnny and June Carter. He hold back the fact that they have had hard times together and struggled through the pains of addiction, but as the book moved on, I came to forget that “we” is meant as a plural. Cash writes about the couple as if they are one entity, making it clear he has no intention of being without her.

So please, Internets, desperse now. Go out into the world and learn about not only about the Man in Black, but where your music originates. I promise you, it is a worthy endeavor.