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to have been inducted
to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Country Music Hall of Fame,
and the Song Writers Hall of Fame. The honor was well deserved. Yet,
Cash was still struggling to stay musically challenged the recording
studio. With that, enter Rick Rubin.
Rubin had been a producer of fame for Rap
music . He had begun his own record label called American Records. At
the time, he was also looking for a well established unique artist
who could help to fill out this new team. He talked to JRC about
getting him on the label. His idea was to get Cash recording,
stripped down of all the slick recording features of the past. He
wanted the bare essentials of John's music. Over a several week
period, John recorded some seventy songs in both Rick's living room
and at his cabin in Bon Aqua. The end result was the highly acclaimed
"American Recordings" which captured the acoustic side of John. The
album was released in 1994 and with it began John's third new career.
A new group of listeners began to tune into the message and style of
Cash. The songs brought with them the same stark honesty that had
always been a trademark of JRC.
In 1996, John and Rick put together their
second effort called "Unchained" The musical selection was a wide
range of influences. It included everything from songs that JRC's
mother use to sing, to songs by hard rockers of the day. The
musicians involved the strong supporting cast of Tom Petty and the
Heartbreakers, Marty Stewart, Carl Perkins, and many others. Sadly,
this would be one of the last recording projects involving Cash's old
friend Carl Perkins. Perkins later died of complications suffered
during three strokes in 1997 and 1998. John would miss him like a
brother, both for his friendship and musicianship.
The album again caught the eye and ear of
many. In 1996 John became one of the select few to be recognized by
the Kennedy Art Center for his contributions to the American culture.
The show's highlight had Rosanne singing "I Walk the Line" to her dad
as he sat in the audience. She noted, he had sung that song nearly
every day of his performing career.
The year of 1997 also brought with it the
published release of John's second autobiography called "Cash". This
had been written in conjunction with Patrick Carr. Carr for several
years had introduced us to the thoughts and feeling of John through
his many interviews with Country Music Magazine. This latest effort
opened an new side of John. For many of the fans, it was a first look
at the human side of the legend know as Johnny Cash. Carr helped to
reveal him as a man who cared, dreamed, tried and dared.
As 1997 neared to an end, John made public
that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease., specifically
Shy Drager Syndrome. Many in the world were shocked and wondered if
the great voice would finally be quieted. Reports of health problems
continued to surface in November of 1996 as John fought off a life
threatening bout of double pneumonia. Yet with the warming of a new
year came the message from the man who for the last forty some odd
years has been a strength to many. John send word across the Web that
he was looking forward to seeing many of his fans in 1998.
In 1998, many didn't know if
they would get to hear the Man In Black again. Many hoped he'll grace the
stage one more time, while others are concerned about the risk to his
health. Interestingly enough, he had recently again broken the mold. In 1997
John R. Cash received 2 Grammy nominations for "Unchained". The song
"Rusty Cage" was nominated for Song of the Year and the album
"Unchained" was nominated for Album of the Year.
A the century turn, Johnny Cash could of sat back and
been satisfied with his accomplishment. Instead he and Rick Rubins continued on capturing
that lightening in the bottle again and again. The release of "Solitary
Man" again was awarded as a mark of excellence. Yet Cash fans began to
notice a difference in the Cash performance. Though the energy and passion was
there as it had always been, fans began to notice that John's voice had changed.
The performance was tremendous, but the voice began to resemble the voice of one
who had fought the many battles. Rubins often had to convince John that the
recording was quality as he was also concerned of the changing gt sound of his
voice. What many, including John, came to realize was the Cash fans
enjoyed the passion and the essence of his music. The aging of his voice
only added to the delivery
In 2003, John released an album containing two
his most unique recorded songs. These songs were the title cut, "When
The Man Comes Around" and a Rubin suggestion called "Hurt". A
last minute video of the latter produce what many might called a masterpiece
that all other music videos should measure themselves by. The video depicted the
human frailty of life at it look at Cash in his later years. Many in the
industry proclaimed it a work of art and it was nominated for many music awards,
even later winning Video of the Year from CMT. Cash still showing all, young and
old, how an true artist takes his final bows.
Unknown to all except Cash insiders, serious health
problems were mounting for both John and June. Cash had his continuous battles
with pneumonia. In the spring of 2003, his latest battles had weakened to the
point of needing to use a wheel chair to get around. However, the source for
strength that all John faced had begun to weaken as well. That strength had
always been June Carter Cash. June had been diagnosed with a heart condition
that would months later require surgery. It was a surgery that June would never
return home from. June Carter died on May 23, 2003.
John grieved with the whole world at the passing of his
beloved "Junebug." He allowed public to attend the funeral and
celebrated the life of this truly remarkable woman. With his last kiss, he sat
back in the wheel chair at the funeral and was lead back into the world without
June. Many feared it would only be a matter of time until we lost John as well.
Three days after the funeral of June Carter, John was
back in the studio doing what he was meant to do. He felt that June would have
wanted him to continue his work and it was how he best knew to deal with the devastating
loss he felt. On July 5, 2003, Johnny Cash gave a moving performance at the
Carter Fold. It was to be his last public performance. Cash told the many
faithful gatherer on the Appalachian hilltop that the "spirit of June
Carter" had visited him. He noted that she continued to give him that strength
he needed. June had always been that guiding inspiration for him in both life,
and now in death.
The "Hurt" video was nominated for several
MTV Video awards. John had been hoping to attend the ceremonies in New
York, but had been hospitalized in August with stomach aliments. He watched his
video win an MTV award from his hospital bed. Cash music was still reaching
folks almost fifty years after it had began. Cash was released and sent home to recover
and finalize the recordings on a coming fifth American Recordings album. That
work would never be completed.
On September 12, 2003, the world awoke to the sad news
that John R. Cash had passed away due to complications brought on by his battles
with diabetes. The world stood stunned. Young, old, rich, poor reflected on the
passing of the Man In Black. A few days later, he was laid to rest beside his
beloved June.
Have we reached the final chapter of this
book? The answer is a resounding "No!" As John's sister reflected at
the funeral of her brother, "Johnny Cash is!" . One thing is for sure, his music and
influence and will live on for years to come. But the presence of the Man
In Black will be missed on the many of the stages around the world. His journey reached out and touched
the hearts , souls, and dreams of many. His journey was our journey. His dreams
were our dreams. These dreams live on as long as there is rhythm. As he closed his 1997
autobiography...
"The light's beginning to fade in Oland. I'm
thinking about all the many other places I've been and seen, the
stops along my road. The pictures flit by in my head. A border
checkpoint between Communist Poland and East Germany when June,
Mother Maybelle, and I had to sing for the guards before they would
let us pass. A castle in Scotland where we stood in the twilight and
watched thousands of crows arrive and fly around the keep, as they've
been doing at the dimming of the light every day for hundreds of
years, who knows why. A morning in downtown Bangkok when I asked why
there were no birds anywhere and was told that air pollution had
killed them all. A concert for the remnants of the great Sioux Nation
near the ground on the Rosebud River where they won their last
victory, over George Armstrong Custer and his men. A morning in
Greenwich Village with Rosanne, talking and singing with her at her
childrens' school. A night in London watching Nick Lowe, Martin
Belmont, and several other hardened, drunken rock 'n' roll Limeys
playing George Jones's recording of "We Ought to Be Ashamed" and
bursting into tears. Dyess, Arkansas, with Jack in the barn where we
dried the peanuts from our fields, picking out the ones ready for
roasting, then bagging them in brown paper sacks from the co-op store
to sell outside the movie theater, a nickel a small bag, a dime for a
big one.
It's about time for me to go to work, or if
you like, to go play. That's what we music gypsies call it, after
all. I'll put on my black shirt, buckle up the black belt on my black
pants, tie my black shoes, pick up my black guitar, and go put on a
show for the people in this town." CASH/1997
Till things are
brighter....
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