The Top Ten Live Performances 1. Folsom Prison Blues : Johnny Cash Live at Folsom Prison January 13, 1968 From the opening intro of "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash," to the final beat of the song, the essence of Cash is is reflected with each and every note. The audience is deafening. They clamp. They stomp. They hoot and holler. With them every step of the way, machine-gunning his D-45 Martin, is Cash. He is raw lightening in this performance. Luther kicks it off and we hold on for the ride.   2. I Walk The Line : Ranch Party 1956 This is Cash's first television appearance. From it, the nation got its first taste of the Cash style. Tex Ritter introduced the young Cash who was clad in a white jacket made by his mother. With that, Luther kicked off the notes of "I Walk The Line" and the rest is history.   3. Man In Black : Vanderbuilt University TV Special Feb.13,1971 This was a special on-site taping of the ABC Cash show. The guest list included James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt and Neil Young. Cash was at his career peak during this performance. It was also a very stormy time in America with the Vietnam war still raging. During the show taping, Cash mentioned that he had begun thinking about a song after his discussions with many of the students at the University held a few days earlier. As a result, he had written as song and was now on the fifth rewrite of this later-to-be Cash classic. With that, Cash debuted "Man In Black" on national TV. The song would later be recorded and featured on the album "Man In Black"   4. Duet with June Carter : London, Ontario 1967 It was at this performance that Cash popped the question to June. As Cash later recalled, "It wasn't at a remote table in the corner by candlelight. It was onstage in London, Ontario, the next week, before five thousand people! For some reason, I had more nerve to officially ask her onstage than I would have had privately. She glared at me in pleasant disbelief. I repeated the question. "Will you marry me? I love you." Then she was embarrassed. "Let's go on with the show," she said. But the audience was in on the act by now, and they started calling out, "Say yes! Say yes!""You have to answer me," I said. A slow smile came on her face. ''All right," she said. "Yes, I will.""   5. Jesus Was A Carpenter : Israel 1972 This project was developed from a dream that June had of John standing on a mountaintop in Israel. The Cash family brought a film crew with them a few years later and created the movie "The Gospel Road". During the closing scene, Cash is seen standing on the mountain top, just as in June's dream. He sings the closing versus of "Jesus Was A Carpenter". The performance perfectly captures Cash's pure devotion and commitment to religion.   6. Performing At The White House 1970 Cash was at the apex of his career at this time period. It was also during this time that he was invited to perform at the White House by Richard Nixon. Nixon had one of his aides further request a few songs from Cash. One of the songs requested was "Welfare Cadilac." The song not only was not a Cash song, but conflicted strongly with Cash's working man message. Cash politely declined the request and the story hit the headlines. I selected this performance as significant, not because of the notoriety of the event. Instead, it was selected as a moment of triumph as a country boy-cotton picker from Dyess, Arkansas was performing at the White House for the President.   7. Girl from the North Country: Duet with Bob Dylan 1969 Cash was one of the first country artist to have a major national weekly television show. Wednesday nights at 9 PM, the camera's would roll from the stage of the Grand Old Opry at the Ryman Auditorium. Cash took this opportunity to spotlight Nashville as a major music capital. During that first memorable show, Cash's special guest was none other that Bob Dylan. Together, the two represented figureheads of two worlds....Country and Rock. Together, they bridged the gap and gave Nashville a new meaning. They penned a few songs together , and performed one of them that night, "Girl From The North Country", on the show.   8. Ragged Old Flag : Washington, DC 1993 Cash had been invited to perform as the special guest at the Fourth of July Celebration at the Capitol. The lawn was filled with hundreds of families as E.G Marshall strode to the podium to introduce John. With that Cash walked up and began "the Ragged Old Flag" recitation. In the background, the lights reflected the pillars of the Capitol. The performance was nationally broadcast. As Cash continued, images of Americana were flashed on the screen. Though John had performed this recitation hundreds of times before, this one seemed to capture the true moment of American pride. Hundreds of Americans watched from the Capitol lawn and thousands of Americans watched from their living rooms at home. Cash finished with a salute to the flag. With that, the crowd roared and stood cheering. Only the fireworks later during that night's celebration would more electrify that crowd. July 4, 1993   9. Ride This Train/JC Show : Mississippi Delta Tribute 1970 One major segment of the Cash Television Show was entitled, "Ride This Train". This segment was a small trip through Americana that Cash would take us on. Using words, song, and images, the segment took us to the streets old West, to the car factories of Detroit, to the reservations of the native American, to highways of the American trucker. One segment stands out in particular. It was a segment that reflected life as a share cropper. With this segment, Cash took the audience on an intimate trip to his childhood. We heard the struggles of his share cropper father trying to scratch out a living. We heard of John's dreams to leave this life of hardship and head for the car factories of the North, only to later head back disillusioned. We also heard how his sister Louise would end the days hard work with the angelic singing of "An Uncloudy Day". The segment was later released on the album "The Johnny Cash Show."   10. Sunday Morning Coming Down : June 25, 1998 Cash had been missing from the stage for about eight months. A recent diagnoses of Shy-Drager and a close brush with death had removed Cash from the spotlight. However, on June 25th John was set to receive a special award at a Chet Atkins function to be held at the Ryman Auditorium. As Kristofferson performed Sunday Morning Coming Down at the ceremony, Cash watched from the wings of the Ryman stage. Though not planned, John suddenly strode out and joined Kris in the song. Cash had returned to the spotlight, if only for a brief shinning moment. As an E News reporter later noted, "He looked thinner than he has, walked a little slower, but still had the Johnny Cash arrogance that has made him one of the legends in country music."   Honorable Mention:   Johnny Cash Tribute 1999??????April 6, 1999  It had been eighteen months since John had been on a stage performing. Artists from all over the country had flown in to pay tribute in word and song to the man. The event was being filmed for a television special on TNT. As the time drew near, their were mixed reports as to whether Cash would be there or not. Struggling health concerns had kept Cash recuperating on his Island home in Jamaica over the past months. Hours before the performances, it was reported that Cash would be in attendance, but watching from the dressing room. If health allowed, he would head for the stage. Near the end of the night's performances, the stage was darkened. Actor Tim Robbins read the liner notes from Folsom Prison. As he finished, a spotlight hit the figure on center stage with his guitar slung back to the audience. With that, Cash turned and brought the familiar "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash". The crowd roared and Bob Wootton kicked into Folsom Prison Blues followed by I Walk the Line. Cash had returned to the stage back by his normal band and one additional player......Marshall Grant.   San Quentin (Recording #1) Johnny Cash at San Quentin 1968  John's performance of this song is without comparison. The show was being recorded for an English Television special. Cash's popularity was rocketing. He had been touring and running a weekly live television show. As the tapes rolled at San Quentin, the talent of Bob Johnson to capture the Cash magic live once again began. John started into a song that he had written trying to relate the plight of those convicts sitting in the audience. The song, "San Quentin," is kicked off by the hard lead of Bob Wootton. Cash rolled through the lyrics and captured the hearts of the prisoners. They roared with each verse and ended the song with a deafening standing ovation. Cash later recalled that he thought the audience was close to rioting with emotion. The song was performed and recorded a second time on the album. Though the enthusiasm is there from the audience in the second version, the true spontaneity of that first performance really sets the recordings apart.   Gettysburg Address: Ford Theater Washington DC As Cash himself later recalled, "So far as television, the show that I look back on the most was a show that I did in Washington at Ford's Theater where I talked about Lincoln and did the Gettysburg Address. The President was sitting right straight down in front of me. That was a pretty high time."    The Boston Garden 1970 This selection is a personal one. Cash was scheduled to appear at the Garden but was postponed due to snow. The event was later rescheduled a few weeks later. My dad packed the family up and we traveled to Boston to see my first concert. Cash and crew were magnificent. I remember the blur of flashes as the crowd of fifteen thousand light up the Garden with camera flashes. To a boy of 10 years old, the scene was almost surreal. I also remember the thunderous applause as the crew completed "Children, Go Where I Send Thee." It was first time seeing the Man In Black. Thirty years later, I have seen many others perform and many other Cash performances. For me, only a live "Born In The USA" performance by Springsteen has ever come close to the wonder of that first Cash Concert in 1970.   Concert At Flint Michigan 1997 This is a concert that unknowingly changed the life of many Cash fans. For some time, questions had been appearing on the Cash Internet boards asking about John's health. Many who had recently seen him, noted that he just didn't seem himself at times. As Cash performed that night, he reached over to get a guitar pick he had dropped. With that, he lost his balance and could not steady himself. Bob Wootton later recalled that he had to steady the man to keep from falling over. Someone in the audience yelled out an inappropriate comment insinuating that Cash was under the influence. It was then that Cash made his secrete struggle known to the public. He informed the audience that he had been fighting Parkinson's disease for several months. He vowed he would not let it take over his life. The news hit the papers and the Internet the next day. Shortly there after, all Cash performances were suspended. Cash would not appear again on a stage until eight months later at the Ryman Auditorium.   The Newport Folk Festival : July 1964 This event introduced Cash to a new group of audience. The complete performance is captured on one of the Bear Family CD Box sets. The event marks one of the first meeting of Cash and Bob Dylan. This would later be the foundation for the Nashville Skyline recording.   The Carter Family Fold : July 2002 and 2003 This event was the final time John and June performed in public and the final public performance of John. The latter of these, July 2003, offered John's fans a last time to see the Man in Black. Helped by friends, John slowly walked to the stage on his own. June had died a month and a have earlier. As John talked to the audience, he recalled how much June loved the land and the people of the Fold. John's voice was just a shadow of the booming Cash sound all had come know. Yet his performance was as inspired as any he had ever given.     The Filming of Hurt at the Cash House : 2003 With the release of  " When The Man Comes Around", John and June had been preparing for their annual winter trip to Jamaica. Mark Romanek had been selected to do the filming of the video "Hurt". Rick Rubin had talked John into this recording. The power of the song was tremendous. Health reasons had prevented an earlier shoot. Instead, Mark and crew traveled to the Cash house and in one day filmed an introspective look at Johnny Cash. The video would become to be a masterpiece in music videos as it examined the destiny of a life. Though John and June seemed at ease during the filming, what the crew was unaware of was that June had just been given a diagnoses that morning of a heart ailment she was suffering from. This ailment would later prove to be fatal as June did not survive the surgery. This performance marks the moment that all Cash fans and family had feared. It was the beginning of the end. But even in its finality, it was a shooting star across night bound for a better tomorrow.