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Johnny Cash is a country singer and songwriter who is considered one of the most influential American musicians of the 20th century. He was also an actor and an author. While he is mostly remembered as a country singer, his music also includes rock and roll, blues, folk music, gospel, and rockabilly--which combines country-western with rock.
Johnny Cash was from Dyess in Northeast Arkansas. As a child, he would sing with his family while they were picking cotton in the fields. This was during the Great Depression in our country which took place during the 1930's. Cash and his family struggled through financial and personal problems along with other people facing similar difficulties. These hard times, and the hope that kept people going, inspired many of the songs Johnny would later write. Some of his most famous songs include “Folsom Prison Blues”, “I Walk the Line”, "Ring of Fire”, "Jackson", "A Boy Named Sue", and “Man in Black” . |
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Music Technology Extra
Most people had phonograph players and could buy 1 or 2 recorded songs on what was called a 45 rpm record. That means the record spins at 45 rotations per minute. One side was called Side A and would have one song, and you could flip it over to Side B, which would have another song. Johnny Cash sold a lot of records because his songs often hit #1 on the song charts! When a record sold a million copies, it was printed as a “gold record” and presented to the recording artist. Cash had gold records for “Ring of Fire” and “I Walk the Line.” |