The Music Behind the Man.

Johnny Cash wasn't just a great country musician. He was a legend of music. Cash arrived on the music scene around the same time as Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis. Rock and Roll was in its infancy and Cash entered into the scene at the right time. Cash's had a magnificent baritone voice and could play a standard acoustic guitar with the best. He started off singing folksy rock and roll, but by the end of his life was best known as a country artist. However, Cash never really fit into any of those genres. He sung and wrote songs that ran a rampant of musical genres from rock and roll, country, pop, gospel, and folk. Cash had a style and tune all of his own. He related best to the common people and his music reflected that. People loved him for it. At the same time, musicians knew that Cash was much more than a good ole boy done good. Musicians know that Cash was a musical genius and his style influenced artists as diverse from U2 to Kris Kristofferson to Nine Inch Nails. Johnny Cash was a legend and THE LEGEND OF JOHNNY CASH captures that. Some of Cash's most famous tunes are included on this album, e.g. "Folsom Prison Blues", "Ring of Fire", and "Man in Black". Also included are songs he sang with wife June Carter ("Jackson") and songs that illustrate the genius of Cash, "Highwayman", "The Wanderer", "Rusty Cage", and "Hurt". There really aren't any terrible Johnny Cash albums, but if a person can only own one album that illustrates the breadth and depth of the musical talents of Cash, THE LEGEND OF JOHNNY CASH is the album to own.

I hear the train a'coming

I admit it. I'm a recent Johnny Cash convert, inspired in part by the recent Hollywood handling of the big man's life. But the late arrival does not diminish my appreciation for the stylings of Cash's music and the rolling thunder voice in which they are delivered.

An Excellent Compilation

This compilation is a superb tribute to the Man in Black. Not only does it provide a sampling of his best known songs, like "Ring of Fire" and "I Walk the Line", but it shows us a possibly lesser-known side of Cash through songs like "Rusty Cage", "Hurt", and "Highwayman"; THE LEGEND OF CASH truly captures it all, from the near rockabilly sound of the mid-fifties to the grilling electric riffs of the nineties. It absolutely explores every side of Johnny Cash ever put to music.