Mabuse

A few minutes ago in the car Ring of Fire came on and my 8 year old daughter said she heard it at camp and that it is her favorite song. When it was over she asked if we could buy it.

The radio station was 91X out of San Diego. A modern alternative rock station.

It got my brain turning and I think Johnny Cash is going to be with us for a long time. Other acts, for all their enduring acclaim and popularity, do not get spun on the radio like that. You don't hear the Beatles or Bob Dylan or the Beach Boys on modern rock stations. Sure, they get played on oldies and "classic rock" stations but that's different.

The only other artist I can think of that gets played like that on modern rock stations is Bob Marley (but that's due to marijuna).

Any thoughts?

Supermallet

He was a brilliant, timeless musician. That being said, I'm shocked he was played on a modern rock station, unless it was some special "We won't just play the pre-programmed songs for this hour" sort of deals.

TGM

don't care for his singing or his sound.

Mabuse

Thinking about it more he is really admired by the punk scene and the rockabilly crowd. That may have something to do with it.

Spiderbite

JAA

[email protected]

It was the original version, not the cover by Social Distortion? That is strange programming...

Ky-Fi

One of the all-time greats (and yeah, I am a punk/new wave guy.)

First of all, he wrote really well-crafted, tight songs. And his voice carried real weight---strength as well as pathos. His spirituality came through pretty clear, and he always had a deep sympathy for the marginalized and not-so-well off.

To me, he always came across as a self-reflective guy who was keenly aware of his own failings and weakness. And he had a pretty good sense of humor.

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hdnmickey

He was "new country" before it was a thing. For the current interest, blame Rick Rubin.

Personally I've always been a fan. Grew up listening to him though my dad playing his stuff constantly (both his albums and performing them live). I even enjoyed a lot of material he did with Rubin in those last years.

Mabuse

It was not the cover.

I agree that his Rick Rubin collaborations as well as doing music with U2 and other modern acts gave him relevancy to younger audiences.

Ringmaster

That first American Recordings album with Rick Rubin was a game changer. Such a simple and elegant idea to record Cash by himself and let him sing whatever he wanted. I like that the subsequent albums tried different things and that team wasn't afraid of covering contemporary songs. Those were gateway albums to the rest of Cash's discography and the reason he's still popular today.

Dan

Pretty sure my dad was a fan, but I didn't really appreciate Cash until the Rick Rubin recordings.
Ky-fi above summarized it best. Of all the country artists, Johnny Cash was one of the best.

Phodg

I didn't used to be a fan growing up, although country was all my dad listened to. A few years after I moved to the US, my parents came over and my wife and I took them to see Johnny Cash in Chicago. We were in the second row of the Bismarck Theater, which was a small venue anyway. Jerry Glanville (the ex-Falcons coach) was sitting right behind me.
And you know what ? The concert was amazing. Especially the tracks where he just sat by himself on a stool with an acoustic. Incredible voice and a lot of feeling in his performance.
I still wouldn't say I'm much of a country fan at all, but I was damn glad I saw him play.

jgorow

I actually have said for years that johnny cash is the bob dylan of country