Artist Playlists
- A titan of 20th-century American music, Johnny Cash's deep baritone voice, trademark style, anti-authoritarian slant, and huge catalog of genre-spanning songs made him one of the most important figures in country music. Over the course of a nearly five-decade career, The Man in Black dove into genres like rockabilly, rock 'n' roll, gospel, blues, and folk. After becoming one of country music's biggest stars in the ‘60s, the following decade saw his brooding image and gritty lifestyle, along with his traditionalist roots, help to launch the outlaw country movement and brand him as a rebel. In the ‘90s, with a lifetime of chart-topping songs and accolades, Cash teamed with rock producer Rick Rubin for a powerful series of albums that carried the touching weight of finality.
- Johnny Cash signed with rock and hip-hop producer Rick Rubin's American Records at a low point in his career; the singer had been dropped by Columbia Records, and country music had seemingly eclipsed his distinctive, folk-based style. To the industry's surprise, Rubin generated a major hit by emphasizing the mythic side of Cash's persona, which led to a slew of critically acclaimed albums.
- The Man in Black's boom-chicka-boom beat, crater-deep voice, and gargantuan gravitas influenced legions of disciples—country stars and rockers alike. A debt to Cash is hard to miss in Kris Kristofferson's soul-baring outlaw hymn “Why Me,” Jamey Johnson's wry, country-rocking social commentary “California Riots,” and the Mekons' melancholy cowpony stroll “Darkness and Doubt,” among many others.
- Lean back and relax with some of their mellowest cuts.
- Cash's enormous catalog overflows with so many worthy tunes it could take a lifetime to catch up with them all. But digging in to uncover cuts like the honky-tonking jailbird's lament “I Got Stripes,” the rockabilly-tinged, lonesome moan “Home of the Blues,” and the reflective, Bruce Springsteen-penned story song “Highway Patrolman” is an excellent start.
- Johnny Cash soaked up sounds from across the American musical map. The heavenly gospel harmonies of The Swan Silvertones' “Four and Twenty Elders”; the unapologetic rockabilly of “Move It On Over,” Hank Williams' tale of a rounder who literally ends up in the doghouse; and the resigned blues of Woody Guthrie's drifter's anthem “I Ain't Got No Home In This World Anymore” all seeped into Cash's veins.
- The “Man in Black” tag doesn’t just reflect Johnny Cash’s moody sartorial bent; it captures the dark outsider mythos suffusing his songs. “Folsom Prison Blues,” “I Walk the Line,” “Big River”—these are universal anthems of rebellion forged of alienation, heartache, and poverty. So universal, in fact, that Cash has been covered by artists of every stripe: Bruce Springsteen, U2, Bob Dylan, and Nick Cave have all channeled the icon’s outlaw poetry.
- Grab the mic and sing along with some of their biggest hits.