From Bob Dylan to Beethoven: The albums Johnny Cash couldn’t live without
No artist should be confined to one genre for the rest of their lives. Even though millions of people in their audience might expect them to play certain songs or sing a certain way whenever they perform, it’s sometimes better to throw everyone a curveball rather than serving up the same old schlock on every stage. And while Johnny Cash still fit snuggly into country music, his favourite records showed that he had a far broader musical taste than the ‘yee-haw’ variety of musicians.
Despite being known as ‘The Man in Black,’ Cash had already started his career outside of traditional country music by singing in church. While the music he became known for involved outlaws on the wrong side of the tracks, hearing him sing spiritual material was a good way of showcasing the dark and light sides of himself.
So when asked about his favourite music, one of his first picks included Jimmie Davis’s Greatest Gospel Hits. Hearing him call upon his higher power later in life may have been impressive to witness, but all gospel music begins with hymns, and that goes back all the way to classical music. After all, there’s no point in trying to turn a melody inside out when the perfect one has already been written, and since many hymns are based on baroque pieces, Cash selecting something by Beethoven may have been his way of reminiscing on his days in church.
Granted, it would be downright treasonous if Cash didn’t have a little bit of country in his collection. He was still born and raised in the country tradition, and his choice of taking Merle Travis’ Down Home to a desert island makes too much sense. Travis is ground zero for many artists from Cash’s generation, and hearing his version of ‘Sixteen Tons’ feels like a warm-up for when Cash would eventually cover it.
But Cash had much more to offer than serving the angel and the devil on his musical shoulders. His music could bring people together, and when something that powerful connects with audiences from all walks of life, there are bound to be people who want to speak their minds on as high a platform as they can.
And while Cash might have been the spokesman for all things country, Bob Dylan may have had an even greater legend behind him. Despite ‘The Man in Black’ having a certain mystique whenever he sing ‘I Walk The Line’ and ‘Ring of Fire’, no one could pin down what Dylan was about. His enigmatic persona never quite settled into any one belief system, but when Cash heard The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, he felt like he was talking to someone he knew personally, whether that was the open heart in ‘Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright’ or the anger in ‘Masters of War’.
Dylan’s appeal wasn’t strictly in the music, though. It was because he had something to say, and Cash’s choice of including Edward R Murrow on his list is one of the biggest curveballs he could have picked. As much as people might like the idea of listening to a catchy tune, hearing one of the greatest broadcast journalists of the 20th century speak his mind provides as much food for thought as Dylan could in his prime.
Looking at his musical palette, though, Cash was always more than the outlaw cowboy persona that his audience took him for. Many people might have liked to put on his music because of its simplicity, but there was a complex musical thinker hidden underneath that dark black suit.
The albums Johnny Cash couldn’t live without
- Greatest Gospel Hits – Jimmie Davis
- Down Home – Merle Travis
- The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan
- Anything by Beethoven
- You Are There – Edward R Murrow
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