Just thought on a Sunday morning I would throw out a small bit of Johnny Cash, someone who I have unabashedly idolized for over forty years. This song, though earlier in the decade, reminded me of Cash’s TV show of the late 60’s and the the incredibly diverse talent that would appear. The very best of rock, pop, soul and country would show up every week. It reminds me how our explosion of media access has separated everything into niches, neatly labeled and put apart. As a kid living in the country, I remember being glued to my little radio, listening our local AM station, WENY, and hearing guys like Johnny Cash one minute then the next the Rolling Stones and after that the Doors then Otis Redding, all topped off by Frank Sinatra. Or maybe Barry Sadler singing “The Ballad of the Green Beret”. Or the 1910 Fruitgum Company. What great diversity! And the funny thing is that it seemed to make complete sense, that the transition and flow from one song to another was not abrupt or shocking. It forced the young mind to find the common thread and grab it.
This is not to condemn today or glorify yesterday. Each is what they are. Just a memory. It’s Sunday, so relax and give a listen to the Man in Black.
Redtree Times 