Johnny Cash was born in 1932 in Arkansas. He was one of 7 children and as child he worked in the fields with his brother, sisters, and parents. During his hard childhood music was an outlet for the Cash family. His mother would sing folk songs and hymns. When he was 12 and starting playing the guitar and singing his mother saw the greatness in him and scrimped and saved to send him to singing lessons. After Cash went to three his teacher told him to leave and never take lessons again, his voice was so unique and perfect the way it was his teacher did not want to mar it in any way. After Cash graduated from high school he went to Michigan and got a job sweeping the floors at a GM plant, but that wasn’t for him and soon after he joined the Air Force. He was stationed in Germany where is listened in on Soviet radio frequencies. During his stay in Germany he and fellow servicemen formed a band and sang in the clubs. After Cash was discharged he settled in Memphis and married a girl he met during basic training in Texas, Vivian Liberto. He worked as an appliance salesman and formed another music group with some local mechanics. In July 1954 Elvis cut his first record and the mania began. Cash went to the same record company and soon he was cutting records there too. In 1957 his first record hit the sales rack; the father of two girls had just taken his first step into the music world. After his popularity gained he moved his family to California. His tour schedule was crazy; he was performing 300 nights a year. With the intense tour schedule Cash became addicted to alcohol and drugs. Vivian fed up with his addictions filed for divorce and left Cash and took their 4 daughters with her. Cash spiraled out of control and his addictions grew. It wasn’t until 1967 when he met fellow singer June Carter this his life turned around. She helped him beat his addictions and they married in 1968. They had one son. Cash’s career boomed after that, he recorded a lot of music and hosted a TV show. Cash underwent surgery when his body finally began to show the harm he did to it with all the drugs and alcohol. He was inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. He continued to record up until his death in 2003. June died in May of 2003 and Cash was quoted saying that that he had to have something to work on or he would have had no reason to live. He lived long enough to finish the album he was working on; he died after it was done. His music will live on forever. His affair with June Carter was made into a movie called Walk the Line. He still influences young musicians today and will forever be remembered as a legend.
Elvis Presley was born in 1935 in Mississippi. His twin brother was a still born at birth, so Elvis was an only child. He was a devoted child. He began playing the guitar at the age of 10 and won his high school talent show. After high school he worked odd jobs and cut his first record in 1954. From there his career boomed. He recorded countless music and appeared in numerous movies. His dance moves while criticized by some helped him grow in fame. His gyrating hips are legendary. Even when he was drafted to serve in World War II did not dampen his popularity. While serving in Germany during World War II he met a young teenager named Priscilla Beaulieu. After leaving in the army in 1960 he resumed his music career and movie career. His popularity began to wane, but in 1968 his first television special revitalized his popularity. In 1967 he married Priscilla and the next year they have a daughter, Lisa Marie. But by the 1970s his marriage was falling apart and they divorced in 1973 and Priscilla gained custody of Lisa Marie. After this his addiction to drugs and alcohol kept growing. After his last performance of his tour in Indianapolis, Indiana he went home to Graceland and died of heart failure in his sleep. He died on August 16, 1977 at the age of 42. His music and dance moves are legendary, fans from all over still travel to Tennessee to visit his home Graceland. He will forever be remembered.
I have heard both songs by Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley before. One of my favorites be Johnny Cash is Ring of Fire. His voice is so gravely and the song has a catchy beat to the song. This song is simplistic in the melody line, but it is still a great song. Sometimes simple is better than all the fast paced licks. I was first introduced to Elvis’s music when I saw the movie Lilo and Stitch. Since then I love his music. I’m not sure I could ever pick a favorite. His music is so retro. It is the early kind of rock and roll and it is simplistic in its style. His music is just great to listen to.
For more information:
http://www.biography.com/articles/Johnny-Cash-9240610?part=0
http://www.biography.com/articles/Elvis-Presley-9446466
Pictures from:
www.cmt.com/sitewide/assets/img/artists/cash_johnny/photo_gallery/folsom_prison_legacy_collection/johnny_cash_folsom_prison_01_1-x600.jpg
http://www.michaelarnoldart.com/elvis-presley-photograph.jpeg
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