Over the course of his 50-year career—armed with a sorrowful baritone, chugging guitar chops, mysterious demeanor, and rebellious reputation—Johnny Cash was and always will be country music royalty.
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Monday (Sept. 12) marked 19 years since the legend passed on. Whether you love him for his outlaw image and piss-off persona, for his genius song stylings and humble onstage presence, or all of the above, here are five striking live performances as we celebrate the Man in Black.
1. “Ring of Fire” – The Jimmy Dean Show, 1964
Appearing next to fellow country-singer-turned-television-host, Jimmy Dean, a young Cash looks stoic, shy almost, until he breaks into his classic “Ring of Fire.” Comfort seems to wash over him with the first steady strums and through the performance, he even manages to smile.
2. “San Quentin” – Live at San Quentin, 1969
Cash began performing free prison concerts in the late ’50s. He played his first famous prison concert at San Quentin State Prison in 1958 which led to a highly successful live album in 1969, Johnny Cash at San Quentin. Like his 1968 live album Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, it reached number one on the Billboard country charts and crossed over to top the pop charts, as well.
His performance of “San Quentin” live at San Quentin shows a crowd of inmates absolutely enraptured by the Man in Black.
3. “I Walk the Line” – The Johnny Cash Show
Cash broke the mold of country-star-turned-TV-personality when he starred in his own television show from 1969 to 1971. The Johnny Cash Show saw the legend come into his own as one of the greatest country showmen. He shone alongside non-country guest performers like Neil Young, Louis Armstrong, James Taylor, Ray Charles, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and so many more mainstream acts of the day.
Appearing humble, but enthusiastic onstage—maybe a little put-on, but genuinely happy to see the audience—the singer is all smiles in his performance of the hit “I Walk the Line.”
4. “Sunday Morning Coming Down” – Live In Las Vegas, 1979
Cash delivers the Kris Kristofferson original perfectly onstage in Las Vegas. While performing the song with Kristofferson on The Johnny Cash Show, Cash was asked by ABC network executives to change the lyrics, but he refused, keeping the references to marijuana just so:
On a Sunday morning sidewalk / I’m wishin’, Lord, that I was stoned.
5. “Folsom Prison Blues” – Glastonbury, 1994
Johnny Cash never had “peak” success. Once he came onto the country music scene, he remained a fixture for 50 years, his music never seeming to reach a summit or take a nose dive.
During a 1994 show at England’s famed Glastonbury Festival, crowds are still enthralled by the musician and his iconic songs.
Courtesy of The John R Cash Trust / Shorefire Media
