“SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN”

1970. Kris Kristofferson, the writer of this tune, and an Army Veteran, 

was having a real hard time making it in country music. Desperately 

broke, he did a “Hail Mary”, stole a Helicopter, and landed on Johnny 

Cash’s lawn. Risking shotgun fire, he threw a cassette tape down to J

ohn, and said please listen to this. Something like that. History in the
making.
"Hello. I'm Johnny Cash". That is how he started each performance. It is hard to be
believe this giant of the music industry has been gone for 20 years. Part of "The Million
Dollar Quartet", way back in the mid 50's, with the likes of Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis,
and Elvis. "The Man in Black" had his own sound that connected with millions. Whether
as a singer, songwriter, or actor, Johnny Cash had a huge impact on the music industry
that, at this time, was busting wide open. With his deep baritone voice, and raw and
charged presence, John was able to cross over to all the categories of music: country,
gospel, rock & roll, rockabilly, and blues. His lyrics were often auto-biographical; letting
his listeners share his life stories of pain, sadness, redemption, love, and faith. Take a
listen to “Hurt” from 2002; just before he died.
It is near impossible to account the detail of this man’s life on one page. Needles to say,

J.R. Cash, (his birth name) born in Kingsland Arkansas, February 26, 1942, had an action-
packed, roller-coaster life. Brother’s tragic death; Airforce 1950; 1st

marriage; The Tennessee Two with “I Walk the Line”; Sun records & The Million Dollar
Quartet; Touring with Elvis; 1960’s Drug bust and divorce; June Carter; Arrests and
more drug busts; 1968 “Live From Folsom Prison”; marries June Carter; The Johnny
Cash Show; son John Carter Cash; Films; youngest person in Country Music Hall of
Fame; Class of ’55; The Highwaymen 1985-1995; U2; Betty Ford Clinic. Open Heart
surgery 1988; 1992 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; 1994 Rick Rubin collaboration;
pneumonia 1998; 2002 American IV; June Carter Death May 2003; American V &
diabetes; last track and death September 12, 2003. Wow.
You will find these references throughout the piece. In his ear, I put “I hear the Train a
Coming”; his eyes: “I keep a close watch.”, and “I keep my eyes wide open” His right
jaw ha “CYST” on it where a reportedly drunk army surgeon botched a cyst removal.
Johnny Cash don’t do no plastic surgery. It became a part of “The Man in Black’s” image.
“The Undertaker”. Unique he was. He “Walked the Line”
I really enjoyed doing this one. Even at a younger age, as here, his face tells a
thousand stories of a thousand miles of "the road". A legend indeed. Thank you Mr.
Cash.!