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The man was modest, sincere and direct. He delivered truth: Truth with his songs, truth with his talk. You can sense it any time you hear "Folsom Prison Blues," "Ring of Fire" or "Man in Black." (Especially "Man in Black.")
For two years in the late '60s and early '70s, Johnny Cash got to host a network variety show. It was called "The Johnny Cash Show" and it displayed the same combination of fearlessness and modesty characteristic of Cash himself. Cash booked acts rarely seen on TV, including Bob Dylan, a very young Joni Mitchell and Derek and the Dominos -- not to mention the cream of Nashville. (He even shot the show in Nashville, at the Ryman Auditorium, which was not exactly TV-friendly at the time.)
On Tuesday, Sony/Legacy released "The Best of 'The Johnny Cash TV Show,' " a 2-DVD set containing 66 performances. They run the gamut of styles and personalities: Creedence Clearwater Revival performing "Bad Moon Rising," Louis Armstrong joining Cash on "Blue Yodel #9" and Carl Perkins -- then with Cash's band -- jumping in to match guitars with the Dominos' Eric Clapton on "Matchbox." Also priceless: the Everly Brothers, accompanied by their father, doing "That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine."
But what's most revealing are the clips of Cash away from the show. During one episode from Vanderbilt University, a student asks Cash his thoughts on marijuana. Cash genuinely considers the question. "I don't really know," he responds, finally offering only his own disapproval. Then another student asks about problems with drugs in the music business. After saying that there was a problem in Nashville, Cash pauses.
"I learned the hard way about drugs," he says matter-of-factly. "I courted death with it. ... I took my chances and tried a little bit of anything there was to try. ... I was lucky enough to survive."
For two years in the late '60s and early '70s, Johnny Cash got to host a network variety show. It was called "The Johnny Cash Show" and it displayed the same combination of fearlessness and modesty characteristic of Cash himself. Cash booked acts rarely seen on TV, including Bob Dylan, a very young Joni Mitchell and Derek and the Dominos -- not to mention the cream of Nashville. (He even shot the show in Nashville, at the Ryman Auditorium, which was not exactly TV-friendly at the time.)
On Tuesday, Sony/Legacy released "The Best of 'The Johnny Cash TV Show,' " a 2-DVD set containing 66 performances. They run the gamut of styles and personalities: Creedence Clearwater Revival performing "Bad Moon Rising," Louis Armstrong joining Cash on "Blue Yodel #9" and Carl Perkins -- then with Cash's band -- jumping in to match guitars with the Dominos' Eric Clapton on "Matchbox." Also priceless: the Everly Brothers, accompanied by their father, doing "That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine."
But what's most revealing are the clips of Cash away from the show. During one episode from Vanderbilt University, a student asks Cash his thoughts on marijuana. Cash genuinely considers the question. "I don't really know," he responds, finally offering only his own disapproval. Then another student asks about problems with drugs in the music business. After saying that there was a problem in Nashville, Cash pauses.
"I learned the hard way about drugs," he says matter-of-factly. "I courted death with it. ... I took my chances and tried a little bit of anything there was to try. ... I was lucky enough to survive."
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