JOHNNY CASH
by Frank Moriarty
Published by MetroBooks 1997
MetroBooks has given me the opportunity to write about several legends in the realm of popular music, but Johnny Cash is the very definition of an American musical legend. From his rapid rise to stardom from a tough childhood, to his numerous battles with the perils of life on the road, to his discovery by a new generation of listeners, Cash has earned the respect given him.
"Readers will become well acquainted with 'The Man in Black' and understand the grit and determination that have made him what he is today. It is sure to be a treasured addition to any country music fan's library."
- Steven Menke, Book Review PageSelection from The Johnny Cash Sound sidebar
The second you hear it, you know who it is. The Johnny Cash sound is one of the most recognizable of any recording artist in the world. But what makes that sound so unique?
For most of Johnny Cash’s early career, much of the credit goes to Luther Perkins, Tennessee Three guitar player until his death in 1968. Speculation is that Luther’s wide-open-spaces style came as a result of the guitarist’s fear of making mistakes, hence his halting, carefully-chosen selection of notes that graced each immaculate solo. Whether that’s true or not, Sam Phillips recognized Luther’s style as being something out of the ordinary from the moment he heard it and was encouraged to sign Cash.
But at the heart of the Johnny Cash rhythm is the sound that’s come to be known as boom-chicka boom-chicka. In its simplest format, it consists of a bass note on guitar immediately followed by a strum down across higher strings then a strum back up. That’s followed by an alternating bass note and again the strum down and back up. Speed up the process just described and you get the “riding the rails” sound that has characterized so much of Johnny Cash’s music.
“It doesn’t matter to me that I only know three or four chords,” Cash has said of his rhythm work. “With the left fingers on the frets, the heel of my right hand hugging the body of the guitar, letting just my right thumb lead and drive the rhythm, sometimes it’s magic, and I just believe that when it all comes together it’s the right way for me to do it.”
The traditional propulsion of the boom-chicka lick - also known as the Carter Family lick for their reliance on the same style - has been used by countless artists, some having explored its use long before Johnny Cash played his first notes. But it’s probably safe to say that none have refined its use to the degree perfected by Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Three.
