Johnny Cash

The five best jail-inspired musician memoirs

Pop culture incrementally improved the chances that books would outlive CDs when news spread that Lil Wayne had inked a deal to write a memoir about the eight months he spent locked up on gun charges. Titled Gone 'Til November, the book is scheduled to be released in May. While the hip-hop blogosphe ... More >>

The misappropriation of country music

Country music used to have its own distinct identity, one that was tied to rich traditions of lonesome country roads, hard work, low pay and drinking. These days it's a black hole of insipidity. Following the Grammys, the Lumineers and Mumford & Sons are now reportedly making inroads on country radi ... More >>

Ten great albums recorded at Sound City Studios, the focus of Sound City

Dave Grohl is a busy guy. The Foo Fighters frontman is a member of multiple supergroups, played alongside Paul McCartney at the 12/12/12 Sandy Relief Concert, will be the keynote speaker at South by Southwest this March, and just made his directing debut with Sound City, a documentary tracing the hi ... More >>

Reader: Think the Quixote's mural is bad? Murder is worse.

Reader: Jerry Garcia mural no trade for Johnny Cash

Denver lost two institutions last week: Bender's went dark after an eight-year run -- Quixote's True Blue is moving into the space -- and the mural of Johnny Cash that graced the side of the building, painted by Tommy Nahulu, is also history. Johnny is being replaced by Jerry Garcia, and that mural ... More >>

Backbeat's five most listened-to songs and albums, week of September 5, 2012

As people who think about, talk about, write about, listen to and make music, it shouldn't be too surprising to find that the most common (and our mutually favorite) topic of conversation among all of us is the same: "What are you listening to right now?" Stick a quarter in us, and boy, wouldn't you ... More >>

Joe Piscopo on Frank Sinatra and Saturday Night Live

Joe Piscopo joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 1980, after honing his stand-up chops at New York's Improv; he stayed with the show until 1985. During his SNL stint, he became known for such original characters as the Sports Guy, as well as celebrity impersonations of David Letterman and Frank ... More >>

The Man in Black Is Back

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Cold, Hard Cash

Johnny Cash: The five most memorable portrayals of the man in black

"Hello. I'm Johnny Cash." That was enough of an introduction for the country legend himself, but Cash's legacy has surpassed that simplicity. In his nearly fifty-year career, Cash played himself in dozens of film and television spots, but his death in 2003 opened the gates for others to take up the ... More >>

Johnny Cash's covers album has the gravity that Paul McCartney's doesn't

In Backbeat: Watch a video sidebar to this column

Video: To Johnny Cash, we destroyed a 1979 Volvo in rural New Mexico

This week's video sidebar to Jef Otte's "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" column -- "Johnny Cash's covers album has the gravity that Paul McCartney's doesn't" -- talks about country music and destroying a 1979 Volvo 240 in rural New Mexico with the "Murder" cassette from Johnny Cash's Love, God, Mur ... More >>

Video: Chipotle's Grammy commercial with Willie Nelson doing Coldplay: What'd ya think?

Chipotle: It's all about going back to the start.​Ah, yes, Chipotle's new commercial, its first ever, apparently. Completely forgot about this until just now, actually. Last summer, our pal Laura Shunk wrote about this little moving picture on the Cafe Society blog. She dug it. Found it "quirk ... More >>

Disney jacks Joy Division and other great moments in copyright infringement

It's really hard to be a successful corporate retailer. Not only do you have to sell truckloads of stuff to make money, but you have to keep track of whose stuff it is you're even selling. Sigh. It's even harder when you appropriate a design by a band that's really popular thinking, "that'll sell," ... More >>

May 21 Judgement Day / The Rapture: Top songs to rock out to while awaiting the end

​Unless you've had your head parked squarely up your hiney for the last month or so, you've heard that May 21 is Judgement Day (aka The Rapture) -- that's this Saturday, people! It's really far too late to stockpile six months of food or build that cozy bomb shelter you and your besties have b ... More >>

Top five Pulitzer-worthy music memoirs

Nothing, to our way of thinking, is more captivating than the true story of very real struggle. We all have these little musical fantasies, strumming our Fenders in the dark of our apartments, listening to a little Miles Davis or Johnny Cash.

Top five best music action figures

​NECA is gearing up to release a topless, Skeletor-esque Iggy Pop action figure onto unsuspecting fans this coming June, a fact that might seem a bit odd for those who aren't familiar with rock stars' long and illustrious history with action figure manufactures. Over time we've seen plenty of ... More >>

Behold this week's Double Rainbow: A five-year-old Cashing in on "Folsom Prison Blues"

So this one just popped on the radar, and will likely begin reinfecting the internet again (its already gone viral judging by the fact that it's been out a year and generated almost a million views) by the time you finish reading this. If you've already seen it, our apologies. We hadn't, and thoug ... More >>

Honky-Tonk Angels

Catherine Wheel playing Johnny Cash songs? That's what David DeVoe's shooting for with the New Ben Franklins

Q&A with Snoop Dogg

Photo by Jeff FarsaiSnooperman with Slightly Stoopid. It only took about six weeks to get Snoop Dogg to answer a batch of e-mail questions for a profile advancing the July 15 Blazed and Confused Tour stop at Red Rocks co-starring Slightly Stoopid, Stephen Marley and Mickey Avalon -- but it was wort ... More >>

Etta James and The Roots Band

Saturday, June 6, Boulder Theater, 303-786-7030.

Q&A with William Elliott Whitmore

"William Elliott Whitmore Stretches the Definition of Hardcore," a profile in the January 22 edition of Westword, only scratches the surface of an enjoyable and revealing Q&A with this deep-voiced roots-and-folk purveyor, who shares more in common with punk rockers than just his record label. (He' ... More >>

Zombie Hate Brigade's awesome micro-epic "I Wanna Put my JUNK in Stacy"

Local grindcore band Zombie Hate Brigade are a clever bunch who clearly love and know the zombie mythos. They not only produced the amazing zombie Johnny Cash shirt pictured on the left (this is the back, the front says zombie in block letters -- I wear mine often), they've also managed to put out a ... More >>

Rub-a-Dubb's Pub

Murder by Death

Friday, May 9, Bluebird Theater, 303-830-8497.

Snoop Dogg

Ego Trippin'
Geffen Records

Pro Choice

What does your jukebox selection say about you?

Waterloo Ice House

An Austin institution opens a new location in Louisville.

Listen Up

Fast reviews of recent releases

Johnny Cash

American V: A Hundred Highways (Lost Highway/American)

The Great Cash-In

Diamonds in the Rough

Rick Rubin put the polish on Neil Diamond's new disc. Who's next?

Hello, He's Not Johnny Cash

Walk the Line never strays from the dull telling of a tall tale.

Outlaw Celebrations

Americana music gets its due from this duo.

Twist of Fate

When Rodney Crowell stopped trying to write hits, his music got better.

Best Alternative to Alt-Country

Out on Bail

Best Social Melting Pot

Sundown Saloon

Best Jukebox

Don's Club Tavern

Johnny Cash

The Essential Johnny Cash
The Fabulous Johnny Cash
Hymns by Johnny Cash
Ride This Train
Orange Blossom Special
>Carryin' On With Johnny Cash & June Carter (Columbia)

Pledges of Allegiance

What does old-fashioned patriotic music mean in a newfangled war?

Discmania

Backbeat writers revisit their favorite albums of the year.

The Circle Is Unbroken

O Brother's success revealed Norman Blake's genius to a wide audience. Bluegrass fans have seen it all along.

Best Ozzy Cover by a Country Act

"Crazy Train"
The Railbenders

Judgment Day

Backbeat contributors offer up their favorite recordings of 1999.

Honky-Tonkin'

Two-steppin' through a slew of recent country releases.

Feedback

Cash on the Barrelhead

After a period of obscurity, Johnny Cash is once again a wanted man.

THRILLS