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Johnny's Paychecks Were Made Out to 'CASH'!

Johnny Cash’$ Clever Dollar Bill Trick​

Johnny Cash wrote his signature song, “I Walk the Line,” in under an hour while backstage in Gladewater, Texas. Newly married to his wife, Vivian Liberto, the straightforward love song was an ode to his devotion and loyalty to his bride. But it wasn’t just the testament of unwavering love that made the song an instant hit. The track had a distinct sound that, although popular in rockabilly circles, hadn’t quite hit the mainstream yet. All Cash needed to do his trick was, well, a little cash.

Cash didn’t have access to a snare drum during his original Sun Records studio session. So, he had to find a way to create a percussive sound while still playing melodic rhythm. His solution was to string a dollar bill through the strings of his six-string guitar and play it that way. The result was a slightly muted, boom-chicka-boom sound that imitated the missing snare. Cash’s grittier, somewhat rough-around-the-edges guitar tone was a welcome change from the hyper-polished country stars of the time. And indeed, its chart performance spoke for itself.

 
This is a Cash song that I never heard before, and I think it will be new for you, too. He uses the tune from the old Marty Robbin’s hit song, Strawberry Roan (a bucking horse), but this one is about a strawberry cake.

 
The Highwaymen performing "Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)" from American Outlaws: Live at Nassau Coliseum, 1990 (Features Willie & Trigger: @2:48 - 3:50)
 
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Johnny Cash sings his song, Pickin' Time with Ernie, live on The Ford Show, May 12, 1960. Cash released the song in 1958 on his album, The Fabulous Johnny Cash.

 
I didn't know that Cash was good friends with the hippy Bob Dylan until we watched the movie below last night, Dylan wrote some of Cash's songs.

 
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