I grew up listening to him. My parents exposed me to a lot of Johnny Cash's old music (and Hank Williams too). I really can't put my finger on what it is that I find so appealing about the man and his music. It's probably a lot of things...maybe the simplicity of the music and the sincerity and emotion in his voice coupled with the image of "The Man in Black." All I know is that I love his music and have an obsession with collecting his earlier albums on vinyl.
There are a handful of other artists who run in a similar vein that I like...Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and George Jones. These guys at one time or another pissed off Nashville and did things their own way...and happened to make some great music along the way.
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"Bullshit! You didn't convince me!"