Johnny Cash - A Tribute By Josephine A. Kaszuba Locke, November 2004 'Hello, I'm Johnny Cash'. It was always simply spoken in that deep, unmistakable, resonant voice, as Cash walked onto the stage for each of his performances. And the audiences always stood, and applauded loudly and long ... in awe. Johnny Cash has become an icon, a status well-deserved for a man who is beloved and respected by millions of people worldwide, including by his colleagues and friends in the music world, country music and beyond. Johnny Cash's daughter, performer and author Rosanne Cash, said in a birthday tribute to her father, 'Dad, your childlike spirit and humor are what I love most about you. You have an unusual innocence for a man of seventy, as well as a severely wicked streak of the practical joker. You are a Baptist with the soul of a mystic, a farm boy with the heart of a great artist. You have been all things to me at some times, and one thing at all times: Father. Happy Birthday, Congratulations on a long and completely original career, and I love you.' There is no one like him, nor will there ever be ... and his physical presence is missed. Yet, Cash is always with us through the ongoing legacy of his music and his family. His fans are of all ages, from many generations. His songs, the 'bedrock of country music canon', range from tragedy to comedy, telling a story in minutes. As Don Cusic says in Johnny Cash: The Songs, 'It took a long hard life to write the songs that Johnny Cash wrote, and a good, sweet life to sing them.' The music of Johnny Cash, known as 'The Man In Black', is forever an American tradition. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons.