The Louisiana Hayride, during its heyday, featured some of the biggest stars in country music and rock. From Elvis Presley to Hank Williams, it seemed like everyone had their time in spotlight on the Hayride. But one star that often gets overshadowed in Hayride lore is the "Man in Black", Johnny Cash. And today (February 26th), I just wanted to take a moment and really look at his importance to not only our community but the musical world as a whole.

During his time in town, Johnny did everything from performing hit songs like "Folsom Prison Blues" to cut a Southern Maid donuts commercial. In fact, there was an album released featuring dozens of Johnny's performances from the Hayride between 1955 and 1965. And, for a brief period of time, Cash and Johnny Horton headlined the Hayride tour.

Beyond his time performing on the Hayride, Johnny Cash may be one of the greatest songwriters and most influential figures of all time. Bob Dylan is often considered the greatest songwriter of all time (and you'll get no argument from me on that), but in my humble opinion Johnny is number 2 with a bullet.

His songs and themes are so powerful and impactful. Whether he's talking about the dangers of technology in "John Henry's Hammer" or the ever evolving political landscape of the world in songs like "What is Truth?", Johnny had this way of making any issue understandable and relatable.

His songwriting ability and performance style made JR Cash, a poor boy from Arkansas, one of the biggest and most recognizable icons in the world.

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