Although he began his career as an outlaw to the Nashville establishment, Johnny Cash has come to literally define and embody country music. At first, his unique mix of hillbilly music with gospel and blues made him a perfect fit at Sam Phillips’ Sun Records, where he recorded such classics as “Folsom Prison Blues” and “I Walk The Line.”

From there, Johnny signed with Columbia records and embarked on one of the most remarkable musical careers of the twentieth century. Transforming into The Man In Black, Johnny spent more than thirty years reinventing and contradicting himself – breaking all of the rules of traditional country music only to emerge as the ultimate mythic hero and archetype of the genre.

No other artist has touched the world of music quite like Johnny Cash. He is the only person to be inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame, The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and The Songwriter’s Hall Of Fame. His very name is synonymous with the fight for the rights of the poor and downtrodden and the image of The Man In Black is as deeply American as the stars and stripes themselves.

The all encompassing 28-track 2LP-set The Essential Johnny explores the breadth of Cash’s brilliant career milestones from “Ring of Fire” and the aforementioned “Folsom Prison Blues” and “I Walk The Line” through to catalog classics like “The Ballad of Ira Hayes,” “”Jackson” “Daddy Sang Bass,” “A Boy Named Sue,” “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” “Man In Black,” “Big River,” and “One Piece at a Time” to name a few.