I've always enjoyed listening to the man in black, Johnny Cash. Something about his songwriting and the way he carried himself always spoke to me. Recently, I have started digging deeper into his music and found so many underrated songs that really resonated with me.

Johnny Cash almost feels like a lost relative to me. There are so many traits I've seen in him that me, my dad, and my late grandpa all share. I really relate to his songs that speak about hard times in the country, bad luck and treatment at jobs, and the love he had for his partner, June.

More than anything, I respect Johnny Cash for his love of God and how he was never afraid to share it. Early in his career, he signed at Sun Records, but record producer Sam Phillips, didn't want Johnny to sing gospel music. In July of 1958, Johnny left Sun Records for Columbia Records. Then he started putting out sever4al gospel albums.

Johnny always owned up to the mistakes he learned in life and cautioned others not to go down the same path. I can't think of many others who have a dark side, but still show the deeply religious, brighter side of themselves. This tends to be something I struggle with myself.

Johnny built a legacy that is much bigger than even the music itself. I think he is one of those artists that will last hundreds of years after we're all dead and gone.

If there's any good advice I can give, it's that you should go listen to his music yourself. Dig deeper than than just the top 5 hits, and see what Johnny was really all about. His words speak louder than me writing about them to you.

-Kaitlyn H. Evans