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Article: 2002 will be the year of Johnny Cash.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- February 11, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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"Hello, I'm Johnny Cash."
Time was, the Man in Black started all his concerts with those words. The booming baritone of the former vacuum-cleaner salesman from Dyess, Ark., told you exactly what you were going to get: a solid-as-granite boom-chicka-boom education from an American stoic who has carried himself with unfailing dignity from the beginnings of rock `n' roll to stark latter-day collaborations with producer Rick Rubin.
But Johnny Cash doesn't get to say those words on stage anymore. In poor health, he hasn't toured since 1997. He suffers from autonomic neuropathy, a disease that leaves him susceptible to pneumonia. He's been hospitalized four ...