Johnny Cash 1969
Music touches us all in very different and very personal ways. What images does the name Johnny Cash evoke for you? Do you have vivid memories of the man himself or do the sounds of his music echo through your mind? Those of a certain age may hear ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ or think ’Man in Black’, while younger fans may hear the haunting lyrics of ’Ain’t No Grave (Can Hold My Body Down.)’
‘Ain’t No Grave’ is Johnny’s posthumously released, final studio recording, the song that provides the musical background for the Johnny Cash Project—A “Living Portrait” of the Man in Black. This art project evolves and grows online each day through the participation of fans around the globe who remember the singer and want to help keep his memory alive.
The creators of the project say, “Through this website, we invite you to share your vision of Johnny Cash, as he lives on in your mind’s eye. Working with a single image as a template, and using a custom drawing tool, you’ll create a unique and personal portrait of Johnny. Your work will then be combined with art from participants around the world, and integrated into a collective whole: a music video for ‘Ain’t No Grave’, rising from a sea of one-of-a-kind portraits.”
To contribute to this amazing collaborative effort, visit The Johnny Cash project online.
Uploaded to YouTube by Chris Milk, one of its creators, this is what the video looked like on September 29, 2010 after the participation of 250,000 contributors.
Photo Credit: By Joel Baldwin (LOOK Magazine, April 29, 1969. p.74) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
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