Sing it the way you feel: The Johnny Cash Way

I’ll make no bones about it, I think Johnny Cash is about as close to royalty as music has ever come. That being said, you can understand why when the “King” spoke, I not only listened, but I even forsoke my bad posture and sat up straight and listened.

I recently read the last interview with Cash, and something really impressed to me. Here’s one of the most successful artists who had seen it all and had come full circle from his beginning popularity in the 1950s to superstardom in the 1960s and early 1970s to a period in the 1980s when he was pretty much written off and finally down to the resurrection that producer Rick Rubin orchestrated in the 1990s. But, Cash still had the rebel individualist attitude that marks a true artist right up until his end. And, in his last formal sit-down interview, you can still see that snarl from his Memphis days.

Kurt Loder from MTV asked Cash, “Young black men today are doing songs like that (Folsom Prison Blues, i.e. killing songs) and coming under criticism for it. Do you have any advice for them?”

And, what was Cash’s response? “Ignore it. Do what you do. You can’t let people dictate to you what you should do when it’s coming from way in here [pointing at his heart]. Somebody comes in your face with something, tells you what you ought to do, you can take them at their word or you can just turn your back. I wouldn’t let anyone influence me into thinking I was doing the wrong thing by singing about death, hell and drugs because I’ve always done that and I always will.”

That’s mighty powerful stuff.

In the music world, as an artist, it is a constant dilemma, how can you be original and still be popular? Everyone who’s ever strapped on a guitar, schlepped an amp into a club, or cold-called club managers trying to book a gig knows that most booking agents, venue owners, or festival organizers want artists who will bring people in. Inevitably, singer/songwriters are constantly battling “cover bands” for gigs, because the masses want to hear more of the homogenized junk that passes as music.

While you naturally develop a bit of a fan base after a few routine gigs, it’s still hard to keep doing what you’re doing if the masses aren’t embracing you or digging what you’re doing.

So, what is an artist to do?
I say artists should stick with Johnny Cash…sing it the way YOU feel it. Play the songs you write that mean the most to you. It’s not to say that you can’t do a few covers in your sets. When The Davis Brothers first started out, we didn’t have a very big catalogue of original songs to choose from, so we played the covers that meant a lot to us. Having done covers and songs that I have written, I can tell you that if you can feel the message of the song down in your soul, you can sing it with so much emotion that an audience WILL relate to it. No doubt about it.

When it comes to writing songs, I don’t claim to be an expert, but I would say stick with what you know and don’t force it. I think Cash’s point is exactly right, and artists should never temper their songs or try to change their original ideas. I heard a story once about Lucinda Williams (another one of my favorites), where a big-name female country artist wanted to record one of Lucinda’s songs, but requested that Lucinda go back and write a chorus, which the song didn’t have, and re-do one of the verses. Well, suffice it to say, Lucinda recommended that the artist kiss part of her anatomy and said that the song was already finished and complete the way it was.

We’ve played on a lot of gigs where we weren’t necessarily considered a natural fit (i.e. some Rock-a-Billy shows, mixed genre coffeehouse shows, etc.). But, when we uncased the axes and got up on the riser and did our thing, the audience connected because they knew we believed in what we were doing. It’s tempting to cater your sound, instrumentation, stage outfits, and persona to the crowd where you are playing. But, is it worth it? Naturally, you are going to have to make some modifications for different situations, but I am a big believer that by-and-large, artists should stick with doing their music their way.

So, what should music fans do?
One simple thing is to support original singer/songwriter artists. When we play shows with different acts on them or I have the chance to attend concerts or gigs by fellow artists, friends, or just new bands that I want to catch, I always keep an open mind. Look for heart and soul from performers and don’t be closed minded. Some of the best music out there is music that many of us have never heard.

Probably one of my favorite musical artists in the last few years is a fellow named Wyclef Jean. He was a member of the Fugees a while back, but more recently has done three solo projects. Wyclef writes and sings a lot of music about hard subjects, but you can feel his heart and soul in every song he sings. I’m not big on labeling musical genres, so notice: I didn’t mention what type of music Wyclef’s CDs are sorted out at your local music store. In my opinion, good music is good music.

My point is there is tons of GREAT music that is not being played on radio today. Check out music that you don’t know about, go see some shows at your local smaller concert venues, pick up a cd after the show, and you’ll quickly be surprised at all the great music that you know about that you didn’t know about before.

The Davis Brothers are taking a step to keep original music alive in our town. We already have some great venues, but we wanted to try to step out and organize another outlet for singer/songwriters. Our Americana Music Showcase will start on August 12th with our first show being an introduction show by ourselves. In the coming months, we will host lots of other acts from Oklahoma and even some who may be passing through. If you are going to be in the Oklahoma City area or live here, come check it out. (Click here for more info.)

Being you is what an artist distinct and different. Just like Johnny Cash was a true American original, there are plenty of them still out there. There was only Johnny Cash, but other artists will influence the future generations, and they will be originals in their own right because they were willing to stay true to themselves and their craft.

Peace,

Chris