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Maybe I Am

Johnny Cash’s response to the oft asked question "Why do you wear black all the time, are you going to a funeral?" was a simple "Maybe I am." After finally seeing Walk The Line, I cannot help but regret never seeing Johnny Cash in concert. He is certainly one of my heroes.

Cash came around about the same time as Bill Justis did in Memphis, Tennessee and the two knew each other and worked together at Sun Records. Recording the platinum single "Raunchy" in early 1957, Justis went on to a prolific career of arranging and composing while also recording ten cover albums of his own throughout the 60’s. Back in 1947, he met my grandmother while attending the University of Arizona. After marrying and having one daughter, my mother, he continued with his music career, one that lasted nearly to his death in 1982.

Though I didn’t know my mom’s "biological" father and she had little contact with him after he gave her up for adoption, I am thankful for the music in me. Just like Cash, sometimes when listening to music I feel like I am going to a funeral and I guess in some ways, "Maybe I am."

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