pplpod Episode 16 rides alongside Johnny Cash—from cotton fields and Air Force days to Sun Records, the Tennessee Two, and a voice that sounded like oak and iron. We trace the boom-chicka-boom engine, the storytelling that made folk tales feel lived-in, and the faith-and-fury tension that powered country, rockabilly, and gospel in equal measure. Inside: the million-mile road life, marriage and music with June Carter, the prison concerts that redefined authenticity, the Highwaymen years, and the late-career reinvention with Rick Rubin’s American Recordings. We also sit with the hard stuff—addiction, industry exile, and stubborn integrity—and map how Cash’s moral compass, advocacy (Bitter Tears), and stagecraft forged an American archetype that still guides artists across genres.