Right you are. "Walking contradiction," another Kristofferson phrase, works just as well.

Cash's favorite singer was Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the black gospel vocalist and guitarist who hit big with "There Are Strange Things Happening Every Day" in 1945. He also loved the Louvin Brothers, who sang both secular and gospel. In the 40's as a kid, he listened to the Louvins on radio when they worked in Memphis, not far from where he grew up. He also loved the gospel of Louisiana Gov. Jimmie Davis.

Many assume he wrote all those jail, drug and murder songs he sang. He wrote some, but many, like "Cocaine Blues" and "Delia's Gone" were written by others. "Delia" is an ancient folk tune. He knew those older songs and he often made them his own.

Cash's first close friend, pre-Waylon was the singer Johnny Horton of "Battle of New Orleans" fame. They were longtime fishing buddies, and it's been said Horton's death in a violent 1960 car crash sent Cash spiraling deeper into his fairly new drug habit.

Waylon filled that void in the late 60's and Cash was also close to Graham (he had a few other close friends as well).

Cash and his songs spanned the diversity of life, the positive, negative and everything in between. He truly epitomized Southern traditions of Saturday Sinner, Sunday Saint," the actual title of an Ernest Tubb number.