Following the tragic and shocking death of Chris Cornell, so many members of the music community have expressed their deep sadness and mourning on social media for the man that had issued some truly incredible music throughout his lifetime.
Cornell, who passed away on Wednesday night (May 17th, 2017) following a sold-out Soundgarden concert in Detroit, Michigan, has been known worldwide as one of the foremost rock singers and a leading voice of the 90s grunge music movement. He performed as lead singer for both Audioslave and Soundgarden over the years. Cornell was just 52 years old.
In a tribute to his incredible body of work and musical contributions, Johnny Cash and Marty Stuart performed a cover of Soundgarden’s hit song, “Rusty Cage” for late night television in the mid-90s. Cash had recorded it as part of his second album in his American Recordings series, Unchained.
“Rusty Cage” was written by Cornell and originally released as a single in 1992 from Soundgarden’s third album. Cash’s version became iconic in the country music community and even earned him a Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Unchained took home a Grammy for Best Country Album that same year.
Cornell spoke at length with Rolling Stone about Cash’s rendition and seemed quite taken with how beautifully it came out.
“I started to get messages on my answering machine from people telling me how much they liked the lyrics,” Cornell explained. “We put that song out five years earlier on Badmotorfinger, and nobody left me any messages. When you strip it down and Johnny Cash sings, you listen to what he’s saying. It’s a whole different angle.”
Watch the video below of Johnny Cash and Marty Stuart performing his country-fried rendition of “Rusty Cage” and let us know what you think in the comments.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Cornell’s family during this difficult time.