Johnny Cash, Rick Rubin, and the Art of Reinvention

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Johnny Cash was an American icon. The "Man in Black" became an influential singer-songwriter known for his deep, distinctive voice and profound storytelling in music.

During the 1950s, Cash began his music career, signing with Sun Records, where he gained fame with hits like "I Walk the Line" and "Folsom Prison Blues." His music often reflected themes of hardship, love, and redemption, resonating with a wide audience.

By the late 1960s, Cash adopted his signature "Man in Black" persona, using his platform to advocate for the underprivileged and voice his opposition to the Vietnam War. He also began hosting The Johnny Cash Show, which featured a wide range of musical guests, from Bob Dylan to Louis Armstrong.

But then he went stale.

In 1986, after a 28-year run, Columbia Records dropped Cash. Nobody cared about his music anymore or wanted to hear him sing. Cash became depressed, discouraged, and began to wonder if his career was over.

Then record producer Rick Rubin entered his life.

Rubin had an idea: to work with former great artists and see if he could help reignite their careers. "I wanted to see if I could help them do great work again," Rubin said.

When he met Cash, Rubin saw a man who was downtrodden, with low self-esteem, far from the legend who had once walked the line. "My first challenge was to rebuild his confidence," Rubin explained. "To try to get him to go from all these years thinking his best stuff was behind him to believing we could make his best albums ever."

Before long, Rubin found the right path for Cash to reconnect with his old audience and find new fans.

As Cash’s biographer wrote, “His years in musical exile were over.” His daughter Rosanne added, "Rick came along at exactly the right time. Before Rick, Dad was depressed, discouraged. It was a powerful thing that happened between them, and Dad was completely revitalized and back to his old enthusiastic self. I think Rick saved his life. Well, maybe ‘saved his life’ is too strong, but…maybe not."

What Rubin did for Cash was refuel the fire that burns in all of us. As we age, we tend to lose our enthusiasm, our confidence, and our "encyclopedia salesman spirit."

This spirit is part of our DNA when we begin a career. Any success we achieve tends to remove our will to hear "no" and keep forging ahead. Success breeds complacency.

The "encyclopedia salesman mentality" refers to the mindset of those who sold encyclopedias door to door. It was built on a few key characteristics:

1. Persistence: Salespeople would knock on countless doors to secure even a single sale. Rejection didn’t faze them—they moved to the next house with the same level of enthusiasm.

2. Belief in the Product: Successful salespeople believed in the value of what they were selling. Cash lost his belief in his talent, letting fan reaction destroy his confidence.

3. Tailored Communication: Great salespeople adjusted their pitch to fit the needs of each potential customer. Cash,on the other hand, kept doing what he had always done, failing to understand that change was needed.

4. Building Rapport: Building trust and connection with customers was key. Because Cash refused to evolve, he couldn’t build a new rapport with his audience.

5. Overcoming Objections: Salespeople anticipated and addressed customer objections, like cost or usefulness.

6. Closing Techniques: They knew how to encourage buyers to make a decision, often using urgency or limited-time offers.

While encyclopedia sales may have faded in prominence with the rise of digital information, the timeless sales principles embodied in that mindset still hold valuable lessons for us all.

They remind us that, regardless of past setbacks, we must have the courage to forge ahead, even when faced with rejection.

Rubin reinvented Cash. In doing so, he not only revitalized a career but also reignited a spirit. We too must embrace reinvention to reignite the potential within ourselves and those we lead.

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