No one can quite sound like the late Johnny Cash. The “Hurt” and “Ring of Fire” singer had an unmistakable baritone voice. It blended together with the genres of country, rock ‘n’ roll, and folk into a timeless masterpiece.
He was never afraid to talk about what may have been considered taboo at the time. He would sing about anything from marriage to patriotism to heartbreak to prison.
While he had a voice like no other, he once said his grandson’s voice was worthy of being compared to his. He said in the recording studio one day, “Son, you sound a lot like I did when I was younger; work on those vocals,” according to Country Rebel.
Johnny Cash’s Grandson
Cash had five children and also has 13 grandchildren now. His first marriage was with Vivian Liberto before he made June Carter. They had four children together. One of which, Kathy, would later give birth to Thomas Gabriel.
He was the first of Cash’s grandchildren. Thomas shared the same passion for wanting to pursue music. He would follow Cash to his performances while he was on the road.
While his style is different, the tone is distinctly reminiscent of Johnny Cash’s silky, deep voice. He recently performed “God’s Gonna Cut You Down,” an original of his grandfather’s. He may not be Cash, but he sure makes you think of him.
According to his official site, Thomas Gabriel mixes together Americana, Rock, and country into one cohesive sound. Like his grandfather, he is not constricted by the imaginary boundaries of genre.
“When things are tough, I can pump out songs like no tomorrow. Maybe I am not as self-aware when I am happy, but I am always working on my songwriting. I love performing live. When I sing one of my own songs, I put everything that went into creating it into the performance….. For me, the best compliment I can get is when someone tells me that my music has helped them through a hard time or touched their heart in some way. When I look in the audience and someone is singing my lyrics back to me, that’s it. It’s the biggest thing by far.”
His most recent album is called “Long Way Home” and came out in 2018.
Unfortunately, according to Forbes, Gabriel also suffered from substance abuse like other members of the Cash family. While he picked up the guitar at 11, he also started drinking at age 13.
He was a police officer for eight years but resigned due to his drug and alcohol abuse. From there, he eventually ended up in prison for seven-and-a-half years. His time in prison allowed him to focus on music. When he got out he focused on rehab and eventually released his album.
