“THE OUTLAW AND THE COWBOY — LAUGHING ABOUT DEATH BEFORE THE SHOW”. It was minutes before showtime. Backstage smelled of sweat, coffee, and old guitars. Marty Robbins was tuning up when Johnny Cash leaned against the wall and grinned, “You always get the good lines, Mart. ‘I’m shot in the breast and I know I must die’ — that’s powerful.” Marty looked up, his hat tilted just enough to hide a smile. “You can take that line, John,” he said, “but you’ll have to bring your own coffin.” The two men burst into laughter — deep, rough, genuine. For a moment, the tension of fame and the weight of the spotlight vanished. They weren’t legends then, just two friends joking about life and death, as country boys do. Minutes later, the curtain rose. The lights hit their faces. And when they sang “Beat the drum slowly, play the fife lowly,” the whole crowd could feel it — laughter and sorrow, walking hand in hand down the Streets of Laredo.
“THE OUTLAW AND THE COWBOY — A LAUGH BEFORE ‘STREETS OF LAREDO’” It was one of those nights that country…