Happy Birthday, Johnny Cash!

Johnny Cash famously sang, “There ain’t no grave can hold my body down.” He was almost right.

As of today, which would have been Cash’s 80^th birthday, a number of projects are underway in memory of the Man in Black, including a museum, multiple film and music releases, and a real estate restoration. Not bad for the legendary singer/songwriter, who passed away in 2003.

The Johnny Cash Museum is a collaborative effort between Cash’s familyand a close friend to provide an enduring home for all things Johnny. Located near the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, the museum opens this summer and will feature personal items and memorabilia from Cash’s life and career.

Speaking of his career, there are reportedly no less than three documentaries about Cash in the works, as well as a number of albums featuring a mix of previously released and unreleased tracks, including an April release of Bootleg IV: The Soul of Truth.

Meanwhile, in Cash’s hometown of Dyess, Arkansas, the house the singer grew up in is receiving a much-needed facelift. Arkansas State University is restoring Cash’s childhood home and the surrounding building, with the official groundbreaking set for today.

While, the grave may hold Cash’s body down, his legacy, memory and music soldiers on, endlessly, brimming with the raw, timeless soul it always has. Not unlike the Man in Black himself.

-Mike Crisolago