It may have been just another day of the week for many of us. Johnny Cash, though, remembered a particular Tuesday as "one of the beautiful nights of my life."

It had nothing to do with being on stage.It had nothing to do with receiving yet another award, such as the Grammy Legends honor, for one of the most successful careers in the history of modern music.

What it had to do with was being at peace with himself.

"I was alone on my farm," he explained that day in the early '90s, in his trademark husky voice. "There was a partial eclipse. Every dog in the country was howling. It was a beautiful night and a beautiful experience."

In 1988, one industry observer noted that some of the acts who had not had as many pop hits as this multi-Grammy winner included Barbara Steisand, Elton John, Billy Joel, Kenny Rogers, the combined total of Art Garfunkel, Paul Simon and Simon & Garfunkel, Michael Jackson and Rod Stewart, among others.

High profile artists sought his company on stage and in recording sessions. Cash produced a movie about the life of Jesus, starred in more than a dozen other films, wrote a best-selling novel, "Man In White," about the conversion of the Apostle Paul, wrote an autobiography, "Man In Black," which sold more than one million copies, entertained U.S. presidents and fished with Mick Jagger.

He was one of the very few people in the history of music to sell more than 50 million records.

By the late '80s he had posted almost 130 hits on the Billboard country singles chart, more than anyone in history except George Jones.

One of his hits "I Walk The Line" had been recorded by more than 100 other artists. "There's the philosophy in the song, a song of love and devotion," he said.

Guitar jams at his house attracted the likes of Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Kris Kristofferson, Hank Williams Jr., Graham Nash, Joan Baez and others.

Though he made mistakes, Cash said he took the responsibility of an entertainer in the public eye very seriously.

"We have a lot of responsibility. There are a lot of kids wondering, 'Is he still making it?' 'Is he all right?' They know all the trash printed about me...I've never been in prison, never done hard time. I've never been accused of a felony, much less convicted of one.

Cash said he never really thought about whether he was a pioneer. "I was one of those long-haired Memphis rockabillies in 1956 that they looked down on when I came to Nashville. But they got over that pretty fast." he said.

He defined success this way: "It's doing what I want to do, with people I want to do it with, and being where I want to be."

Johnny Cash offered this perspective on a life fully lived:

"I guess I would like to be remembered as a family man, a man of song and one who loves his country."

And he will be.