Red headed stranger or the man in black?

I would have to say Willie Nelson, just because he had so much influence in bringing country music to the "mainsteam" music listener.

My favorite current equipment demo song is "The Warmth of the Sun" by Willie Nelson on a tribute CD, "The Beach Boys,
Stars and Stripes vol.1". It sounds fantastic & really shows how good redbook CD can sound.
I heard a song from the latest Johnny Cash CD on Smallville the other night, it sounded outstanding on an over-the-air broadcast, I'm gong to buy that CD this week. It will be my first Johnny Cash album.....

Cash - The Rick Rubin American Recording series is just fantastic. Also, his daughter Roseann is outstanding in her own right. Love Rules of Travel also. Although, Willie Nelson is great and his recent one with all the Duets are well done.

The man in black... Dylan wrote a song years ago called "Man in the Long Black Coat" which has little to do with Cash, although the song's title does evoke Cash. Dylan has been singing this song fairly regularly in his current European tour. And he cites Cash as being a great influence. I'm sure that, as great as Willy Nelson is, that more musicians have been influence by Cash than by Nelson.