WITH THIS RING The father -in -law in black In 1979, Nick Lowe married country singer Carlene Carter, daughter of June Carter Cash and step- daughter of Johnny Cash. Despite the marnage end- ing in 1990, Lowe remained close to the family, and his one -time father -in -law in particular. Cash was equally fond of Lowe, covering his songs "The Beast in Me" and "Without Love." "I absolutely loved him," the singer says of the Man in Black. Here, Lowe shares some other remembrances: People talk about flaws when they talk about Johnny Cash but they mean some nonsense about him pop - pinga fewpills orspending the night in jail ... He wasn't really like that. He was a bit un -cool, actually, which is why I liked him. He was just like me. That's why l loved him and that's why everyone loved him, because they really did think he wasjust like them. He was a beautiful bloke and I miss him still, and June. June was the greatest. I'm very, very proud of my connection with them. He was so nice tome... very encouraging at a time when I was very, very gloomy. In that family, once you got your feet under the table that was it, you were one of them. And I was a good son -in- law. Lord knows there were a few right old Charlies in that outfit. l used to tell [Johnny andJune] that as well. But June would slope her eyebrows and say. "Oh, you know, he's a great guy really. He's just a little bit mixed up right now." /Nixed up? You want to count the bloo- min'spoons. He's got his hand in your back pocket! But they were absolutely lovely. It made not a scrap of difference that it hadn't worked out between me and Carlene, and right until the very end I used to talk to him. They were wonderful, wonderful people. -As told to Richard Smirke