Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Most of Cash's music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career.[4][5] He was known for his deep, calm, bass-baritone voice,[a][6] the distinctive sound of his backing band, The Tennessee Three, that was characterized by its train-like chugging guitar rhythms, a rebelliousness[7][8] coupled with an increasingly somber and humble demeanor,[4] and his free prison concerts.[9] Cash wore a trademark all-black stage wardrobe, which earned him the nickname as the "Man in Black".[b]
This article is about the singer. For other uses, see Johnny Cash (disambiguation).
Johnny Cash
September 12, 2003 (aged 71)
- "Man in Black"
- John R. Cash
- Singer
- songwriter
- musician
- actor
1954–2003
Tommy Cash (brother)
Thomas Gabriel (grandson)
1950–1954
- Vocals
- guitar
Born to poor cotton farmers in Kingsland, Arkansas, Cash grew up on gospel music and played on a local radio station in high school. He served four years in the Air Force, much of it in West Germany. After his return to the United States, he rose to fame during the mid-1950s in the burgeoning rockabilly scene in Memphis, Tennessee. He traditionally began his concerts by introducing himself with "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash".[c] He began to follow that by "Folsom Prison Blues", one of his signature songs. His other signature songs include "I Walk the Line", "Ring of Fire", "Get Rhythm", and "Man in Black". He also recorded humorous numbers like "One Piece at a Time" and "A Boy Named Sue", a duet with his future wife June called "Jackson" (followed by many further duets after they married), and railroad songs such as "Hey, Porter", "Orange Blossom Special", and "Rock Island Line".[12] During the last stage of his career, he covered songs by contemporary rock artists; among his most notable covers were "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails, "Rusty Cage" by Soundgarden, and "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode.
Cash is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 90 million records worldwide.[13][14] His genre-spanning music embraced country, rock and roll, rockabilly, blues, folk, and gospel sounds. This crossover appeal earned him the rare honor of being inducted into the Country Music, Rock and Roll, and Gospel Music Halls of Fame. His music career was dramatized in the 2005 biopic Walk the Line, in which Cash was portrayed by American film actor Joaquin Phoenix.
Marriage and family
Soon after his return, Cash married Vivian Liberto in San Antonio. She had grown up Catholic and was married in the church by her paternal uncle, Father Franco Liberto.
Religious beliefs
Cash was raised by his parents in the Christian faith. In 1944, he became a Christian at the Central Baptist Church in Dyess, Arkansas, affiliated to the Southern Baptist Convention, and began singing publicly there. [124] He was baptized shortly after in the Tyronza River.[125]
A troubled but devout Christian,[126][127] Cash has been characterized as a "lens through which to view American contradictions and challenges."[e][129][130] On May 9, 1971, he answered the altar call at Evangel Temple in Nashville, an Assemblies of God congregation pastored by Jimmie R. Snow, with outreach to people in the music world.[131]
Cash penned a Christian novel, Man in White, in 1986, and in the introduction writes about a reporter, who, interested in Cash's religious beliefs, questioned whether the book is written from a Baptist, Catholic, or Jewish perspective. Cash replied, "I'm a Christian. Don't put me in another box."[132][133][134][135]
In the mid-1970s, Cash and his wife, June, completed a course of study in the Bible through Christian International Bible College, culminating in a pilgrimage to Israel in November 1978.[64]: 66 Around that time, he was ordained as a minister, and officiated at his daughter's wedding.[136] He often performed at Billy Graham Crusades. [137] At a Tallahassee Crusade in 1986, June and Johnny sang his song "One of These Days I'm Gonna Sit Down and Talk to Paul".[138] At a performance in Arkansas in 1989, Johnny Cash spoke to attendees of his commitment to the salvation of drug dealers and alcoholics. He then sang, "Family Bible".[139]
He recorded several gospel albums and made a spoken-word recording of the entire New King James Version of the New Testament.[140][141] Cash declared he was "the biggest sinner of them all", and viewed himself overall as a complicated and contradictory man.[142][f] Accordingly,[g] Cash is said to have "contained multitudes", and has been deemed "the philosopher-prince of American country music."[146][147]
Cash is credited with having converted actor and singer John Schneider to Christianity.[148]
Towards the end of his life, he and his wife attended the First Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee. [149]
