Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash (Born J.R. Cash, February 26, 1932-September 12, 2003) was an American country singer. He is one of a small number of people to hold dual membership in both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was also an actor and author.
Early Life
Cash was born in Little Rock, Arkansas to Ray Cash Carrie Cloveree Rivers as J. R. Cash. He was renamed John R. Cash by his parents and used that name when he enlisted in the United States Air Force since they would not accept initials as his name, and he used Johnny Cash as a stage name. Cash's siblings' names were: Roy, Margaret Louise, Jack, Reba, Joanne and Tommy. Cash always felt guilt over the saw accident that killed his older brother Tommy (who Cash was very close to) at the age of fifteen. He broke into both country music and early rock and roll on the famed Sun Records label of Memphis, Tennessee, with his biggest hit from those years being "I Walk the Line".
Personal Life
His marriage to June Carter Cash marked a turnaround in his career. He rededicated his life to Jesus Christ, got off drugs, and recorded two very popular albums, At Folsom Prison (1968) and At San Quentin (1969) both recorded live before prison audiences. Many of the prisoners were deeply moved by his testimony and accepted Christ as their Savior.[1]
Career
In 1958 he made the jump to Columbia Records where he remained until 1987. He recorded a series of concept albums in the 1960s ranging from several albums of Gospel music to albums about American history (Ride This Train and Songs Of Our Soil), blue collar workers (Blood, Sweat, and Tears), American Indians (Bitter Tears), and novelty songs (Everybody Loves a Nut). He continued to hit with major hit singles during this period as well, with songs like "Ring of Fire". However his career ran into increasing trouble because of a spiraling drug problem.
His early 1970s albums continued his commercial success and included a few Christian songs on each album. Typical was his 1971 album Man In Black, which introduced the nickname he would be known by ever since, included another major hit single in the title track, and featured Billy Graham on one Gospel track. However his commercial success began to fall off considerably after 1976. His last major hit single was "One Piece at a Time" in 1976. He continued to record throughout the rest of the 1970s and the 1980s.
In 1973, he narrated "The Gospel Road". [1]
In 1981, he played an illiterate Kentucky single father in "The Pride of Jesse Hallum" [2] (for which he wrote the music).
Cash's career made another comeback starting in 1994 after being signed by producer Rick Rubin's American label. The series of albums that followed, starting with American Recordings, introduced Johnny Cash's music to a brand new, younger audience. A cover of "Hurt", which was originally by Nine Inch Nails, became a major hit and the video for it won several awards.
Honors
In 1980, Cash was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and the Hit Parade Hall of Fame in 2007.
Quotes
"There's something as honest as a razor blade about Cash." [3]
