BILL & SUE-ON HILLMAN: A 60-YEAR MUSICAL ODYSSEY
Hillman Book Project
Presents
Bill and Sue-On Hillman's Rock Tribute Series
JOHNNY CASH REMEMBERED On September 12, 2003, American country music singer/songwriter Johnny Cash died of respiratory failure aged 71. One of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, known as "The Man in Black." He traditionally started his concerts by saying, "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash" followed by his signature song "Folsom Prison Blues". He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 90 million records worldwide. Although primarily remembered as a country music icon, his genre-spanning songs and sound embraced rock and roll, rockabilly, blues, folk, and gospel. This crossover appeal won Cash the rare honour of being inducted into the Country Music, Rock and Roll, and Gospel Music Halls of Fame. Cash also had his own US TV show in late 60s early 70s.
Ref: John Einarson
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Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his career.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 Carter, called "Jackson" (followed by many further duets after their marriage); and railroad songs including "Hey, Porter", "Orange Blossom Special", and "Rock Island Line".
In 1955, Cash made his first recordings for Sam Phillips at Sun Records in Memphis, the same label as Elvis Presley, "Hey Porter" and "Cry! Cry! Cry!", which were released in late June and met with success on the country hit parade. Cash's next record, "Folsom Prison Blues", made the country Top 5. His "I Walk the Line" became No. 1 on the country charts and entered the pop charts Top 20. In 1958 Cash left Phillips to sign a lucrative offer with Columbia Records. His single "Don't Take Your Guns to Town" became one of his biggest hits. His rendition of "Ring of Fire" was a crossover hit, reaching No. 1 on the country charts and entering the Top 20 on the pop charts. It was originally performed by June's sister, but the signature mariachi-style horn arrangement was provided by Cash.
As his career was taking off in the late 1950s, Cash started drinking heavily and became addicted to amphetamines and barbiturates. For a brief time, he shared an apartment in Nashville with Waylon Jennings, who was deeply addicted to amphetamines. Cash used the stimulants to stay awake during tours. Friends joked about his "nervousness" and erratic behavior, many ignoring the warning signs of his worsening drug addiction.
Deeply aware of the plight of North America's Indigenous Peoples, in 1964, coming off the chart success of his previous album "I Walk The Line", Cash recorded the album Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian.
Cash met singer June Carter, of the famed Carter Family while on tour, and the two became infatuated with each other. In 1968, 13 years after they first met backstage at the Grand Ole Opry, Cash proposed to June, during a live performance in London, Ontario. The couple married on March 1, 1968, in Franklin, Kentucky. They had one child together, John Carter Cash, born March 3, 1970. He was the only son for both Johnny and June.
He played his first famous prison concert on January 1, 1958, at San Quentin State Prison. These performances led to a pair of highly successful live albums, Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison (1968) and Johnny Cash at San Quentin (1969). Both live albums reached number 1 on Billboard country album music and the latter crossed over to reach the top of the Billboard pop album chart.
From 1969 to 1971, Cash starred in his own television show, The Johnny Cash Show, on the ABC network. Produced by Screen Gems, the show was performed at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The Statler Brothers opened up for him in every episode; the Carter Family and rockabilly legend Carl Perkins were also part of the regular show entourage. Cash also enjoyed booking mainstream performers as guests; including Neil Young, Louis Armstrong, Neil Diamond, Kenny Rogers and The First Edition (who appeared four times), James Taylor, Ray Charles, Roger Miller, The Guess Who, Roy Orbison, Derek and the Dominos (Eric Clapton), Ian & Sylvia, Linda Ronstadt, and Bob Dylan.
In the mid-1980s, he recorded and toured with Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson as The Highwaymen, making three hit albums.
In 1997, Cash was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease Shy–Drager syndrome, a form of multiple system atrophy. According to biographer Robert Hilburn, the disease was originally misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease. June Carter Cash died on May 15, 2003, at the age of 73, devastating Cash. On September 12, 2003, Cash passed away aged 71 — less than four months after his wife. It was suggested that his health worsened due to a broken heart over June's death.
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