Johnny Cash

Overview

Born
February 26, 1932 · Kingsland, Arkansas, USA
Died
September 12, 2003 · Nashville, Tennessee, USA (complications from diabetes)
Birth name
J. R. Cash
Nicknames
- Man in Black
- John
Height
6′ 1½″ (1.87 m)

Johnny Cash was born February 26, 1932, in Kingsland, Arkansas, to Carrie Cash (Rivers) and Raymond Cash. He made his first single, "Hey Porter", for Sun Records in 1955. In 1958 he moved to Columbia Records. He had long periods of drug abuse during the 1960s, but later that decade he successfully fought his addiction with the help of singer June Carter Cash, whom he married in 1968. In 1971 he appeared in the western A Gunfight (1971) with 'Kirk Douglas (I)'. Cash made only a few films, but quite a few appearances on television, both in series and made-for-TV films, and was especially effective as a rural Southern sheriff in the 1930s determined to bring to justice a wealthy landowner who committed murder because he believed he was above the law in Murder in Coweta County (1983), a drama based on a true story. In 1975 Cash wrote his autobiography, "Man In Black", which is now out of print. In the late 1980s he moved from Columbia Records to Mercury, then in the next decade moved again to American Recordings. Amongst his biggest hit records were "I Walk the Line", "Ring of Fire" and "A Boy Named Sue". After several years of ill health, he died of complications from diabetes on 12 September 2003, only a few months after the death of his beloved wife.
- IMDb mini biography by: John Sallman < sajohn@cris.com>

Often wears black clothing
Deep baritone voice
Always introduced himself with the words "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash"
Many of his songs are about outlaws or tough men who have had hard lives
His songs often had an underlying social meaning, and he expressed his disgust at injustice

His older brother (the sibling Johnny was closest to as a child) died in a horrible accident involving a buzz saw when Johnny was young, and it was never clear whether it was accidental, suicide, or even murder. Wracked with guilt, Johnny, by most accounts, never got over the death (it was a little-known, personal obsession of his to investigate the incident) and it is widely thought that his dark world view was shaped by it.
In the 1980s he found love letters to wife June Carter Cash from Elvis Presley in their attic. Upon finding these, he burned them.
His album, "The Man Comes Around", features his rendition of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt". NIN frontman Trent Reznor admitted that at first he was angry about the cover, as he wrote it from a deeply personal point of view. However, when he heard the song and saw the video for the first time, he was deeply moved and found Cash's cover beautiful and meaningful.
He was friends with every U.S. President starting with Richard Nixon. He was least close with the last two, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, because of a personal distrust for both men and because of his declining health. He was probably closest with Jimmy Carter, who was actually a very close friend and distant relation of his wife, June Carter Cash. None of these friendships were about politics, as he never particularly supported any administration but was just friendly with the men.
Proposed to wife June Carter Cash over 30 times before she finally said "Yes".

How well I have learned that there is no fence to sit on between heaven and hell. There is a deep, wide gulf, a chasm, and in that chasm is no place for any man.
I am not a Christian artist, I am an artist who is a Christian.
I did not vote for Mr. Bush [President George W. Bush]. Let's leave it at that.
[in acknowledgment of his similarity to today's "gangsta" rappers] I wouldn't let anybody influence me into thinking I was doing the wrong thing by singing about death, hell and drugs. Beause I've always done that, and I always will.
I learn from my mistakes. It's a very painful way to learn, but without pain, the old saying is, there's no gain.