“Hello, I am Johnny Cash“, this line was a signature sign of this singer before he would start any of his music. His song ruled over the music industry for more than four decades and inspired many singers to come.
He was one of the few performers who outlasted trends and was rediscovered by the new generation. Cash’s songs are so powerful that have the audacity to erase the lines between singing, storytelling, and the misery of life.
Famously known as Man in Black, his voice has boosted the fate of country music and his signature look has initiated a revolution in the fashion industry. A man of sincerity, caliber, and work ethic, Johnny has produced hundreds of albums.
Some of his extraordinary work includes the likes of I Walk the Line, Get Rhythm, A Body Named Sue, Hurt, Man in Black, Ring Of Fire, One Piece at a Time, Don’t Take Your Guns to Town, God’s Gonna Cut You Down to mention few.
This singer of caliber can go to any extent to entertain his fans. A prime example of this would be his live concert in the Prison where he sang in front of his cellmates. In this article, we will be talking about this legendary man in detail. Let’s get started with some quick facts;
Table of Contents
Some Quick Facts
Full Name | J.R. Cash |
Nickname | Johnny Cash |
Date of Birth | February 26, 1932 |
Birth Place | Kingsland, Arkansas |
Death | September 12, 2003 |
Sun Sign | Pisces |
Father’s Name | Ray Cash |
Mother’s Name | Carrie Cloveree |
Siblings | Reba, Joanne, Tommy, Roy, Margaret, Jack |
Height | Updating Soon |
Weight | Updating Soon |
Nationality | American |
Sexuality | Straight |
Ethnicity | White |
Body Measurements | Updating Soon |
Eye Color | Updating Soon |
Hair Color | Updating Soon |
Shoe Size | Updating Soon |
Education | Updating Soon |
Body Type | Slim |
Marital Status | Married |
Net Worth | $60 million |
Social Media | None |
Last Updated | July 2022 |
Who Is Johnny Cash?- Siblings, Family, Childhood, and Education
Born in poverty, Johnny was raised in Kingsland, Arkansas. He was born to his father Ray Cash and his mother Carried Clover.
When he was a kid, his family settled in Dyess, Arkansas to work in the cotton fields to get the land later. He was blessed to have three elder siblings named Roy, Margaret Louise, and Jack.
Similarly, he also has three younger siblings, Tommy, Joanne, and Reba. The most devastating event in his life was when his older brother Jack was almost cut in half while he was working on the table saw at work.
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His mother had told Jack to go fishing with Johnny rather than work, but he insisted as the family had very little money to live. He regretted that event his whole life and hoped to meet home in heaven.
Moreover, his mother taught him to play guitar and by the age of 12, he was writing songs.
When Was Johnny Cash Born? How Did He Die? Was He Heart Broken?
Late in 1997, this man was diagnosed with Shy-Drager syndrome. However, the disease was previously misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s disease.
In the same year, his doctor told Cash that he only had 18 months to live. Soon he was diagnosed with diabetes and pneumonia damaged his lungs.
In 2003, June Carter Cash passed away but her wish to see him continue working kept Johnny alive. In four months of time, this singer completed 60 songs.
Eventually, he was hospitalized at Baptist Hospital in Nashville. This legendary singer passed away on September 12, 2003, at the age of 71. Johnny was buried next to the love of his life, June in Hendersonville Memory Gardens.
Who Is The Wife of Johnny Cash?
As a matter of fact, this singer has been married not only once in his life but twice. His first wife was none other than Vivian Liberto.
Their love blossomed in the summer of 1951 at a roller rink located in San Antonio. Her father was an owner of an insurance agency Thomas Liberto while her mother was a homemaker Robinson Liberto.
During that time he was working in the Air force. Although there was a lot of distance between them they used to communicate by sending letters to each other.
Vivian later revealed that she had more than a thousand letters over the next few years. This lovey-dovey couple walked on the aisle on August 7, 1954.
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Luckily they have four beautiful daughters Rosanne, Kathy, Cindy, and Tara. Despite the fact Johnny was at the peak of his career, he used to drink a lot and do drugs.
Later in 1966, this lady decided to divorce him for good due to his drug addiction, adultery with other women, and a special relationship with June Carter.
What Was Going On Between Johnny Cash and June Carter?
In the year of 1956, Cash debuted on the Grand Ole Opry stage and sang I Walk the Line. During that show, he was introduced to beautiful June Carter and fell in love instantly. As a matter of fact, he grew up listening to her song and was indeed a big fan of her.
Eventually, they started touring together. Both of them could not get together as they were married to their partners. After several years, June revealed that her love for Johnny was inevitable. She said,
“I never talked much about how I fell in love with John. It was not a convenient time for me to fall in love with him, and it wasn’t a convenient time for him to fall in love with me. I was frightened of his way of life. I thought I can’t fall in love with this man, but it’s just like a ring of fire.”
This also inspires Carter to co-write the song Ring of Fire. Eventually, they divorced their partner and Cash proposed to June in February 1968 onstage in front of 7000 people.
A month later both they walked down the aisle on March 1. This duo only had one child together John Carter Cash on March 3, 1970.
From that moment on they were together all the time until 2003 when June died. It broke Johnny’s heart and the only reason to live for him was music. Later he joined June, 4 months after her death.
Why Men Went After Johnny Cash in the 1960s
It was in 1965 that this famous country singer was boycotted in several parts of the Jim Crow South. There were threatening pamphlets, and several even canceled his shows.
Many suspected that the reason behind this was his arrest for potential drug smuggling. When cash became famous, he became addicted to prescription drugs and eagerly fell in love with June.
However, the singer was married to Vivian, and surprisingly, several found out that the Italian-American woman was, in fact, Black. Eventually, he was arrested in 1965 on October 4 at the US-Mexico border after he was found purchasing large amounts of amphetamines and sedatives.
The customs agent red-handedly found 688 Dexedrine capsules and 475 Equanitablets stashed in his guitar case. Soon he was convicted for two months on the charge of posing illegal drugs.
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Johhny was bailed with a $1000 fine, and Vivian was photographed during his court appearance. Several claimed that the beauty was black, and soon, a controversy sparked.
The newspaper even accused him of generating money with his hit records to keep him suppl with dope and negro women. Eventually, this singer was boycotted in several places and received death threats.
In 1966 Variety article it stated that the innocent victim of a targeted hate campaign in the south. “The “racial error. There is no greater crime than miscegenation” by an anonymous author.
During that period, it was illegal to have interracial marriage.
Songs
- You Are My Sunshine
- Hurt
- Folsom Prison Blues, God’s Gonna Cut You Down.
- I Walk Th Line
- A Boy Named Sue
- Jackson
- Silver Stallion
- I Hung My Head
- Amerian III: Solitary Man
- I Still Miss Someone
- She Used to Love Me a Lot
- One Piece at a Time
- Man In Black
- Ring of Fire
- Help Me
- Cause I Love You
- The Chicken in Black
- Goin By the Book
- Cry, Cry, Cry
What Is The Net Worth of Johnny Cash?
Johnny’s music was in the tongue of every soul in the ’60s. He sold more than 90 million records all over the world. As a matter of fact his every song was a blockbuster that inspired upcoming singers such as Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee to mention a few.
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During the time of his demise, Johnny had a total net worth of $60 million. During his time, he also caused a massive forest fire in California.
He almost put his life in jeopardy and damaged 508 acres of forest. The government sued him for $125,172 but the matter was settled for $82,001.
Interesting Facts
- His birth name was J.R. Cash. It was revealed that John stood for J while R is for rivers, his mother’s maiden name.
- On Johnny’s tenth birthday his mother brought him a guitar.
- After the funeral of his older brother Jack, the Cash family worked back in the fields picking cotton for ten hours.
- In September 1954, he was watching the performance of Elvis Presley at Katz Drug Store. Few months after that he collaborated with him at Sun Records.
- The Song ring of Fire was written by June and Merle Kilgore. This song was first recorded by Carter’s sister Anita. Merle later became the best man at their wedding.
- Shel Silverstein composed a Sequel of A Boy Named Sue. He wrote the song based on the adult point of view and named it “The Fathe of A Boy Named Sue.”
- In 1980, Johnny found the love letter between June and Elvis Presley. They were a thing for a matter of time.
- His favorite country music artist was Dwight Yoakam.
- Johnny’s voice coach advised him to stop taking lessons. She encouraged him to never change the way he sings. Also, she said that further lessons could change his unique way of singing.
- He was once arrested for picking flowers from private property. He stayed in the prison all night and was later bailed in the morning. This inspired him to write Starkville City Jail.
- Along with singing, he also wrote a novel named Man in White which was about a man named Paul who transformed his religion.