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Latest News: Posthumous Johnny Cash Album Set for Release in June 2024
More than 30 years after recording them in a Nashville studio, eleven unreleased songs by Johnny Cash will debut on a new posthumous album titled Songwriter, scheduled for release on June 28, 2024. According to Rolling Stone, this collection features tracks that Cash recorded during a demo session in 1993.
Songwriter will not merely replicate the original recordings. Instead, John Carter Cash, the late singer’s son, has reworked the demos by isolating Cash’s vocals and acoustic guitar. He then collaborated with producers and other musicians to enhance the arrangements. Notable contributions include Vince Gill, who provides vocals for the track “Poor Valley Girl,” and the late Waylon Jennings, who recorded duets with Cash on “I Love You Tonite” and “Like a Soldier.” A single from the album, titled “Well Alright,” has already been released.
This upcoming album will not be the first posthumous project for Cash, who passed away at the age of 71 in September 2003. In 2014, his son unearthed another unreleased collection called Out Among the Stars.
Who Was Johnny Cash?
Johnny Cash was a seminal figure in country music, renowned for his distinctive sound and profound lyrics. Born J.R. Cash on February 26, 1932, in Kingsland, Arkansas, he was the son of sharecroppers and grew up in a poor farming community. Cash’s early life was marked by hardship, but he always held onto his musical aspirations. After high school, he joined the U.S. Air Force, where he began writing songs during his service.
By the mid-1950s, Cash had formed a band, Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, achieving notable success with hits like “I Walk the Line” and “Folsom Prison Blues.” However, his career faced significant challenges in the 1960s due to substance abuse. His marriage to fellow musician June Carter and the release of the acclaimed 1968 album Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison marked a turning point, revitalizing his career. Over the years, Cash won 13 Grammy Awards and collaborated with the country supergroup the Highwaymen and producer Rick Rubin. After battling health issues, Johnny Cash passed away in September 2003 at the age of 71.
Where Is Johnny Cash From?
Johnny Cash was born in Kingsland, Arkansas, to Ray and Carrie Rivers Cash. He was one of seven children in a family that faced significant financial struggles. His parents debated between naming him Rivers or Ray, ultimately settling on J.R. Later, he adopted the name John R. Cash while serving in the military.
At the age of three, Cash’s family relocated to Dyess, Arkansas, to take advantage of the New Deal farming programs. They lived in a modest five-room house and farmed 20 acres of cotton and seasonal crops. Throughout his childhood, Johnny worked alongside his family in the fields to help pay off debts, and music became a source of solace amid their struggles. He was influenced by his mother’s folk songs and hymns, as well as the working songs sung by laborers in the fields.
Demonstrating a natural talent for music, Cash began writing songs at age 12. His mother recognized his potential and scrimped to provide him with singing lessons. However, after just three sessions, his instructor advised him to embrace his unique voice instead of adhering to traditional teaching methods. Religion also played a significant role in Cash’s upbringing; his mother was a devoted member of the Pentecostal Church of God, and his older brother, Jack, was expected to join the priesthood until his untimely death in 1944. The themes of his early life and religious upbringing would later resonate throughout Cash’s music.
Military Service
Upon graduating high school in 1950, Cash briefly worked in Pontiac, Michigan, before enlisting in the U.S. Air Force, where he adopted the name John R. Cash due to military regulations. He received training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio and was primarily stationed in Landsberg, West Germany, working as a radio intercept officer monitoring Soviet communications.
During his time in Germany, Cash began to focus more on music, forming a band called the Landsberg Barbarians with fellow service members. This experience allowed him to perform live, refine his guitar skills, and explore songwriting, despite their lack of initial success. Cash was discharged from the Air Force in July 1954.
Musical Breakthrough and Songs
After his military service, Cash worked as an appliance salesman in Memphis, Tennessee, while pursuing his music career. He collaborated with two mechanics, Marshall Grant and Luther Perkins, who shared his passion for music. They often gathered to play gospel music together, which helped them develop a unique fusion of blues and country-western styles.
In late 1954, Cash, Grant, and Perkins made an impromptu visit to Sun Records, home to the emerging star Elvis Presley. They auditioned for producer Sam Phillips, who encouraged them to return with original material. Cash wrote “Hey Porter,” which led to their signing with Sun Records. Their subsequent releases, including “Cry, Cry, Cry,” helped establish Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two as a significant act in country music.
In 1956, Cash achieved widespread acclaim with the release of “I Walk the Line,” which reached No. 1 on the country music charts and sold over two million copies. His debut album, Johnny Cash with His Hot & Blue Guitar, was released in 1957, followed by a series of chart-topping hits, including “Ballad of a Teenage Queen” and “Don’t Take Your Guns to Town.” Cash’s music uniquely blended elements of country, rock, blues, and gospel.
By the early 1960s, the pressures of his rising fame took a toll on his first marriage to Vivian and their family life, especially as Cash was often away on tour. He had moved to California, where he frequently performed with June Carter, who co-wrote one of his most iconic songs, “Ring of Fire” (1963). In addition to his music career, Cash also ventured into acting, appearing in films and television shows, including the 1961 movie Five Minutes to Live.
Substance Abuse and Career Revival
Johnny Cash’s tumultuous journey with substance abuse began during his time touring with the Tennessee Three. His struggles escalated to alarming levels, culminating in a near-fatal incident in 1967 when a policeman found him in a precarious state in a small Georgia village. Cash faced several other legal issues, including an arrest for smuggling amphetamines into the U.S. from Mexico and for inadvertently starting a forest fire in a California park. Reflecting on this dark period, Cash admitted, “I took all the drugs there are to take, and I drank. Everybody said that Johnny Cash was through ’cause I was walkin’ around town 150 pounds. I looked like walking death.” However, Cash’s life took a positive turn thanks to the support of his bandmate and second wife, June Carter. She played a crucial role in helping him reconnect with his Christian faith and seek the necessary treatment for his addiction, paving the way for a remarkable recovery.
In 1969, Cash launched The Johnny Cash Show, a television variety series that featured contemporary artists from Bob Dylan to Louis Armstrong. The show provided Cash a platform to discuss various social issues, including the Vietnam War, prison reform, and Native American rights. That same year, he garnered critical acclaim, winning two Grammy Awards for his live album Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison. This 1968 album, widely recognized for revitalizing his career, became both a critical and commercial success.
The following decade marked a significant resurgence in Cash’s music career, highlighted by hit singles such as “A Thing Called Love” in 1972 and “One Piece at a Time” in 1976. He also ventured into acting, co-starring with Kirk Douglas in A Gunfight (1970), composing music for Little Fauss and Big Halsy (1970), and publishing his best-selling autobiography, Man in Black, in 1975.
Family Life: Wives and Children
While many recognize June Carter Cash as Johnny Cash’s iconic partner, he was previously married to Vivian Liberto. Cash and Liberto first met while he was stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. Their bond endured despite the physical distance during his military service, leading to their marriage in 1954 and the birth of four daughters: Rosanne (born May 1955), Kathy (born April 1956), Cindy (born July 1959), and Tara (born August 1961). However, the strain of Cash’s substance abuse and frequent absences took a toll on their marriage, leading Vivian to file for divorce in 1966.
In 1968, Cash married June Carter, whose support proved instrumental in his recovery from addiction. The couple welcomed their son, John Carter Cash, in March 1970, and Cash also embraced June’s daughters, Carlene and Rosie, from her previous marriages.
Later Career and Declining Health
At 48, Cash became the youngest living inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1980. His busy schedule continued into the 1980s, during which he collaborated with former Sun Records colleagues Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Roy Orbison on the successful compilation The Class of ’55. He also formed the country supergroup the Highwaymen with Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings, releasing three studio albums between 1985 and 1995. In the early 1990s, Cash recorded “The Wanderer” with U2 for their 1993 album Zooropa.
Despite these successes, Cash’s health began to decline. After undergoing abdominal surgery in 1983, he entered the Betty Ford Clinic for treatment. In 1988, he had double-bypass heart surgery. Nevertheless, Cash persevered, receiving induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. The following year, he collaborated with music producer Rick Rubin to release American Recordings, an acoustic album that blended traditional ballads with modern songs, introducing him to a new audience and winning a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album in 1995. This was followed by Unchained (1996) and his second memoir, Cash: The Autobiography, in 1997.
In the late 1990s, Cash faced serious health challenges, initially misdiagnosed with Shy-Drager syndrome, later identified as autonomic neuropathy. He suffered multiple hospitalizations for pneumonia, including a severe episode in October 2001 that left him in a coma for eight days. Despite these setbacks, he continued to create music, releasing American IV: The Man Comes Around in 2002. This album featured a blend of original tracks and covers, including a haunting rendition of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt,” which became a significant hit.
Death and Legacy
Johnny Cash passed away on September 12, 2003, from complications related to diabetes, just a week after completing his final track. He was 71 years old. Posthumously, Cash received numerous honors at the CMA Awards that November, with American IV winning Album of the Year and “Hurt” taking home both Single and Music Video of the Year.
In 2006, new music from Cash was released, including Personal File, a two-CD set of unreleased material, followed by American V: A Hundred Highways later that year. The stark, raw arrangements highlighted Cash’s aging voice, emphasizing the emotional depth of his music. Additional recordings from sessions with Rick Rubin emerged as American VI: Ain’t No Grave (2010). In 2014, Out Among the Stars, an album recorded in the early 1980s but previously unreleased, was discovered by his son John Carter Cash and became a commercial success.
Commemorations and Cultural Impact
The biographical film Walk the Line (2005), featuring Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash and Reese Witherspoon as June Carter Cash, further solidified his legacy. Cash’s impact on music and culture continues to be recognized, with events such as the Johnny Cash Flower Pickin’ Festival honoring him in Starkville, Mississippi, where he was arrested in 1965. His artistry has also been acknowledged with numerous awards, including a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video for “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” in 2008.
Kris Kristofferson, reflecting on Cash’s journey, stated, “I think he’ll be remembered for the way he grew as a person and an artist. He went from being this guy who was as wild as Hank Williams to being almost as respected as one of the fathers of our country.”
Johnny Cash Museum
In May 2013, the Johnny Cash Museum opened in Nashville, Tennessee, showcasing the most extensive collection of Cash artifacts and memorabilia in the world. Founders Shannon and Bill Miller were inspired to create the museum following the destruction of Cash’s Nashville estate in a fire in 2007. “We’re just really happy to be able to tell the fans there’s a place to come celebrate Johnny Cash,” Shannon Miller stated in an interview.