Johnny Cash
John R. Cash was born on February 26th, 1932, in Kingsland, Arkansas. He was born J. R. Cash due to his mother, Carrie Cloveree, wanting to name him John, and his father Ray Cash wanted to name him Ray, so they compromised on calling him J. R. Cash. [1] His family later moved to Dyess, Arkansas where he grew up. Whilst completing his mandatory enrolment in the United States Air Force in 1950, he was not permitted to have initials as a first name so changed his first name to John, whilst keeping “R.” as a middle name. He left the Air Force in 1954, and by 1955 had received a record deal with Sun Records, changing his stage name to Johnny Cash. [2]
Cash released his first album in 1957 titled Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar! which included some of Cash’s music successful and influential songs of his career such as “I Walk the Line” and “Folsom Prison Blues”, songs that discussed that hardships faced by those in prison which resonated with many of the working classes. These songs were later rerecorded and placed on Cash’s 1964 album I Walk the Line, which went to No.1 on the country charts. Cash later went on a tour of the United States prison system, providing free concerts to inmates. Two of those concerts were later turned into live albums, At Folsom Prison in 1968 and At San Quentin in 1969 with both albums going 3x platinum, solidifying Cash’s position as an icon of both counterculture and country music. [3] Known as “The Man in Black”, he is seen as a cultural icon in country music, from his unique bass-baritone voice, on-stage presence, and connection to the common man. [4]
Cash’s connection to Farm Aid begins with his upbringing when his family moved to the Dyess Resettlement Colony by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration in 1935. [5] Growing up on a cotton farm in the latter part of the great depression, this was one of the hardest times for farmers in U.S. history. When it came to the 1985 Farm Aid charity concert, Cash was billed for the event, featuring on posters and merchandise, however, did not perform a full solo setlist. Many in attending doubted whether Cash would even make an appearance. [6] Cash was brought on by Waylon Jennings as Jennings said “This is my friend from the road, home and everywhere for about 25 years. He’s truly a legend in his own time, this is Johnny Cash.” Appearing on stage to roaring applause to sing “Folsom Prison Blues”, which many regard as one of Farm Aid's greatest-ever performances. [7] He then later reappeared as part of country supergroup The Highwaymen consisting of Cash, Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and the shows founder and headliner Willie Nelson, to sing their hit single “The Highwayman”. Cash would later return to Farm Aid in 1993, reaffirming his support of the movement., Cash performed shows up until June of 2003 despite his ill health, showing the passion he had for both music and his fans. He passed away on September 12th, 2003, in Nashville, Tennessee, aged 71.
1. Michael Streissguth, Johnny Cash :a biography (Philadelphia, Da Capo, 2006), 6.
2. Michael Streissguth, Johnny Cash :a biography (Philadelphia, Da Capo, 2006), 196.
3. Daniel Geary, “‘The Way I Would Feel About San Quentin’: Johnny Cash & the Politics of Country Music.” Daedalus142, no. 4 (2013): 64–72.
4. Jon Pareles, "Pop Review; Johnny Cash, Austerely Direct From Deep Within", The New York Times, September 16, 1994.
5. Bill Bowdon, "National Register accepts Johnny Cash boyhood home in Arkansas", Arkansas Democrat Gazzette, May 5, 2018, https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2018/may/05/national-register-accepts-cash-boyhood-/.
6. Gregory Springer, "Emotion Overpowers Music at Concert," Champaign News-Gazette, September 23, 1985.
7. Joe Taysom, “From Bob Dylan to Neil Young: The top 7 performances from Farm Aid's 35 years”, Far Out, September 22nd, 2020, https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/best-farm-aid-performances-bob-dylan-neil-young-jack-white/.