Biography

Johnny Cash – Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Johnny cash bio

career start at sun records

After Elvis Presley’s 1954 breakthrough at Sun Records in Memphis, Cash and his minimalist band auditioned for its owner and producer, Sam Phillips. Beginning with the double-sided hit “Cry! Cry! Cry!”/”Hey Porter” in 1955, Cash became one of the label’s most promising young artists.

country hits “i walk the line,” “balad of a teenage queen” and “i guess it just happens that way” all hit the pop charts and made cash a new mainstream country singer Late 1950s. The cash style established early on changed little over the years; the addition of drummer w. s. “Fluke” Holland in 1960 simply reinforced her signature rhythm-based sound.

the Colombian years

Cash left Sun and signed with Columbia Records in mid-1958. Hits like “Don’t Take Your Guns To Town” (1959) and “Ring Of Fire” (1963) followed, but Cash increasingly focused his attention on recording concept albums such as Ride This Train (1960), Blood, Sweat, and Tears (1962), Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian (1964), and Ballads of the True West (1965). Producer Don Law encouraged Cash to connect with the burgeoning folk music revival of the day. He explored traditional cowboy, gospel and spiritual songs, socially conscious and protest songs, and adaptations of folk material, though his new directions didn’t always find favor with the country old guard.

In the mid-1960s, Cash suffered from an addiction to pills while his first marriage failed, but with the help of June Carter, a member of the Carter Sisters with whom he recorded several hit duets, Cash was able to overcome his addiction. . cash and carter were married on march 1, 1968.

on january 13, 1968, cash recorded his masterful live album at folsom prison, from which came a new number 1 version of “folsom prison blues”. The album and his 1969 live album in San Quentin propelled Cash’s career to new heights. Taken from the album San Quentin, “A Boy Named Sue” (#1 Country, #2 Pop) became Cash’s best-selling single and the Country Music Association’s Single of the Year (1969). cash was also voted cma artist of the year in 1969.

From 1969 to 1971, Cash hosted The Johnny Cash Show, a prime-time television variety show that showcased his status as a national icon while featuring an eclectic mix of guest artists. A live cut from the show, “Sunday Morning Going Down,” written by Kris Kristofferson, became a No. 1 cash-in country hit, and he increasingly recorded and featured on the show the work of new songwriters drawn to the country from folk and rock music. funds.

From the late 1960s through the 1970s and 1980s, Cash toured with his powerhouse road troupe, which included at various times Mother Maybelle Carter, the Carter Sisters (Helen, June and Anita) , carl perkins and the statler. Brothers also expanded the range of their activities to include acting, including the film A Gunfight (1971) with Kirk Douglas, the TV movies Thaddeus Rose and Eddie (1978, with June Carter), and The Pride of Jesse Hallam (1981). and a guest star appearance in an episode of columbo.

As the 1970s progressed, cash hit records became less frequent. But with his old friends Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, Cash scored a No. 1 hit with the title cut of the Bandolero album in 1985. The foursome went on a series of special limited concert tours and recorded two more albums: Bandolero 2 (1990) and Bandolero: The Road Continues Forever (1995).

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