Johnny Cash Lyrics

Johnny Cash Info:

Birth name:
J. R. Cash

Nickname:
Man In Black

Born:
February 26, 1932
in Kingsland, Arkansas, United States

Died:
September 12, 2003 (at the age of 71)
in Nashville, Tennessee, United States
(from complications from diabetes)

Raised In:
Dyess, Arkansas

Height:
6' 2" (1.88 m)

Spouse:
June Carter Cash (m. 1968-2003)
(until her death on May 15th, 2003)
Vivian Liberto (m. 1954-1967)

Children:
Rosanne Cash
John Carter Cash
Cindy Cash
Tara Cash
Kathy Cash

Siblings:
older brother Jack died in an accident with a whirling table saw in 1944

Genres:
Country, rock and roll, gospel

Occupations:
Singer-songwriter, musician, actor

Instruments:
Vocals, guitar

Years active:
1954-2003

Associated acts:
The Tennessee Three, The Highwaymen, June Carter Cash, The Statler Brothers, The Carter Family, Area Code 615

Trademark:
deep, distinctive voice; all black clothing.

Got his start:
auditioning for producer Sam Phillips of Sun Records

First Singles:
"Hey Porter" and "Cry Cry Cry," in 1955

Did You Know:
sold appliances while studying to be a radio announcer in Memphis, TN

Johnny Cash Quotes:
I grew up in the '40s and I heard all these great speeches, like Winston Churchill. His most famous, or infamous commencement exercise speech was one that consisted of seven words. He stood before this graduating class and said: "Never, never, never, never give up."

I think the first time I knew what I wanted to do with my life was when I was about four years old. I was listening to an old Victrola, playing a railroad song. The song was called, "Hobo Bill's Last Ride." And I thought it was the most wonderful, amazing thing that I'd ever seen.

If you can hold your listener, hold their attention, and you're sure you know what you're doing, and know that you're communicating - You know, performance is communicating. You've got to communicate. You've got a song you're singing from your gut, you want that audience to feel it in their gut.

My father was a man of love. He always loved me to death. He worked hard in the fields, but my father never hit me. Never. I don't ever remember a really cross, unkind word from my father.

That was the big thing when I was growing up, singing on the radio. The extent of my dream was to sing on the radio station in Memphis. Even when I got out of the Air Force in 1954, I came right back to Memphis and started knocking on doors at the radio station.

After about three lessons the voice teacher said, "Don't take voice lessons. Do it your way."

The beast in me is caged by frail and fragile bars.
You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don't try to forget the mistakes, but you don't dwell on it. You don't let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.


Johnny Cash Awards
1969
Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance

1970
Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance

1995
Austin Music Award for BEST SHOW BY A TOURING BAND

1998
Grammy Award for Best Country Album (Unchained)

1999
Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys.

2001
Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance ("Solitary Man")

2003
Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance - Male ("Give My Love To Rose")

MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography (Jean-Yves Escoffier)

Country Music Awards for Album of the Year (American IV: The Man Comes Around), Single of the Year, and Video of the Year ("Hurt").

2004
Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form ("Hurt")


Tour Dates: