Singer Johnny Cash heroically spoke out for Native Americans, the poor, and the incarcerated—but his personal life was like a black hole filled with scandal.
1. He Suffered A Great Tragedy
Johnny Cash grew up poor, and all he wanted to do was sing gospel songs that praised the Lord. Sadly, no one really wanted to hear that kind of music anymore. Cash rebranded himself as a dark and mysterious character that people started calling "the Undertaker".
The shocking truth was that Cash had a very good reason to have such a morbid sobriquet. He’d suffered an unbearable tragedy when he was still a child.
2. He Was Born Poor
Johnny Cash was born JR Cash on February 26, 1932, in Kingsland, Arkansas. He was right in the middle of his six siblings, and his name was a compromise between his mother's wish for “John” and his father’s wish for “Ray”. The family was poor, and in 1935, they took then-president Franklin D Roosevelt up on his New Deal and moved to Dyess, Arkansas, and started farming.
Sadly, tragedy was right behind them.
Dr. Blazer, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
3. They Had A Bad Feeling
The entire family worked in cotton fields and sang their hearts out while doing it. One day, Cash, his mother, and his older brother Jack had a bad feeling. Mom thought it would be best if Cash and Jack went fishing instead of working. Jack was too concerned about finances and refused to take the day off to go fishing with Cash.
This decision would be a huge mistake.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
4. There Was An Accident
While working on that fateful day, Jack had an accident with a table saw and got himself almost cut in half. He passed a week later. Jack was Cash’s closest sibling, and it was a huge loss for him. Cash suffered immense guilt over this incident, as his father seemed to blame him as well. His only hope was to see his brother again in heaven one day.
To deal with his loss, Cash turned to music.
Sun Records, Wikimedia Commons
5. His Experienced A Big Change
Cash’s first forays into music involved gospel tunes. His mother and a friend taught him the guitar, and he was writing songs by the time he was 12. Back then, Cash’s voice was a high tenor, but it did a complete turnaround when his voice changed. He soon had the bass-baritone voice that would eventually make him famous.
Now, if Cash needed something to write about, there was heartache in his future.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
6. He Wrote Love Letters
When the US entered the conflict in Korea, Cash quickly signed up, and he ended up in the Air Force in West Germany. Before he left the States, he’d met Vivian Liberto at a roller skating rink. When he went to Europe, the two love birds missed each other so much that they sent one another thousands of letters. Years later, on his return to America, Cash and Liberto tied the knot.
Cash now had the beginnings of a family, but had no idea what to do with his life.
7. He Presented Himself
Cash and his new bride moved to Memphis, Tennessee and he got a job selling appliances. But this was not his main goal. He wanted a career in music and took classes on how to be a radio announcer. On the side, Cash started playing with a few musicians and then nervously presented himself to Sun Records.
The reaction he got was not at all what he expected.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
8. He Was Told To Go
Cash’s audition for Sun Records was a collection of gospel tunes and the man there—Sam Phillips—did not want that. There was a story in which Phillips told Cash to go and do some sinning and then come back. Cash denied this, but it may have well been true. You see, Phillips couldn’t sell gospel songs. Allegedly, he wanted something a little less holy.
Cash left with his tail between his legs, but he promised himself he would return.
9. He Had A Second Chance
Cash returned to Phillips and re-auditioned with songs in a rockabilly style. This was something that Phillips could sell, and by 1955, Cash had two recordings with Sun Records. “Hey Porter” and “Cry! Cry! Cry!” were both successes on the hit parade for country music. Hanging around at Sun Records was about to pay off for Cash—big time.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
10. He Met A Star
In 1956, Cash was in a Sun Records recording studio with fellow musicians Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. To everyone’s surprise in walked “Heartbreak Hotel” singer Elvis Presley. The four future greats sang together, and Phillips left the tapes running on record. Years later, this recording would find its way to the public as the Million Dollar Quartet.
But Cash was no million-dollar star. He still hadn’t had a major hit song.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
11. He Wanted To Be Faithful
Cash, as a new husband, wanted to announce his faithfulness to his wife. In 1956, he penned the song, “I Walk the Line,” and said it was about being a good husband. That was interesting enough, but most people were more curious about why Cash insisted on humming while singing this song.
Cash’s answer was not at all what fans expected.
Columbia Records, Wikimedia Commons
12. He Had Difficulty
As it turned out, Cash was humming for a surprising reason. “I Walk the Line” requires Cash to change keys more than once, and he found this difficult. To help him find his pitch, Cash hummed out loud. Humming or not, “I Walk the Line” became a huge success for Cash and entered both the country and pop charts.
Cash was getting big, and it was time for a big move.
Sun Records, Wikimedia Commons
13. He Was A Frantic Father
In 1958, Cash and his wife Liberto decided to head for the sunny climes of Southern California. By this time they already had a daughter, Rosanne. Rosanne Cash, who later became a musician, said that because of her dad being in show business, their family life was hectic.
Rosanne also said that she knew the truth about her dad’s song “Walk the Line”—and it was heartbreaking.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
14. He Didn’t Stick To His Word
Rosanne Cash knew that her dad had written the song “Walk the Line” to let his wife know that he had every intention of staying faithful while on tour. She also found out the sad truth. In the end, Cash did not remain faithful and had started an affair with another singer: June Carter. What’s strange about the affair was who brought them together.
15. It Was A Ominous Meeting
Cash and June Carter had a mutual friend—and that was Elvis Presley. Carter said that while touring with him, Presley would make her listen to Cash’s music on jukeboxes while stopping in quaint cafes. Cash already knew Carter’s voice because she was a very popular performer. In 1956, they finally met backstage at the Grand Ole Opry.
When they met, something strange happened.
Rossano aka Bud Care, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
16. They Were Like Old Friends
When Cash and Carter finally met, Carter felt like she knew him already. They were certainly drawn to each other, but because they both already had spouses, they quickly put their feelings on hold. Strangely, when Carter did get a divorce from her husband, she still didn’t run to Cash. She ended up married to someone else.
But don’t feel too sorry for Cash, he wasn’t exactly a saint.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
17. He Was A Regular
It’s not clear if Cash saw Carter’s second marriage as a rejection, but there was one thing that was clear. Cash had more than one woman on the go. According to rumors, throughout his tour, Cash consistently cheated on his wife. What was a big surprise was the identity of one of the women he ran around with.
Johnnycash1950-2003, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
18. He Had A Secret
It came out years later that while Cash was both married to Liberto and flirting with Carter, he also had the nerve to carry on an affair with Carter’s sister, Anita. If Carter knew about this dalliance, it certainly gave her more reason to reject Cash’s advances. It seemed that Cash thought he could get away with anything, and so he decided to dress for the part.
Twentieth Century, Walk the Line (2005)
19. He Was The Undertaker
It seemed that whenever Cash performed, he dressed himself from head to toe in black. Many people took this to mean that Cash had a lot of darkness in his life. For this reason, they called him the “Undertaker”. A few years later, the truth came out—and it couldn’t have been more banal. Cash said he chose black clothes because they were easier to keep clean.
If people thought that Cash had a dark side, his foray into films did nothing to change their minds.
20. He Played A Dark Character
In 1961, Cash starred in the thriller Five Minutes to Live, where he plays a ruthless bank robber. This role was certainly not going to take away Cash’s dark edge because at one point he uses a boy—played by a very young Ron Howard—as a shield to help him get away from the authorities.
Cash was now a movie star and a celebrated singer. The fame soon went to his head and took a dangerous toll on his lifestyle.
Flower Film Productions, Five Minutes to Live (1961)
21. He Turned To The Bottle
As he got more famous, Cash turned to the bottle. But that wasn’t all. He was soon living in Nashville with Waylon Jennings and the two took amphetamines together. This stimulant helped Cash stay awake while on tour, but it also made him appear nervous and caused his behavior to be unpredictable.
Cash may have been messing with substances, but he could still turn out the hits.
Flower Film Productions, Five Minutes to Live (1961)
22. It Was His Signature Song
Around this same time, Cash came out with “Ring of Fire," a song that would go on to define his career. But there was a mystery about the origin of this song. One story goes that the song’s author is Carter, who Cash was still flirting with—or maybe even more. When Cash’s wife Liberto tells the story, it couldn’t be more different.
Dillan Stradlin, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
23. He Talked About Her Too Much
Liberto says that one day Cash told her that he had written “Ring of Fire” while fishing with Merle Kilgore. He went on to say that he planned to let Carter share the credit with Kilgore because she needed the money. It seemed that Cash had been mentioning June Carter a little too much, and Liberto was starting to get angry.
But Liberto had more to say about the link between Carter and “Ring of Fire”.
Sony Music Entertainment, June (2023)
24. The Song Was Intimate
When asked what her inspiration for “Ring of Fire” was, Carter often said she’d seen the words in a book of poetry from the Elizabethan era. Liberto scoffed at this. She claimed that the song Cash wrote was not from poetry, it was about a very intimate part of a woman’s body.
The meaning of “Ring of Fire” was getting more and more confusing—and then years later, the co-writer sent it spiraling off in the weirdest direction possible.
25. It Had A Offensive Meaning
Down the road, Kilgore saw how big of a hit he had written and wanted to make as much from it as possible. His idea was to allow a hemorrhoid cream company to use the song in an ad. This brought a new and distasteful meaning to the title of the song. Luckily, Carter's heirs also thought this was a bad idea and gave it a big thumbs down.
And speaking about fire, Cash was about to get so close he’d almost get burned.
Johnny Cash Promotional Photo for Sun Records, Wikimedia Commons
26. He Started A Blaze
In June 1965, Cash went camping with his nephew Damon Fiedler. Somehow the camper they were staying in caught fire, and the flames quickly spread. The result of this was a huge forest fire, and Los Padres National Forest lost several hundred acres. Worse still, Cash also almost lost his life.
When the fire was finally out, Cash had to face some burning questions from authorities.
27. He Was Under The Influence
Cash’s explanation was that a spark from his camper caused the inferno. The only problem was that his own nephew disagreed. Fielder said that Cash, in order to stay warm, had lit a fire. He then said that his uncle was under the influence of pills and didn’t notice that the fire was moving at a rapid pace.
This did not look good for Cash.
SDASM Archives, Wikimedia Commons
28. He Had The Perfect Excuse
When it came time to decide who was to blame for starting the fire, Cash went on the offensive. He still insisted that it was a spark from his camper. It was a great defense, as the fire had completely destroyed the camper and, according to Cash’s logic, this meant you could not refute his story.
This didn’t stop authorities from suing Cash, who eventually settled for $82,001. But this campfire story wasn’t over yet.
29. He Wasn’t A Bird Lover
The damage that the fire caused was huge, and one aspect of the damage involved birds. Because of the blaze, many of California’s endangered condors left the area. In response to the complaint, an angry Cash said that he didn’t care about those “buzzards”. This didn’t win him any friends in the birdlovers’ community.
Cash was keeping up his reputation as a bad boy, and his next stop was prison.
Joel Baldwin, Wikimedia Commons
30. He Went Behind Bars
Something that pushed Cash’s outlaw persona further was his concerts behind bars. He did shows and recorded albums at the notorious San Quentin and Folsom prisons. Some of the songs reflected prison life, and this inspired Life magazine writer Al Aronowitz to say that Cash sang like “someone who has grown up believing he is one of the people that these songs are about”.
The truth was, Cash knew very little about living life behind bars at all.
Twentieth Century, Walk the Line (2005)
31. He Had A Few Sleepovers
Cash purposefully created the image of an outlaw for his personae, and many people just assumed that Cash had done some time in lock-up. The truth was a little different than the image. Yes, Cash had gotten in trouble with the law, but he had never spent more than a night at a time behind bars.
As it turned out, the truth behind Cash’s brushes with the law was more farcical than felonious.
32. He Trespassed
One time Cash got in trouble with authorities was almost laughable. He trespassed onto some private property, and this alerted the authorities. What was laughable was the reason he entered the property. He was there to pick some flowers. Cash’s next brush with officers was almost equally tame.
Lionsgate, Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon (2022)
33. He Was Carrying
Another incident occurred in El Paso, Texas. The authorities had an idea that Cash was carrying a personal supply of heavy-duty substances from Mexico into the US. For this reason, they took him down to the station. Instead of finding the opiates they expected, officers found prescription amphetamines, and Cash got off with a slap on the wrist.
But this altercation had another more dangerous ramification.
34. They Got Hate Mail
Because of his run-in with the law, pictures of Cash and his wife appeared in newspapers. Liberto had dark skin, as she was part Sicilian and had African American ancestry—although she didn’t know it at this time. When white supremacists saw that Cash was in a mixed-race marriage, they sent them hate letters and even threatened their lives.
Cash seemed to be courting danger at every turn—even when driving a vehicle.
commonswiki, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
35. He Was Scared Straight
Yet another sleepover behind bars came after a 1967 car accident. Authorities found prescription pills in Cash’s vehicle and—after rejecting Cash’s offers of money—took him down to the station. Instead of throwing the book at him, the sheriff gave Cash a stern talking to. Cash said this made him want to change his ways forever.
What he needed was a final push to sobriety, and this would come from a surprising place.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
36. He Had Some Houseguests
Cash and his wife had separated, and just like Liberto had suspected, Cash started pursuing June Carter. The thing was, Carter would not date Cash as long as he was using pills. To remedy the situation, Carter and most of her family moved into Cash’s estate. They were going to force him to face his addiction problem.
It was going to be a tough job, but Cash’s career depended on it.
Gijsbert Hanekroot, Getty Images
37. He Got His Reward
Cash emerged from his home a changed man, and he was now ready to reap his reward. While on stage in London, Ontario, Cash proposed to Carter and she accepted. They didn’t wait long to tie the knot. The event took place one week later in Kentucky. Carter must have felt blessed. She had gotten her man clean, and she’d roped in a wonderful husband.
But not everything was as it seemed.
Twentieth Century, Walk the Line (2005)
38. He Didn’t Quite Do It
As it turned out, Cash had not totally given up on taking pills. Even though he had also found religion, he was still taking amphetamines. This went on until 1970, which was two years after marrying Carter. It was the birth of his son, John Carter Cash, that helped him kick the habit once again.
But there was something shocking about Cash at this time.
Inter-Comm Public Relations, Wikimedia Commons
39. He Had Her On The Side
Remember that Cash had had a brief affair with Carter’s sister Anita. As it turned out, while Carter was pregnant with their son, Cash went knocking at Anita’s door again. Yes, Cash was actually having an affair with the sister of the woman carrying his baby. But it gets worse.
Tragically, Cash's sobriety didn't last too long—and he fell off the wagon once again.
Pictorial Parade, Getty Images
40. It Was Like Father, Like Son
By 1977, Cash was back taking his amphetamines and soon found himself in the throes of addiction. This prompted him to enter the Betty Ford Clinic. It was a tough go, but Cash freed himself from his dependence. However, by 1989, he returned to pill popping. Three years later, his now grown-up son, also suffering from addiction, joined him at a different rehab clinic.
Despite his ongoing problems with narcotics, America got ready to welcome Cash into their living rooms.
Heinrich Klaffs, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
41. They Wanted Him On The Air
In 1969, ABC television came to Cash with an idea. They wanted him to host a variety show. While they promised Cash artistic freedom, he had to agree to something he didn’t much care for. ABC wanted some big Hollywood names on the show, and these were people that Cash likely didn’t see eye to eye with.
Cash said yes to Bob Hope and Peggy Lee, but when it came to censorship, Cash was ready to come out fighting.
42. He Stood By His Guest
When singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson was a guest on The Johnny Cash Show, there was one word in his song that made the network extremely nervous. In “Sunday Morning Coming Down” Kristofferson uses the word “stoned”. The network wanted the word replaced, and Cash valiantly refused.
There were more surprises on The Johnny Cash Show, and one of them was for Cash himself.
ABC, The Johnny Cash Show (1969–1971)
43. He Was The Host And The Guest
On one episode of The Johnny Cash Show, it was Cash who got a big surprise. As he was introducing the show, his wife June Carter confused him by walking out on stage. Then a man made an entrance. This was Ralph Edwards, who Cash recognized as the host of a popular show. The show was This Is Your Life and—surprise, surprise—Cash was going to be the special guest.
Fans were going to learn some of the truths about their hero, but some seemed more like a lie.
ABC, The Johnny Cash Show (1969–1971)
44. He Explained His Clothes
A while back, Cash had said that he wore black clothes because they were easy to keep clean. In 1971, he came out with an alternative reason. According to his 1971 song “Man in Black”, Cash was now saying that the reason he wore black was because he was a protester. His protests were in defense of the poor and the men heading off to Vietnam to fight for their country.
One problem Cash faced was a little closer to home. It was in his own family.
Self Scanned, Wikimedia Commons
45. He Healed Her
Cash’s daughter Rosanne, had some lingering resentment about all the time her father had spent on the road and not with her. Well, she later said that all that went away thanks to one quick and easy cure. Cash invited his daughter on stage to sing “I Still Miss Someone” and Rosanne said, “It just all got fixed”.
Luckily Rosanne had a chance to repair her relationship with her father, as Cash didn’t have long to live.
46. He Was Suddenly Alone
In 2003, Cash made an odd recording. He covered a song by the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails called “Hurt”. Cash made a video for the song, and the imagery in it is a reflection of Cash’s life and even his upcoming demise. Cash’s wife appears in the video, but she passed just three months later.
Cash suddenly found himself all alone, and it didn’t feel good.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
47. He Missed Her Terribly
Cash felt lost without Carter, and he told record producer Rick Rubin, "You have to keep me working because I will die if I don't have something to do". Cash did keep on working and recorded an astonishing 60 songs in the last few months of his life. On September 12, 2003, Cash passed due to complications from diabetes. He only lived four months after his wife had gone.
Cash was no more, but this didn’t stop some mysteries from surfacing.
NateWinkleman, Wikimedia Commons
48. He Knew his Roots
Back in the late 1950s, Cash had involved himself with speaking up for Native Americans. At the time, country music lovers were more interested in the life of cowboys and didn’t get on board with Cash’s new direction. The reason Cash felt passionate about the topic was because he had always believed that he had Cherokee ancestry.
It would take years, but the shocking truth about this would eventually come out.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
49. He Wasn’t What He Thought
Many years later, Cash’s daughter—Rosanne Cash—went on the TV show Finding Your Roots to discover the truth about her background. To her surprise, she had no Native American markers. This meant that Johnny Cash didn’t either. What Rosanne did find was African roots in her very distant past.
If we can’t remember Cash as a proud Native American, there’s a town in Mississippi that has another way to remember him.
50. They Pardoned Him
Remember when Cash spent the night behind bars because officers took him in for picking flowers? Well, years later—in 2007—the town where this happened wanted to commemorate Cash’s misdemeanor. In November 2007, Starkville, Mississippi held the Johnny Cash Flower Pickin’ Festival. The idea was to honor Cash and pardon him for his misdeed.
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