Johnny Cash Research Paper
Britton Copley
Mrs. Nicholson
American Literature- Pre AP
4 January 2013
From a Ring of Fire to a Man in Black
Every time Johnny Cash would step out in front of a crowd he would greet his millions of followers with the same line: “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash”. He would be greeted with roars, hollers, and cheers whenever he was seen. Cash influenced a generation and blended music genres to bring the country together. Known as The Man in Black, for it was the only color he would wear after 1957 (Streissguth 80). Cash through his more than 50 year career had thirteen number 1 hits (Macnie). Johnny Cash evolved country music and became a quintessential American hero, admired and adored by millions. Johnny Cash’s inspiration for his music and the foundation of his career began in his childhood growing up in Dyess, Arkansas. Cash, born on February 26, 1932, grew up on a cotton farm hit extremely hard by the Great Depression. Crop prices plummeted and life became very hard for people in the area. The one positive that came from the era was that the tough economic times “Freed thousands of Arkansans from their centuries-old obligation to work the land” (Streissguth 24). Greater opportunities were given to many families, but the Cash’s decided to stay in their small town in northern Arkansas. When Cash was a young boy of twelve tragedy struck his life, he later described it as this, “it was my brother, Jack. He was my inspiration. He was two years older than I and he was killed at the age of 14. I always wanted to be like him. He was a strong person, he was a Bible student, he was in perfect shape, physically. I always wanted to be like him” (Steissguth 29). Johnny always admired his brother, it has been said that Jack was his hero. This event is portrayed in many of Cash’s songs as his inspiration. He would be guilt-ridden with thoughts of Jacks death for the rest of his life. Another impact of his brother’s death was that his faith in God became an important
Mrs. Nicholson
American Literature- Pre AP
4 January 2013
From a Ring of Fire to a Man in Black
Every time Johnny Cash would step out in front of a crowd he would greet his millions of followers with the same line: “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash”. He would be greeted with roars, hollers, and cheers whenever he was seen. Cash influenced a generation and blended music genres to bring the country together. Known as The Man in Black, for it was the only color he would wear after 1957 (Streissguth 80). Cash through his more than 50 year career had thirteen number 1 hits (Macnie). Johnny Cash evolved country music and became a quintessential American hero, admired and adored by millions. Johnny Cash’s inspiration for his music and the foundation of his career began in his childhood growing up in Dyess, Arkansas. Cash, born on February 26, 1932, grew up on a cotton farm hit extremely hard by the Great Depression. Crop prices plummeted and life became very hard for people in the area. The one positive that came from the era was that the tough economic times “Freed thousands of Arkansans from their centuries-old obligation to work the land” (Streissguth 24). Greater opportunities were given to many families, but the Cash’s decided to stay in their small town in northern Arkansas. When Cash was a young boy of twelve tragedy struck his life, he later described it as this, “it was my brother, Jack. He was my inspiration. He was two years older than I and he was killed at the age of 14. I always wanted to be like him. He was a strong person, he was a Bible student, he was in perfect shape, physically. I always wanted to be like him” (Steissguth 29). Johnny always admired his brother, it has been said that Jack was his hero. This event is portrayed in many of Cash’s songs as his inspiration. He would be guilt-ridden with thoughts of Jacks death for the rest of his life. Another impact of his brother’s death was that his faith in God became an important
Cited: Johnny Cash. "Man in Black." Rec. 1971. Man in Black. Columbia Records, 1971. MP3 "Johnny Cash Biography." Macnie, Jim. "Johnny Cash." Rollingstone. 2012. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. <http://www.rollingstone.com>. Streissguth, Michael. Johnny Cash: The Biography. Cambridge: Da Capo, 2006. Print. Toombs, Mikel. Cash 's impact was countrywide. November 18, 2005. Web. 16 Dec. 2012.