In his first autobiography in 1975, Cash said he wrote the song after his first Hayride appearance in Shreveport, which would have made the song’s birthday December 3, 1955. In his second autobiography, he placed the song in 1956, when he was “having a hard time resisting the temptation to be unfaithful to [Vivian] back in Memphis.” He goes on: “I put those feelings into the beginning of a song and sang the first two verses for Carl Perkins backstage before a show.” If the Gladewater location holds, the date would most likely have been February 12, 1956, because Cash and Perkins had played the Louisiana Hayride the night before.
When I asked Marshall Grant about the song just weeks before his death in 2011, he wasn’t buying any of Cash’s recollections. He said Cash heard him doing some slow, repetitive bass runs while warming up before an afternoon show in Longview, Texas, during the spring of 1956. “John told me to play the run again and he started humming along—just the way he did on the record—and he came out with the opening line ‘I keep a close watch on this heart of mine,’ then he stopped and said, ‘Whatever you do, Marshall, don’t forget that run.’ That night in the car, John wrote ‘I Walk the Line,’ and Sam recorded it as soon as we got back to Memphis.” If Grant is correct the song was probably written after Louisiana Hayride appearances on March 24 or 31. What is certain is Cash recording “I Walk the Line” on April 2, 1956, in Memphis.
Interviews
Norm Bale, James Burton, Louise Burton, Johnny Cash, Roy Cash Jr., Jack Clement, Larry Collins, Lorrie Collins, Sylvia Flye, Marshall Grant, Billie Jean Horton, David McGee, Sam Phillips, Johnny Wessler.
Articles, Essays, and Reviews
Gilmore, Mikal. “The Man in Black.” In Cash by the Editors of Rolling Stone.
Smith, Leo. “Foster Park, R.I.P.” Los Angeles Times, September 10, 1992.
Recordings
The Big “D” Jamboree Love, vols. 1 and 2. Dragon Street Records, 2000. More than fifty recordings from the stage of the Big “D” Jamboree in Dallas in the late 1950s. Includes three numbers by Johnny Cash and five by Carl Perkins.
Folk Songs of the Hills, Merle Travis. Capitol Records, 1947.
Johnny Cash: Live Recordings from the Louisiana Hayride. Louisiana Hayride Series, Scena Records, 2003. Contains sixteen songs performed during Louisiana Hayride appearances.
Chapter 7
Interviews
Carlene Carter, Johnny Cash, Rosanne Cash, Roy Cash Jr., Jack Clement, Larry Collins, Lorrie Collins, Sylvia Flye, Marshall Grant, James Keach, Sam Phillips, Johnny Western.
Articles, Essays, and Reviews
Gilmore, Mikal. “The Man in Black.” In Cash by the Editors of Rolling Stone.
Johnson, Robert. “Gleason Signs Cash for 10 Guest Spots.” Memphis Press Scimitar, January 7, 1957.
Chapter 8
Interviews
Johnny Cash, Rosanne Cash, Jack Clement, Larry Collins, Lorrie Collins, Sylvia Flye, Marshall Grant, Merle Haggard, W. S. Holland, Billie Jean Horton, Sam Phillips, Johnny Western.
Articles, Essays, and Reviews
Johnson, Robert. “Johnny Cash Moving to Hollywood.” Memphis Press Scimitar, August 5, 1958.
Recordings
The Collins Kids at Town Hall Party. Bear Family, 2002. Larry and Lorrie Collins at Town Hall Party in Compton, Calif. (DVD).
Johnny Cash at Town Hall Party, 1958–1959. Bear Family, 2002. Cash at the Town Hall Party show in Compton, Calif. (DVD).
Chapter 9
Interviews
Johnny Cash, Kathy Cash, Larry Collins, Lorrie Collins, Sylvia Flye, Marshall Grant, Merle Haggard, Saul Holiff, Billie Jean Horton, Mac McBride.
Articles, Essays, and Reviews
Anderson, Pat. “Friend’s Death Saddens Opry Homecoming.” Nashville Tennessean, November 6, 1960.
“Events and Discoveries.” Sports Illustrated, June 15, 1959. Cash’s racetrack visit with Silky Sullivan.
Chapter 10
Interviews
Johnny Cash, Roy Cash Jr., Larry Collins, Lorrie Collins, Damon Fielder, Sylvia Flye, Marshall Grant, W. S. Holland, Saul Holiff, Billie Jean Horton, Margie Perkins, Johnny Western.
Recordings
Five Minutes to Live, a film starring Johnny Cash. Bear Family/And More Bears, 2004 (DVD).
Chapter 11
Interviews
Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Larry Collins, Lorrie Collins, Damon Fielder, Marshall Grant, Jonathan Holiff, W. S. Holland, Mac McBride, Mark Stielper, Johnny Western.
Chapter 12
Interviews
John Carter Cash, Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Sylvia Flye, Marshall Grant, Billie Jean Horton, Rip Nix, Mark Stielper.
Recordings
In the Shadow of Clinch Mountain, Bear Family. Carter Family. A twelve-disc history of Carter Family recordings.
Chapter 13
Interviews
Johnny Cash, Dixie Hall, Tom T. Hall, Saul Holiff, Harlan Howard, Johnny Western.
Chapter 14
Interviews
Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Kathy Cash, Rosanne Cash, Jack Clement, Damon Fielder, Sylvia Flye, Mark Stielper, Johnny Western.
Chapter 15
Interviews
Johnny Cash, Roy Cash Jr., Marshall Grant, Mark Stielper, Johnny Western.
Recordings
Cash’s long-unreleased version of “Thunderball” is available on Johnny Cash: From Memphis to Hollywood Bootleg II. Columbia Legacy. The two-disc set also includes the song from the film Five Minutes to Live.
Johnny Cash: Roots and Rivers, various artists. Hip-O. Anita Carter’s recording of “(Love’s) Ring of Fire” is one of sixteen tracks on this collection of early versions of songs identified with Cash. Also includes Peter La Farge’s “The Ballad of Ira Hayes,” the Kingston Trio’s “Jackson,” Gordon Jenkins’s “Crescent City Blues,” and Jimmie Davis’s “I Was There When It Happened.”
Johnny Cash Live Around the World Bootleg III. Columbia Legacy. This two-disc CD features the Newport Folk Festival concert.
Chapter 16
Interviews
Johnny Cash, Kathy Cash, Rosanne Cash, Jack Clement, Damon Fielder, Sylvia Flye, Marshall Grant, Johnny Western.
Articles, Essays, and Reviews
Hurst, Jack. “Cash Plans $25 Million Suit against the Klan.” Nashville Tennessean, February 4, 1966.
“Judge Lenient with Cash, Could Have Gotten a Year.” UPI, March 9, 1956.
“Pill Smuggling Laid to Johnny Cash.” Nashville Tennessean, October 6, 1956.
Chapter 17
Background
Jonathan Holiff was estranged from his father at a young age, but he became so consumed by his father’s history after Saul’s death in 2005 that he spent years piecing his father’s story together. The search was inspired when, shortly after Saul’s death, Jonathan discovered a treasure trove of letters, home movies, tapes, and other artifacts in a storage locker his father had kept for years in Nanaimo, British Columbia, where the elder Holiff lived his final years. Jonathan used the material as the basis of a documentary film, My Father and the Man in Black, which began a run of film festivals in 2012.
Because of his difficult relationship with his father, Jonathan came to the project as a “hostile witness,” and despite the empathy he felt after learning about his father’s deep depression and insecurity, he remained an objective observer—not at all self-conscious about describing his father as “controlling, emotionally abusive, and neglectful on the home front.” In the film Jonathan does achieve some closure after finding audiotapes in which Saul reflects on his life and children.
Interviews
Johnny Cash, Kathy Cash, Clive Davis, Jonathan Holiff, Bob Johnston, Don Reid, Harold Reid, Mark Stielper.
Video
Pete Seeger’s Rainbow Quest—Johnny Cash and Roscoe Holcomb. Shanachie, 2005 (DVD).
Chapter 18
Interviews
Johnny Cash, Kathy Cash, Rosanne Cash, Tommy Cash, Clive Davis, Marshall Grant, Bob John
ston, Bill Miller, Don Reid, Harold Reid, Mark Stielper, Dr. Nat Winston.
Articles, Essays, and Reviews
“Johnny Cash’s Wife Granted Divorce.” Associated Press, December 23, 1967.
Chapter 19
Interviews
Gene Beley, Carlene Carter, John Carter Cash, Johnny Cash, Clive Davis, Marshall Grant, Stan Jacobson, Bob Johnston, Don and Harold Reid, Rev. Jimmie Snow.
Recordings
Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, Legacy Edition. Columbia / Legacy, 2005. Contains the complete two concerts.
Articles, Essays, and Reviews
“Cash, June. ‘Walk the Line’ in Kentucky.” Nashville Tennessean, March 2, 1968.
Shelton, Robert. “Johnny Cash Stirs New York Hearts.” New York Times, December 8, 1968.
Chapter 20
Interviews
Geoffrey Cannon, Johnny Cash, Clive Davis, Stan Jacobson, Bob Johnston, Jim Marshall, Mark Stielper.
Articles, Essays, and Reviews
Gleason, Ralph J. “Johnny Cash at San Quentin.” Rolling Stone, May 31, 1969.
“Graham Breaks Bread with Balladeer Cash.” Nashville Tennessean, December 8, 1969.
Satterfield, Lawayne. “Johnny Cash Story Told in New Film.” Nashville Banner, September 13, 1969.
Sawyer, Kathy. “Johnny Cash Show to Be More Country.” Nashville Tennessean, October 19, 1969.
Thomas, Patrick. “Cash and Dylan Tape TV Number in Nashville.” Rolling Stone, May 31, 1969.
Chapter 21
Interviews
Joanne Cash, John Carter Cash, Johnny Cash, Kathy Cash, Rosanne Cash, Jack Clement, Billy Graham, Marshall Grant, Stan Jacobson, Bob Johnston, Kris Kristofferson, Bill Miller, Lou Robin, Mark Stielper, Jimmy Tittle, Nat Winston.
Chapter 22
Interviews
Johnny Cash, Clive Davis, Marshall Grant, Stan Jacobson, Bob Johnston, Kris Kristofferson, Lou Robin.
Chapter 23
Interviews
Larry Butler, Johnny Cash, Larry Gatlin, Kris Kristofferson, Don Reid, Harold Reid, Rev. Jimmie Snow.
Chapter 24
Interviews
Larry Butler, Johnny Cash, Bob Elfstrom, Marshall Grant, Jonathan Holiff, Gary Klein, Kris Kristofferson, Lou Robin, Rev. Jimmie Snow.
Articles, Essays, and Reviews
O’Donnell, Red. “Cash’s ‘Gospel Road’ Opens.” Nashville Banner, October 23, 1972.
Chapter 25
Interviews
Larry Butler, Carlene Carter, Kathy Cash, Rosanne Cash, Marshall Grant, Jonathan Holiff, Karen Robin, Lou Robin.
Chapter 26
Interviews
Larry Butler, Carlene Carter, Cindy Cash, John Carter Cash, Johnny Cash, Jack Clement, Marshall Grant, Lou Robin, Karen Robin.
Chapter 27
Interviews
Brian Ahern, Carlene Carter, John Carter Cash, Marshall Grant, Jan Howard, David McGee, Lou Robin, Mark Stielper, Johnny Western.
Chapter 28
Interviews
Brian Ahern, Rick Blackburn, John Carter Cash, Kathy Cash, Lou Robin, Marty Stuart.
Articles, Essays, and Reviews
O’Shaughnessy, Anne. “Johnny Cash Sued by Former Associates.” Memphis Press Scimitar, June 23, 1981.
Chapter 29
Interviews
Rick Blackburn, Cindy Cash, John Carter Cash, Johnny Cash, Rosanne Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Bill Miller, Robert K. Oermann, Steve Popovich, Mark Stielper, Marty Stuart.
Articles, Essays, and Reviews
Oermann, Robert K. “‘Man in Black’ without a Label.” Nashville Tennessean, July 16, 1986.
———. “Reporter’s Aim Was in Wrong Direction.” Nashville Tennessean, July 21, 1986.
Chapter 30
Interviews
Johnny Cash, Jack Clement, David Ferguson, Kti Jensen, Kris Kristofferson, Steve Popovich, Lou Robin, Marty Stuart.
Articles, Essays, and Reviews
“Cash Critical, but Stable after By-Pass Surgery.” Nashville Banner, December 20, 1988.
Graham, Rex. “Cash Vows Lifestyle Change Following Hospital Release.” Nashville Banner, January 3, 1989.
Chapter 31
Interviews
Bono, Johnny Cash, Rosanne Cash, Lou Robin, Ted Rollins, Rick Rubin, Mark Stielper, Marty Stuart.
Articles, Essays, and Reviews
Appleton, Charlie. “Missouri Town Gets Johnny Cash Park.” Nashville Banner, April 30, 1991.
Pond, Steve. “Broken Down in Branson.” In Cash by the Editors of Rolling Stone.
Chapter 32
Interviews
Carlene Carter, John Carter Cash, Johnny Cash, Kathy Cash, Rosanne Cash, Tom Petty, Lou Robin, Rick Rubin, Mark Stielper, Tom Petty, Johnny Western.
Articles, Essays, and Reviews
Pond, Steve. “Broken Down in Branson.” In Johnny Cash by the Editors of Rolling Stone.
Chapter 33
Interviews
Cindy Cash, Johnny Cash, David Ferguson, W. S. Holland, James Keach, Tom Petty, Lou Robin, Rick Rubin, Marty Stuart, Jimmy Tittle.
Articles, Essays, and Reviews
Sylvester, Ron. “‘Man in Black’ Charges Out of Branson Shows.” Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader, November 22, 1986.
Chapter 34
Interviews
Bono, John Carter Cash, Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, David Ferguson, Merle Haggard, Vicky Hamilton, Lou Robin, Rick Rubin.
Articles, Essays, and Reviews
DeCurtis, Anthony. “Johnny Cash Won’t Back Down.” In Johnny Cash by the Editors of Rolling Stone.
Chapter 35
Interviews
John Carter Cash, Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Rosanne Cash, David Ferguson, Vicky Hamilton, Aris McGarry, Mark Romanek, Rick Rubin, Marty Stuart, Kevin Weatherly.
Articles, Essays, and Reviews
Fine, Jason. “Home Sweet Home: In the Studio with Johnny Cash.” In Johnny Cash by the Editors of Rolling Stone.
Chapter 36
Interviews
Cindy Cash, John Carter Cash, Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Kathy Cash, Rosanne Cash, Tara Cash, David Ferguson, Kti Jensen, Dr. Terri Jerkins, Phil Maffetone, Karen Robin, Lou Robin, Ted Rollins, Rick Rubin, Mark Stielper, Marty Stuart.
The author is grateful for permission to quote lyrics from the following songs:
From SONG OF CASH, INC. All Rights Administered by BUG MUSIC, INC., a BMG CHRYSALIS COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission. Reprinted by Permission of Hal Leonard Corporation: “Before My Time,” Words and Music by John R. Cash, © 2000; “Delia’s Gone,” Words and Music by John R. Cash © 1994; “Like a Soldier,” Words and Music by John R. Cash © 1993; “The Man Comes Around,” Words and Music by John R. Cash © 2002; “The Man in Black,” Words and Music by John R. Cash. © 1971 (Renewed 1999); “What Is Truth?,” Words and Music by John R. Cash. © 1970 (Renewed 1998)
From HOUSE OF CASH, INC. (BMI) All Rights Administered by BUG MUSIC, INC., A BMG CHRYSALIS COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission. Reprinted by Permission of Hal Leonard Corporation: “Big River,” Words and Music by John R. Cash © 1958 (Renewed 1986); “Cry, Cry, Cry,” Words and Music by John R. Cash © 1956 (Renewed 1984); “Folsom Prison Blues,” Words and Music by John R. Cash © 1956 (Renewed 1984); “Give My Love to Rose,” Words and Music by John R. Cash © 1957 (Renewed 1985); “Hey, Porter,” Words and Music by John R. Cash © 1957 (Renewed 1985); “I Walk the Line,” Words and Music by John R. Cash © 1956 (Renewed 1984); “Luther Played the Boogie,” Words and Music by John R. Cash © 1959 (Renewed 1987); “So Doggone Lonesome,” Words and Music by John R. Cash © 1956 (Renewed 1984).
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