People named John Cash

Artist Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Johnny Cash was one of the most imposing and influential figures in post-World War II country music. With his deep, resonant baritone and spare percussive guitar, he had a basic, distinctive sound. Cash didn't sound like Nashville, nor did he sound like honky tonk or rock & roll. He created his own subgenre, falling halfway between the blunt emotional honesty of folk, the rebelliousness of rock & roll, and the world-weariness of country. Cash's career coincided with the birth of rock & roll, and his rebellious attitude and simple, direct musical attack shared a lot of similarities with rock. However, there was a deep sense of history -- as he would later illustrate with his series of historical albums -- that kept him forever tied with country. And he was one of country music's biggest stars of the '50s and '60s, scoring well over 100 hit singles. Cash, whose birth name was J.R. Cash, was born and raised in Arkansas, moving to Dyess when he was three. By the time he was 12 years old, he had begun writing his own songs. He was inspired by the country songs he had heard on the radio. While he was in high school, he sang on the Arkansas radio station KLCN. Cash graduated from high school in 1950, moving to Detroit to work in an auto factory for a brief while. During the evenings, he played country music in a trio that also consisted of guitarist Luther Perkins and bassist Marshall Grant. The trio occasionally played for free on a local radio station, KWEM, and tried to secure gigs and an audition at Sun Records. Cash finally landed an audition with Sun Records and its founder, Sam Phillips, in 1955. Initially, Cash presented himself as a gospel singer, but Phillips turned him down. Phillips asked him to come back with something more commercial. Cash returned with "Hey Porter," which immediately caught Phillips' ear. Soon, Cash released "Cry Cry Cry"/"Hey Porter" as his debut single for Sun. On the single, Phillips billed Cash as "Johnny," which upset the singer because he felt it sounded too young; the record producer also dubbed Perkins and Grant as the Tennessee Two. "Cry Cry Cry" became a success upon its release in 1955, entering the country charts at number 14 and leading to a spot on The Louisiana Hayride, where he stayed for nearly a year. A second single, "Folsom Prison Blues," reached the country Top Five in early 1956 and its follow-up, "I Walk the Line," was number one for six weeks and crossed over into the pop Top 20. With His Hot and Blue GuitarCash had an equally successful year in 1957, scoring several country hits including the Top 15 "Give My Love to Rose." Cash also made his Grand Ole Opry debut that year, appearing all in black where the other performers were decked out in flamboyant, rhinestone-studded outfits. Eventually, he earned the nickname of "The Man in Black." Cash became the first Sun artist to release a long-playing album in November of 1957, when Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar hit the stores. Cash's success continued to roll throughout 1958, as he earned his biggest hit, "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" (number one for ten weeks), as well another number one single, "Guess Things Happen That Way." For most of 1958, Cash attempted to record a gospel album, but Sun refused to allow him to record one. Sun also was unwilling to increase Cash's record royalties. Both of these were deciding factors in the vocalist's decision to sign with Columbia Records in 1958. By the end of the year, he had released his first single for the label, "All Over Again," which became another Top Five success. Sun continued to release singles and albums of unissued Cash material into the '60s. Hymns by Johnny Cash "Don't Take Your Guns to Town," Cash's second single for Columbia, was one of his biggest hits, reaching the top of the country charts and crossing over into the pop charts in the beginning of 1959. Throughout that year, Columbia and Sun singles vied for the top of the charts. Generally, the Columbia releases -- "Frankie's Man Johnny," "I Got Stripes," and "Five Feet High and Rising" -- fared better than the Sun singles, but "Luther Played the Boogie" did climb into the Top Ten. That same year, Cash had the chance to make his gospel record -- Hymns by Johnny Cash -- which kicked off a series of thematic albums that ran into the '70s. The Tennessee Two became the Tennessee Three in 1960 with the addition of drummer W.S. Holland. Though he was continuing to have hits, the relentless pace of his career was beginning to take a toll on Cash. In 1959, he had begun taking amphetamines to help him get through his schedule of nearly 300 shows a year. June Carter -- who was the wife of one of Cash's drinking buddies, Carl Smith -- would provide Cash with his return to the top of the charts with "Ring of Fire," which she co-wrote with Merle Kilgore. "Ring of Fire" spent seven weeks on the top of the charts and was a Top 20 pop hit. Cash continued his success in 1964 as "Understand Your Man" became a number one hit. His career began to bounce back as "Jackson" and "Rosanna's Going Wild" became Top Ten hits. Early in 1968, Cash proposed marriage to June Carter during a concert; the pair were married that spring. His great hit, "Folsom Prison Blues," also crossed over into the pop charts. By the end of the year, the record had gone gold. The following year, he released a sequel, Johnny Cash at San Quentin, which had his only Top Ten pop single, "A Boy Named Sue," which peaked at number three; it also hit number one on the country charts. Cash guested on Bob Dylan's 1969 country-rock album Nashville Skyline. Dylan returned the favor by appearing on the first episode of The Johnny Cash Show, the singer's television program for ABC. The Johnny Cash Show ran for two years, between 1969 and 1971. His record sales were equally healthy as "Sunday Morning Coming Down" and "Flesh and Blood" were number one hits. Throughout 1971, Cash continued to have hits, including the Top Three "Man in Black." Both Cash and Carter became more socially active in the early '70s, campaigning for the civil rights of Native Americans and prisoners, as well as frequently working with Billy Graham. Man in Black, Cash's autobiography, was published in 1975. In 1980, he became the youngest inductee to the Country Music Hall of Fame. His first album for the label, American Recordings, was produced by the label's founder, Rick Rubin, and was a stark, acoustic collection of songs. American Recordings, while not a blockbuster success, revived his career critically and brought him in touch with a younger, rock-oriented audience. In 1995, the Highwaymen released their third album, The Road Goes on Forever. The following year, Cash released his second album for American Records, Unchained, which featured support from Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. "Hurt" garnered considerable acclaim and media attention, culminating in an unexpected nomination for video of the year at the MTV Video Music Awards. Not long after the video sparked numerous stories, his beloved wife June Carter Cash died on May 15, 2003, of complications following heart surgery. Four months later, Johnny died of complications from diabetes in Nashville, TN. He was 71. Five months later, the compilation Legend of Johnny Cash became a Top Ten hit.

John A Jr Cash of San Diego, San Diego County, California was born on April 21, 1922, and died at age 54 years old in December 1976.

John W Cash of Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas was born on November 3, 1930, and died at age 49 years old on April 3, 1980. John Cash was buried at Ft. Scott National Cemetery Section 14 Site 439 900 East National Street, in Fort Scott.

John R Cash of Brooksville, Hernando County, FL was born on September 21, 1916, and died at age 83 years old on February 15, 2000. John Cash was buried at Florida National Cemetery Section 402 Site 1197 6502 Sw. 102nd Ave., in Bushnell.

John H Cash of Stamford, Fairfield County, CT was born on March 22, 1914, and died at age 63 years old in February 1978.

John H Cash of Freeport, Brazoria County, TX was born on June 6, 1925, and died at age 77 years old on January 17, 2003.

John W Cash of Crossville, De Kalb County, AL was born on March 24, 1924, and died at age 83 years old on February 10, 2008.

John P Cash of Knoxville, Knox County, TN was born on June 16, 1920, and died at age 69 years old on October 15, 1989.

John S Cash of Jackson, Madison County, TN was born on May 15, 1918, and died at age 82 years old on January 23, 2001.

John M Cash Jr of Blountville, Sullivan County, TN was born on September 30, 1920, and died at age 67 years old on February 2, 1988. John Cash was buried at Mountain Home National Cemetery Section LL Site 2423 P.o. Box 8 - Va Medical Center, in Johnson City.

John C Cash of Chattanooga, Hamilton County, TN was born on May 24, 1910, and died at age 84 years old on November 14, 1994. John Cash was buried at Chattanooga National Cemetery Section DD Site 206 1200 Bailey Avenue, in Chattanooga.

John P Cash of Haverhill, Essex County, MA was born on August 31, 1907 in Irish Free State, and died at age 71 years old in July 1979.

John L Cash of Franklin, Heard County, GA was born on July 6, 1922, and died at age 84 years old on May 3, 2007.

John R Cash of Aurora, Dearborn County, Indiana was born on February 14, 1913, and died at age 60 years old in November 1973.

John F Cash of Portland, Cumberland County, ME was born on November 19, 1919, and died at age 65 years old in April 1985.

John M Cash of Youngstown, Mahoning County, OH was born on February 6, 1921, and died at age 70 years old in April 1991.

John R Cash of Creedmoor, Granville County, NC was born on December 6, 1925, and died at age 62 years old on January 8, 1988.

John H Cash of Clarksburg, Harrison County, West Virginia was born on June 14, 1912, and died at age 62 years old in June 1974.

John L Cash of Staunton, Staunton City County, VA was born on July 21, 1922, and died at age 65 years old on March 26, 1988.

John D Cash of Baltimore, Baltimore City County, MD was born on April 20, 1926, and died at age 77 years old on December 11, 2003.

John O Cash of Atlantic City, Atlantic County, NJ was born on July 23, 1914, and died at age 70 years old in June 1985.

John B Cash of Nueces County, TX was born circa 1952. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember John B. Cash.

John L Cash of Harris County, TX was born circa 1957. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember John L. Cash.

John C Cash of Randall County, TX was born circa 1959. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember John C. Cash.

John Cash of Coburg Australia, was married to May Gain Cash, and has children William Edward Cash and Lionel Cash. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember John Cash.

John Benjamin Cash of Fitzroy North Australia. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember John Benjamin Cash.

John Benjamin Cash of Caulfield Australia, was married to Elizabeth Handson Cash, and has children Herbert Hansen Cash, Horace Sydney Cash, and Ernest Victor Cash. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember John Benjamin Cash.

John Cash of Harr Australia was born in 1871 in Harr, and died at age 1 year old in 1872.

John Cash of N Froy Australia, was married to Eliza Simons Cash, and has a child John Benjamin Cash. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember John Cash.