http://www.history-of-rock.com/johnny_cash.htm http://www.rockabillyhall.com/JohnnyCash.html http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/cash_johnny/bio.jhtml

Born February 26, 1932 Kingsland, Arkansas, U.S. Died September 12, 2003 (aged 71) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.

Walk the Line w/ Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon

Married to Vivian Liberto for 12 years. Married to June Carter for 35 years. (March 1, 1968)

Man in Black

Born with the name of J.R. Cash. in Kingsland, Arkansas on February 26, 1932 and raised in Dyess. He was originally named J.R. because the parents could not decide on the name for the boy, but the could at least decide on initials. Johnny was one of seven children: Jack, Joanne Cash Yates, Louise Garrett, Reba Hancock, Roy, and Tommy. Jack Cash, as a young boy, studied to become a pastor due to the fact that he could easily recall and tell the stories in the Bible, while Johnny seemed just as talented at recalling the hymns and songs. Johnny was very close to his brother Jack, who was two years older. In 1944, his closeness for his brother would cause him to forever remember the events of that day. Jack was pulled into a whirling table saw in the mill where he worked, and cut almost in two. He suffered for over a week before he died. Cash often spoke of the horrible guilt he felt over this incident. According to Cash: The Autobiography, his father was away that morning, but he and his mother, and Jack himself, all had premonitions or a sense of foreboding about that day, causing his mother to urge Jack to skip work and go fishing with his brother. Jack insisted on working, as the family needed the money. On his deathbed, Jack said he had visions of heaven and angels. Decades later, Cash spoke of looking forward to meeting his brother in heaven. He wrote that he had seen his brother many times in his dreams, and that Jack always looked two years older than whatever age Cash himself was at that moment. In July 7,1950 he enlisted in the Air Force, Before leaving Cash went roller skating in San Antonio, Texas. There he met Vivian Liberto, then seventeen and in her last year of high school. They dated a few weeks and wrote each other while Cash was overseas. They decided to get married when he returned. And was stationed in Germany, where he bought his first guitar. He began setting his songs to music, and one of the first was "Folsom Prison Blues." On July 3, 1954; he was honorably discharged at the rank of Staff Sergeant. The couple was wed August 7, 1954 at St. Anne’s Catholic church in San Antonio, Texas. They had four daughters: Rosanne, Kathy, Cindy, and Tara. Together, all they had was love; and things gradually went downhill. Bills began to pile up, money wasn't coming in, children were being born, and work was hard to do. Nonetheless, they stood by each other through it and it eventually benefitted the both of them. Johnny met Luther Perkins and Marshall Grant; who were more commonly known as the Tennessee Two. They worked together to play gosphel songs, and even going to Sun Records in order to persue a record deal. Apparently, though, gospel was a dime a dozen. Johnny thought back to the songs that he wrote while in the Air Force, and it was what the doctor ordered. They got their record deal. Things were good...but they would, like most good times, end. Johnny became an alcoholic, drug addict, and an adulterer during his career which began to put strain on the marriage. His drug of choice was amphetamines, but he had claimed to have done every drug there is. [The Johnny Cash Show, 1969]. Unable to take no more of this, Vivian filed for divorce in 1966. This is one of the many events that aided in Johnny's downward spiral, forcing him to go deeper into depression and drugs. An intervention conducted by the Carter's and his own family was the first step onto his recovery from drugs. From then on, Johnny's life seemed to go great. He later proposed to June at a concert in Ontario, 1968 and the couple officially tied the knot March 1, 1968. His cleanup from drugs and new found love, helped him reacquire his Christian faith; setting his life back on track. He later went on to have another child, named John Carter Cash. He went on to join a group named "The Highway Men" with Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson. As he grew on in age, his health began to decline. He was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease Shy-Drager syndrome as a complication from his diabetes. His loving wife would die May 15, 2003, and Johnny would follow about four months later. After their deaths, a film named "Walk The Line" was released in 2005. It was a biopic film, focusing primarily on the romance between June and Johnny. Johnny was portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix and June was played by Reese Witherspoon.