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Cash: The Autobiography

by Johnny Cash , Patrick Carr

4.08 of 5 stars 4.08 · rating details · 13,360 ratings · 520 reviews

The personal story of an American icon – Johnny Cash–in his own words.

He was the "Man in Black," a country music legend, the "quintessential American troubadour." He was an icon of rugged individualism who had been to hell and back, telling the tale as never before. In his unforgettable autobiography, Johnny Cash tells the truth about the highs and lows, the struggles and ...more

Paperback , 432 pages

Published August 5th 1998 by HarperTorch (first published 1997)

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Jan 16, 2012 Tessa Rose rated it 5 of 5 stars

In the movie High Fidelity, the main character is talking about the well-known books he has read and then concludes with, "But I have to say my all time favorite book is Johnny Cash's autobiography, Cash by Johnny Cash." This line in this movie is the sole reason I first decided to read this book. It captured me almost immediately as Cash describes growing up poor in the South and picking cotton. His life story is incredible and told with all the beauty and lyrical language that made him a great ...more

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Anders Gatten I actually looked up this book for exactly the same reason. I haven't listened to a whole lot of Cash, but I'd trust Rob Gordon to know a good music a ...more
Apr 01, 2014 07:46PM

Brian I am watching high fidelity again right now and looked up the book here while I am watching. I have grown to appreciate Johnny Cash and look forward t ...more
Jul 26, 2014 06:51PM

Hugo Blanco Sandoval that was not my only reason to read it but that was what finally pushed me to it
Aug 26, 2015 08:51PM

Jan 27, 2011 Steve rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography , non-fiction , rock-dreams-and-lost-highways , christianity

I usually find entertainer biographies sort of boring. I rarely read them, or if I do pick one up, it’s unlikely I’ll even finish it. That proved not to be the case with Johnny Cash’s autobiography, Cash . I’m guessing the book was probably organized and written by Patrick Carr, with Cash supplying the tapes. But Carr stays out of the way, and from page 1, it’s Cash’s voice that you hear. What a life! A lot of it I already knew, the drugs, the music, June Carter. And some I didn’t (a near fatal e I usually find entertainer biographies sort of boring. I rarely read them, or if I do pick one up, it’s unlikely I’ll even finish it. That proved not to be the case with Johnny Cash’s autobiography, Cash . I’m guessing the book was probably organized and written by Patrick Carr, with Cash supplying the tapes. But Carr stays out of the way, and from page 1, it’s Cash’s voice that you hear. What a life! A lot of it I already knew, the drugs, the music, June Carter. And some I didn’t (a near fatal encounter with an enraged ostrich might get # 1 overall). But to read it, see it, through Cash’s eyes, hear it through his voice, leaves me with an even greater respect for the seriousness with which he would come to live his life. His humility, his dark places (lots of warts there), and his faith, are all here. That last point, his faith, cannot be downplayed. I would say about a third of the book deals with Cash’s faith in God, and his struggles with drugs and depression. This is no glory hallelujah tale, but a story of man just trying to get some traction in his life, to line his beliefs up with the way he was living his life. In one remarkable passage, Cash recounts, in a Jonah like tale, how he crawled deep into cave, jacked up on drugs, pretty much ready to die. Well, he had a “moment,” and crawled back toward the light. For me, this spoke more powerfully than that wildly overrated snooze fest, Augustine’s Confessions .

Beyond the religious aspects of the book, Cash writes about an America, or perhaps more accurately, an American South that no longer exists. Shoot, it was fast disappearing when Cash was rising to prominence in the late fifties and early sixties. Cash remembers what it was like to pick cotton, or listen to the radio for his entertainment. Country was really Country back then. Early on in the book he levels a withering charge at the up and coming crop of Country stars:

I was talking with a friend of mine about this the other day: that country life as I knew it might really be a thing of the past and when music people today, performers and fans alike, talk about being “country,” they don’t mean they know or even care about the land and the life it sustains and regulates. They’re talking more about choices – a way to look, a group to belong to, a kind of music to call their own. Which begs a question: Is there anything behind the symbols or modern “country,” or are the symbols the whole story? Are the hats, the boots, the pickup trucks, and the honky tonking poses all that’s left of a disintegrating culture? Back in Arkansas, a way of life produced a certain kind of music. Does a certain kind of music now produce a way of life?

As far as older crop goes, if you like old Country (and Rock and Roll) music, you’ll be treated to numerous stories about such stars as Patsy Cline, Porter Wagner, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Marty Stewart, Connie Smith, Maybelle Carter, Roy Orbison, and many others. Also, all phases of Cash’s life (up until age 65 or so), get covered. In particular, I enjoyed his remembrances regarding The Johnny Cash Show , but also the simpler stuff, like when he’s just talking about his kids and grandkids. Toward the end of the book, he recounts his first meetings with Rick Rubin, which would put into motion a remarkable string of recordings (the “American Recordings”) that Cash would put together toward the end of his life. At that point, Cash didn’t even have a record company. Fortunately, Rubin saw Cash for the giant he was, and proceeded with a project that allowed Cash to be Cash. Interestingly, all of this music came out at time when Cash rapidly declined physically. If you have the last album, also titled Cash , check out the back cover, with Cash, spectral, prophetic, barely visible through the window, staring back at us. (I couldn't help but be reminded of Paul's "Through a glass darkly.." in 1 Corinthians 13.) For followers of the Man in Black, we couldn’t be more thankful for such an extended gift. This book is a perfect accompaniment.
...more

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May 15, 2015 Jonathan Ashleigh rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book because the main character in High Fidelity says that it is his favorite book but I don't know how that could be true. Some of the stories in it were slightly interesting but there was no overall story and most of the book was listing off people Cash knew in his life. He describes his many properties and even tells of the hardships his children encountered trying to make it in the entertainment industry because of their famous father, neglecting the fact that they were given tre ...more

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jaymaster77 being an atheist, I can agree with you on the whole born again Christian mumbo-jumbo in the book, what I don't understand in your review though is: wh ...more
Jan 13, 2015 12:37AM

Jonathan Ashleigh Giuliano wrote: "being an atheist, I can agree with you on the whole born again Christian mumbo-jumbo in the book, what I don't understand in your rev ...more
Jan 13, 2015 12:37PM

Kristy He was never married three times & I highly doubt that he cheated on June. I get your stand point on him but Christians are also human with the sa ...more
Feb 11, 2015 02:50PM

Jul 17, 2012 Kelsey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Johnny Cash is perceptive, genuine, candid, and driven in his writing. He lived some CRAZY stories. Drugs, travel, concerts, near death experiences, family, and redemption woven through it all. Despite the fact that this man was plenty wealthy throughout his career, he seemed to always stay focused on what mattered and kept his heart and head level. He owned several homes but at the end of the day cherished walking barefoot at his farmhouse in Tennessee, sitting on the porch in the quiet evening ...more

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Apr 22, 2008 Wade rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: music , favorites

Basically this book is about as close as you’ll get to sitting on the back deck of Johnny Cash’s house at 8:00 in the morning, drinking a cup of coffee and hearing him tell a bunch of stories. The book is not chronological, and it doesn’t even fit into any logical order. But, somehow the stories all connect to one another and give the book this perfect flow. It’s like when he finishes telling one story that will somehow remind him of something else so he just starts talking about that for a whil ...more

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May 14, 2009 El rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to El by: The movie, High Fidelity.

Shelves: cultural-studies-and-other , radio-ga-ga

The thing about a lot of memoirs written by celebrities in their later years is that they're given a lot of leeway to... ramble. Johnny Cash was no exception, and let's be honest - it's Johnny Cash. Who in their right mind would tell him, "Hey, why don't you reign it in a little, huh buddy?" That was never going to happen. So Cash wrote about his life, and sometimes it made sense and sometimes it made something a little shy of sense, but it's still his memoir. And he deserved the chance to tell The thing about a lot of memoirs written by celebrities in their later years is that they're given a lot of leeway to... ramble. Johnny Cash was no exception, and let's be honest - it's Johnny Cash. Who in their right mind would tell him, "Hey, why don't you reign it in a little, huh buddy?" That was never going to happen. So Cash wrote about his life, and sometimes it made sense and sometimes it made something a little shy of sense, but it's still his memoir. And he deserved the chance to tell his story.

His story here starts with his childhood, and he discusses the death of his brother and his rise to fame and his adoration of June Carter the first time he met her. Much of this was a repeat to me after having seen the movie, Walk the Line , but it was good to see what the movie got historically right. Then Cash delves into talking about his singer friends, of which he had many, and then his family, of which he also had many, and then about his stint with amphetamines and pills, of which he had probably the most of out of anything else in his life. He tells stories about ostrich attacks and the reader is just like, "Whoa, what a bad ass". As if there was previously a question of his bad-assedness.

Still, he meanders significantly, sometimes leading to difficulty in the reading. I can't hold it against him, though, because it's what makes his story so real. He wasn't the best writer, but then that's not what he was known for anyhow. His love for June, according to this book, was intense and incredible, as was his faith in his later years. He has respect for just about every person he's met, whether they screwed him over or not, and that's admirable. You would think Cash would have wound up a bitter old man with a heart made of broken brick, but he really seemed to have become a gentle man who found talent and beauty in the world.

Possibly my favorite part of the book is the several times he makes reference to his own book, Man in Black . How often does a writer actually reference himself? That's pretty cool, and he's probably the only man who could pull it off without coming across as pretentious. ...more

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Feb 14, 2013 J. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites , music , memoir-and-autobiography , non-fiction

It's an understatement to say that Johnny Cash had a well lived in life. He was a mad dog, music star, son of a gun but also a down to earth, spiritual, deep thinker.

The first part of the book gives us a brief introduction, Cash is in Jamaica writing the start of the book, he then starts the story proper, detailing his early life growing up on his fathers farm picking cotton in the fields, a bereavement that changed his life and his time in Germany with the U.S airforce intercepting Russian comm It's an understatement to say that Johnny Cash had a well lived in life. He was a mad dog, music star, son of a gun but also a down to earth, spiritual, deep thinker.

The first part of the book gives us a brief introduction, Cash is in Jamaica writing the start of the book, he then starts the story proper, detailing his early life growing up on his fathers farm picking cotton in the fields, a bereavement that changed his life and his time in Germany with the U.S airforce intercepting Russian communications. His return to America, his marriage to Vivian the beginnings of his career, signing to sun records.

The next part details his friendships, June Carter Cash, life on the road, his tear away existence, drug abuse. The final part- his recovery, family matters, spiritual life.

There are many many interesting anecdotes and stories. He cheated death more times than I could count. He knew and met some of the rockabilly, folk, rock and roll, country leading lights- Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Kris Kristoffersen, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, Elvis, Carl Perkins to name but a few. One of my favourite stories is about the genesis of the song 'Blue Suede Shoes' written by Carl Perkins not! Elvis.

My favourite passage is about what country music truly is, so many people nowadays write off country music and think its about rodeos, line dancing, silly hats the Dixie Chicks, Garth Brooks... it's so much more and it spawned a lot of genres that people who profess to hate country music love- folk, blue grass, rockabilly, rock and roll, indie rock, pop. It's relevant.

"when music people today, performers and fans alike, talk about being 'country', they don't mean they know or even care about the land and the life it sustains and regulates. They're talking more about choices - a way to look, a group to belong to, a kind of music to call their own. Which begs the question: Is there anything behind the symbols of modern 'country', or are the symbols themselves the whole story? Are the hats, the boots, the pickup trucks, and the honky-tonking poses all that's left of a disintegrating culture? Back in Arkansas, a way of life produced a certain kind of music. Does a certain kind of music now produce a way of life? Maybe that's okay. I don't know."

The only criticism I have read is that he doesn't settle old scores, why should he? He has a lot to be grateful for, and states that the book is a way of complimenting people he hasn't really had the chance to compliment over the years.The only criticism I can give is that there is no index so I had to note down all the musicians, songs he mentioned for further listening purposes.

How many musicians do you know produce great songs in old age and remain relevant? The movie is really just the tip of the iceberg. Recommended to all music fans. ...more

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Sep 19, 2007 Adam Siegel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This isnt one of those ghostwritten autobiographies. Neither is it some crazy tell all, get the skeletons out of the closet, woe is me story.

This is exactly what it says: Cash by Johnny Cash. It's the Man In Black telling his own story. In his own voice.

He tells you how to pick cotton, the real story of blue suede shoes, what it feels like to dig imaginary spiders out of your own skin, and why he painted the windows on his camper black. Answer: so he could sleep during the day when he was high ...more

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Mar 05, 2015 Richard Ward rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fans of Johnny Cash or of classic country music.

My 3 favorite country music singers of all time are Johnny Cash, Hank Williams Sr., and Merle Haggard. So of course I loved Cash's second autobiography. (The first is Man In Black and was published in 1975.) Cash is not a true autobiography, though, but instead is a collection of memoirs written in a stream of consciousness style. He wrote the first chapter in Jamaica, and so in that chapter he writes about the parts of his life that Jamaica reminds him of. The second chapter he wrote on a tour ...more

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Jul 27, 2010 Rowland Bismark rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ever since the character played by John Cusak in the movie High Fidelity listed "Cash by Johnny Cash" as his number one book I knew I would have to read it. I sure didn't hurt that I loved this movie a whole lot. The book proved not to be my number one favorite but certainly was an eye opener and a fast fun book in many respects.

Cash is pretty easy to read, straightforward, honest and informative. His life story is definitely worthy of a book (or two). From very humble beginnings to the top bac ...more

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May 16, 2013 Matthew Richmond rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ever since I watched The Band's Levon Helm describe in Martin Scorsese's classic 'The Last Waltz' with such effervescence and longing about Cotton Country, Memphis and the Melting Pot, I wanted to know more about what he was talking about. Then I remembered, Johnny Cash lived in the Cotton fields.

This was an engrossing read. Johnny pours out his soul. It's his voice all the way through. His vivid descriptions of nature's allure, his recollections of Jamaica and that terrible robbery, Elvis, Jer ...more

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Apr 11, 2011 Jason rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: music

Given the hype surrounding Johnny Cash for the previous 7 or 8 years, I had sort of reached a saturation point, where I just didn't need any more. I had loved his music for a long time, appreciated the man and the voice he had, but didn't need much else. Someone bought me this for Christmas, and it was one of the most moving things I had ever read. He is honest, humble, and most importantly, contemplative about his life and what it means. It changed dramatically the way I felt and thought about ...more

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Aug 20, 2015 Kissmekate rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Er war einer der ganz Großen im amerikanischen Musikbusiness, nahm unzählige Platten auf und setzte einige Meilensteine in der Musikgeschichte, nicht zuletzt durch seine Auftritte in den Gefängnissen von Folsom und San Quentin. Johnny Cash dürfte so ziemlich jedem ein Begriff sein, der sich mit Musik beschäftigt, und sei es nur durch das untötbare "Ring of Fire". Wer aber ist der Mensch, der hinter der markanten Stimme und den eingängigen Songs steckt?

In seiner gemeinsam mit Patrick Carr verfass Er war einer der ganz Großen im amerikanischen Musikbusiness, nahm unzählige Platten auf und setzte einige Meilensteine in der Musikgeschichte, nicht zuletzt durch seine Auftritte in den Gefängnissen von Folsom und San Quentin. Johnny Cash dürfte so ziemlich jedem ein Begriff sein, der sich mit Musik beschäftigt, und sei es nur durch das untötbare "Ring of Fire". Wer aber ist der Mensch, der hinter der markanten Stimme und den eingängigen Songs steckt?

In seiner gemeinsam mit Patrick Carr verfassten Autobiographie gewährt Cash Einblick in seine bewegte Lebensgeschichte. Bereits während der Kindheit in allereinfachsten Verhältnissen spielt Musik eine wichtige Rolle - bei und nach der harten Arbeit auf den Baumwollfeldern, wo er und seine Geschwister schon früh mithelfen müssen, wurde viel gesungen, und das Allergrößte für den kleinen J. R. Cash ist es, als die Familie ein Radio bekommt. Während seines Militärdienstes in Deutschland kauft er sich dann seine erste Gitarre, und nur wenige Jahre später hat sich sein Traum, selbst im Radio aufzutreten, wunderbarerweise erfüllt.

Der Erfolg hat aber ganz dunkle Schattenseiten: Alkohol, Tabletten, Drogen, Streitereien, demolierte Hotelzimmer, Autounfälle, das Scheitern seiner ersten Ehe. Immer wieder muss Cash gegen Depressionen und Abhängigkeit kämpfen, nur um immer wieder von neuem in ein Loch zu fallen, trotz des Erfolgs und trotz der unerschütterlichen Liebe und Unterstützung durch seine zweite Frau June, die mit ihm auch musikalisch sehr erfolgreich ist.

Doch letztendlich blickt Cash in diesem 1997 erschienenen Buch trotz allem dankbar und ohne Bitterkeit auf sein bisheriges Leben zurück, was ich beachtlich finde. Es klingt, als habe er irgendwann seinen Frieden mit allem gemacht und aus den Fehlern und Rückschlägen gelernt, wohl auch, weil er in seiner großen Familie und seinem Glauben Rückhalt gefunden hat.

Autobiographien sind ja oft so eine Sache. Nicht jeder berühmte Mensch hat wirklich viel Interessantes zu berichten oder versteht zu schreiben, doch dieses Buch gehört zu den gelungenen Exemplaren, inhaltlich wie sprachlich sehr ansprechend.

Dass nicht streng chronologisch, sondern eher grob nach Themen sortiert erzählt wird, hat mir sehr gut gefallen. So gehen Zusammenhänge zwischen zeitlich weit auseinanderliegenden Ereignissen nicht verloren, und dem Leser bleibt das oft eher langweilige Aneinanderreihen von Episoden erspart.

Man erfährt auf verhältnismäßig wenigen Seiten ziemlich viel über den Menschen Johnny Cash, alleine schon durch die Art und Weise, wie er seine Umgebung schildert. Trotz der jahrzehntelangen Karriere im Musik- und Showbusiness ist er immer der Junge vom Land und ein Naturbursche geblieben, das kam in vielen kleinen Nebensätzen sehr schön zum Ausdruck. Überhaupt habe ich viele berührende Sätze und Szenen in diesem Buch gefunden, was ich so gar nicht erwartet hätte.

Gefallen hat mir auch, dass Cash stets respektvoll bleibt, wenn er über andere Menschen schreibt, selbst über solche, mit denen es zu einem Bruch gekommen ist. Dreckige Wäsche wird hier zum Glück nicht gewaschen, und Selbstbeweihräucherung findet genausowenig statt. Cashs christlicher Glaube spielt zwar eine wichtige Rolle, doch er trägt ihn nicht aufdringlich vor sich her. Auch das fand ich sehr sympathisch.

Abgerundet wird das Buch durch zwei Blöcke mit Fotos aus Cashs komplettem Leben und durch eine (Teil)Diskographie.

Sehr empfehlenswert für alle, die mehr über den "Man in Black" erfahren wollen! ...more

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May 31, 2008 Taylor rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Great book. Only for the true Johnny Cash fans? NO! It's a great book! I personally love Johnny Cash so this is a great book to me!

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Mar 17, 2008 D.J. O'Donnell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ostrich wounds and flying hospitals. 'Nuff said.

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Feb 28, 2014 Rinn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography , own , non-fiction , read-2014

A brilliant story of a brilliant man.

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Mar 29, 2015 Kasia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Życie Casha to na pewno wspaniały materiał na książkę. Nie jestem fanem, jednak podziwiam go jako artystę i jestem pełna uzania za jego wkład w rozwój muzyki. Oczywiście najbadziej lubimy te kawałki, które dobrze znamy, czyli dla mnie wciagające były fragmenty skupiające się na początkach jego kariery, gdy nagrywał dla the Sun, jeżdził w trasy z Elvisem czy Jerrym Lee Lewisem, uzależnił się od narkotyków, poznał June Carter i wytrzeźwiał, nagrał Folsom Prison Blues, a także o okolicznociach pows ...more

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Dec 02, 2013 Jaime rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Would give it three and a half if that was an option.

This is worth reading for the amazing sentences scattered throughout. The first sentence -- "My line comes down from Queen Ada, the sister of Malcolm IV, descended from King Duff, the first King of Scotland." That is pretty wonderful.

In the extras for one of my favorite films, the director talks about trying to cast a certain character, and how the challenge was wrestling with the fact that the person was born into a fascist state of sorts wit Would give it three and a half if that was an option.

This is worth reading for the amazing sentences scattered throughout. The first sentence -- "My line comes down from Queen Ada, the sister of Malcolm IV, descended from King Duff, the first King of Scotland." That is pretty wonderful.

In the extras for one of my favorite films, the director talks about trying to cast a certain character, and how the challenge was wrestling with the fact that the person was born into a fascist state of sorts with the soul of an artist. When looking for the actor for the role, they had to consider what that would mean for how this person found his way in the world.

This comment kept ringing in my head while I read this book. I love the idea of "being born with the soul of an artist" and I think Cash's autobiography actually brought that phrase to life for me -- what that would mean about who you were and how you thought and what you did.

How you would think nothing of buying a Range Rover with painted flowers on it.

And how things would have the slow grace of romance around them; properties made homes all the more because of the way you could describe the location's beating heart.

And what would happen when you wrestled with sadness.

One thing I really do struggle with in autobiographies of men, though, particularly men of a certain era, is the way that their first wives tend to get minimized. As the men are out on their adventures gathering the stories for their history, the women are holding down the home, putting up with workaholic or drug use, raising the children. Cash was rather respectful in his treatment of Vivian in this text but I do wonder if the scarcity of mentions, etc, was the only way to get that done. And in the back of my mind rings an interview I read with Rosanne Cash in which she stated: "June once said to my mother -- He WILL be mine, Vivian." And I get nervous.

But we need love stories, don't we? Maybe it doesn't hurt too much...to have Cash and June be The Ultimate Destined Romance.

The book is good. Very recommended for anyone into music, country music, the South, artists.

...more

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Dec 06, 2013 Caroline rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: canonical-bookclub

I asked Jaime if it was right to listen to pop country while finishing Cash by Cash, and then J.R lobbed a compliment to Trisha Yearwood on the last page....which is exactly how generous this book is. 4 stars when he's talking about the things he loves (June, old friends, homes, faith, Nickajack Cave, pills, Dolly Parton, study) or regrets (Vivian, absence, addiction).

On June:

"She's the easiest woman in the world for me to live with, I guess because I know her so well, and she knows me so well, ...more

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Jul 05, 2015 Hannah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2015

Being a Johnny Cash fan already I spotted this book while shopping and had to pick it up. I enjoyed it from start to finish. Cash had so many interesting stories to tell, from tragedy, his addiction to drugs, to his fame and meeting his wife June. This autobiography gives such an amazing insight to Johnny's life from his childhood on the cotton field to his staggering career in music. Even if you aren't a fan of Johnny Cash I would recommend this book because it's such an inspiring and heartwarm ...more

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Aug 07, 2014 Adam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The first half of the book had me engrossed. Wildly entertaining anecdotes mixed with insightful reflections on life and faith. It waned slightly towards the end but I think that was due more to my ignorance of country music than the book itself.

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Feb 10, 2015 Joe Rodeck rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*Memoirs* would be more accurate. Johnny Cash uses most of these pages to praise friends and family. However, it's much too superficial; for example, to say I saw Linda Ronstadt and the whole crowd loved her . . . I'm not sure he even met the singer.

He does get into his life long battle with pills: amphetamines and pain killers. But was there a rock bottom? a brush with death? No depth! I took these pills and those pills . . . .

Where is the "My fault?" No explanation for the divorce of his f ...more

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Feb 25, 2008 Ben rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love Johnny Cash, but if you are going to read an autobiography of his read “Man in Black.” This one has a little to much about Jesus in it and he too often starts on a good subject but then says I wont go into that because I covered it in my first autobiography.

Favorite Quote (paraphrase): “the biggest difference I can see about being on the road today vs. when I started is that now The Colonel has Extra Crispy.”

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Sep 21, 2015 Denise rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

pg. 8- June recognizes that I operate at various levels, so she doesn't always call me John. when I'm paranoid or belligerent she'll say "go away cash. it's time for Johnny to come out" cash is her name for the star, the egomaniac. Johnny is her name for her playmate.
111- he knew his style was unique,but also that it originated in his technical limitations-- which is often the story of original sounds in popular music, even if some of us aren't comfortable having it go down in history that way. ...more

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Mar 21, 2015 Simeon Readingape rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: country-and-western

p. 235 "I was walking down 57th Street with June one Sunday morning when we happened on the First Baptist Church of New York, which we hadn't noticed before because its entrance doesn't look like a church's. We saw from a sign outside that services were just about to start, so we went in, and the strangest thing happened. The congregation was seated as we entered,but about halfway down the aiskle a young boy was turned around watching the door. He saw us, immediately jumped up, and yelled "JOHNN ...more

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May 01, 2014 Swift rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

At first, the book seems to be loaded with name dropping and seems to have the purpose of giving credit to those who inspired Cash; though this may be interesting to some, I only wanted to learn about Cash himself. However, the anecdotes that Cash tells are very rich and informational, giving deep insight into his life and how he views the world. But if I wanted to read about how Elvis performed and what kind of personality Jerry Lee Lewis had, I would read their autobiographies. I think Cash, w ...more

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Apr 09, 2014 Corinne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: memoirs

I'm not generally a big autobiography/biography fan but I do like Johnny Cash and so picked this up on a bit of a whim at a market stall at the weekend. I've really enjoyed reading this and got to the end in just a few days as I wanted to keep reading. I loved the episodic way of writing, as if Johnny was just chatting and telling old stories.

I've seen and liked the film but this feels more like the real story, not the from birth to death story but a real laying out of 'this is who I am and what ...more

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Feb 05, 2014 Conor rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Although a dislike of the central characters isn't necessarily a bar to enjoying the book, I found my distaste for Cash to do that here. His attitude also made me doubt the veracity of everything in the book.

The positives, to start with. Although it has the potential to be confusing, the way the narrative switches between Cash carrying out his present day career obligations and his career at it's height, this works quite nicely, and prevents the drug-induced drama of his downfall becoming too in Although a dislike of the central characters isn't necessarily a bar to enjoying the book, I found my distaste for Cash to do that here. His attitude also made me doubt the veracity of everything in the book.

The positives, to start with. Although it has the potential to be confusing, the way the narrative switches between Cash carrying out his present day career obligations and his career at it's height, this works quite nicely, and prevents the drug-induced drama of his downfall becoming too intense. Secondly, the descriptions of the individual characters, and the collective identity of the country-rock-folk performing community is a positive and engaging one. Whilst Cash doesn't pretend to be best friends with everyone he has encountered during his career, we get a good picture of the camaraderie between all those touring at the time, from Elvis to Waylon Jennings.

However, Cash's attitude prevents this book fulfilling its potential. Although it is impossible to know the full details of all the incidents, if Cash himself is to be believed, he was never really at fault. His description of nearly all his relationships as being resolved in one way or another to a friendship is one that is hard to take at face value. His lack of genuine remorse for a lot of his behaviour is not something I found easy to take. Although he mentions the redemptive role his second wife June played in his repeated relapses and recoveries, he seems unwilling or unable to accept the full pain he has put his family and friends through. Far too many of his actions, good, bad and lucky, are explained away as the work of God, rather than being framed in an admission of guilt.

If I had been able to look past his character, I feel I would have enjoyed this a lot more. For the reader able to do so, there are certainly a good few stories from his career, and an interesting insight into the music industry at that time. ...more

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May 18, 2015 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015

As far as autobiographies go, this one was pretty dry. The problem I have with most autobiographies is that to me, they all read like a brag list- places the person has been, people the person knows, wild and crazy things the person has accomplished, etc etc. I just can't take autobiographies too seriously(A biography is a completely different beast; I love them!).

What I wanted to read in this book- specifics about traveling, putting on shows, the ease/difficulties of this type of lifestyle, how ...more

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Jul 19, 2015 Travis McClain rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I bought a paperback copy of this several years ago, but for whatever reason never got around to opening it. I've been on a big Cash kick for the last few months, though, during which I went on a three-day/two-night road trip with a friend that traced his life and career in reverse chronology from his grave site in Hendersonville down to the Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville, then on to Sun Studio in Memphis and ending at his boyhood home in Dyess. I thought about reading this before the trip, in ...more

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About Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash, born J. R. Cash, also known as "The Man in Black", was a multiple Grammy Award-winning American country singer-songwriter. Cash is widely considered to be one of the most influential American musicians of the 20th century.

Cash was known for his deep, distinctive voice, his trademark dark clothing which earned him his nickname, the boom-chick-a-boom or "freight train" sound of his Tenn ...more

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“There's no way around grief and loss: you can dodge all you want, but sooner or later you just have to go into it, through it, and, hopefully, come out the other side. The world you find there will never be the same as the world you left.” — 43 likes

“They're powerful, those songs. At times they've been my only way back, the only door out of the dark, bad places the black dog calls home.” — 39 likes

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