Throughout his career, Johnny Cash has been depicted—and has depicted himself—as a walking contradiction: social protestor and establishment patriot, drugged wildman and devout Christian crusader, rebel outlaw hillbilly thug and elder statesman. Leigh H. Edwards explores the allure of this paradoxical image and its cultural significance. She argues that Cash embodies irresolvable contradictions of American identity that reflect foundational issues in the American experience, such as the tensions between freedom and patriotism, individual rights and nationalism, the sacred and the profane. She illustrates how this model of ambivalence is a vital paradigm for American popular music, and for American identity in general. Making use of sources such as Cash's autobiographies, lyrics, music, liner notes, and interviews, Edwards pays equal attention to depictions of Cash by others, such as Vivian Cash's publication of his letters to her, documentaries and music journalism about him, Walk the Line, and fan club materials found in the archives at the Country Music Foundation in Nashville, to create a full portrait of Cash and his significance as a cultural icon.

"How the world shows it loves Johnny Cash:: a Brazilian records "Hurt" and posts it to YouTube;an elderly shopkeeper in Northern Ireland plays Johnny Cash every day on his tape recorder ; a young man in Tomb, a farm town in southern Norway, sports a Johnny Cash tattoo; a woman in the Netherlands maintains the Johnny Cash Infocenter, an exhaustive resource of Johnny Cash materials worldwide--and gets to wear June Carter's clothing and sleep in Johnny Cash's bedroom. One might have suspected that Johnny Cash's appeal was universal, given his nonstop touring schedule for more than 40 years. But the breadth-and nuance-of his appeal worldwide is stunning, as is the way in which his fans have sought both to further that appeal as well as protect his legacy. International Cash: How the World Loves the Man in Black explores the nature of Johnny Cash's appeal worldwide from the fan perspective, explaining what the worldwide love of the artist tells us about him, the world, the United States, and the nature of fandom. It's also a series of stories about technology and authenticity, as a world easily navigated by the Internet is also one that conceives authenticity as a type of commodity easily displayed. Different eras of technology have also produced different fan behaviours and activities, and they are represented in continuity with one another here. There are Cash superfans who travel extensively to trail Cash's life and perform in homage to him, but there is also another population of Cash fans who express themselves more discreetly, often online. There they are often expressing their love for Cash in uncertain spaces, forums where there are no guarantees that everyone feels the same way as themselves. Here Cash is seen as somebody not only worth admiring, but worth fighting for, and this book shows that Cash fandom is a more active field of politics and commitment than might routinely be assumed"--

Celebrated as the home of the blues and the birthplace of rock and roll, Memphis, Tennessee, is where Elvis Presley, B. B. King, Johnny Cash, and other musical legends got their starts. It is also a place of conflict and tragedy--the site of Martin Luther

The Music Issue enhanced eBook include all the tracks on our special CD and: The tell-all letter from a teenage girl who kissed—and kissed—Elvis Presley How corruption and greed made the Jacksonville music scene Gretchen Wilson, country music's "Redneck Woman" The invaluable social spaces of African American record stores Bobby Rush, "bluesman-plus" Where Opryland resides in hearts, minds, and souls Backstage with the Avett Brothers, Doc Watson, Tift Merritt, Southern Culture on the Skids, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Johnny Cash, and more great artists. This enhanced eBook also contains Loving, Leaving, Liquor, and the Lord, which is packed with tracks from the Avett Brothers, Doc and Merle Watson, Archers of Loaf, and many more amazing Southern musicians--old and new. Southern Cultures is published quarterly (spring, summer, fall, winter) by the University of North Carolina Press. The journal is sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Center for the Study of the American South.

Race, sex, and gender.

Winner, 2023 J. G. Ragsdale Book Award from the Arkansas Historical Association Because Johnny Cash cut his classic singles at Sun Records in Memphis and reigned for years as country royalty from his Nashville-area mansion, people tend to associate the Man in Black with Tennessee. But some of Cash’s best songs—including classics like “Pickin’ Time,” “Big River,” and “Five Feet High and Rising”—sprang from his youth in the sweltering cotton fields of northeastern Arkansas. In Country Boy, Colin Woodward combines biography, history, and music criticism to illustrate how Cash’s experiences in Arkansas shaped his life and work. The grip of the Great Depression on Arkansas’s small farmers, the comforts and tragedies of family, and a bedrock of faith all lent his music the power and authenticity that so appealed to millions. Though Cash left Arkansas as an eighteen-year-old, he often returned to his home state, where he played some of his most memorable and personal concerts. Drawing upon the country legend’s songs and writings, as well as the accounts of family, fellow musicians, and chroniclers, Woodward reveals how the profound sincerity and empathy so central to Cash’s music depended on his maintaining a deep connection to his native Arkansas—a place that never left his soul.

Across all imaginable borders, Johnny Cash fans show the appeal of a thoroughly American performer who simultaneously inspires people worldwide. A young Norwegian shows off his Johnny Cash tattoo. A Canadian vlogger sings “I Walk the Line” to camel herders in Egypt’s White Desert. A shopkeeper in Northern Ireland plays Cash as his constant soundtrack. A Dutchwoman coordinates the activities of Cash fans worldwide and is subsequently offered the privilege of sleeping in Johnny’s bedroom. And on a more global scale, millions of people watch Cash’s videos online, then express themselves through commentary and debate. In Johnny Cash International, Hinds and Silverman examine digital and real-world fan communities and the individuals who comprise them, profiling their relationships to Cash and each other. Studying Johnny Cash’s international fans and their love for the man reveals new insights about music, fandom, and the United States.