Table Of ContentC A S H
CASH ON CASH
O N C A S H
JOHNNY CASH
intervIieNwsTanEd eRncVounIteErsWwithS AND
E D I T E D B Y R O B E R T B U R K E W A R R E N
ENCOUNTERS
WITH JOHNNY CASH
EDITED BY ROBERT BURKE WARREN
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Other Books in the Musicians in Their Own Words Series
Bowie on Bowie: Interviews and Encounters with David Bowie
The Clash on the Clash: Interviews and Encounters
Cobain on Cobain: Interviews and Encounters
Coltrane on Coltrane: The John Coltrane Interviews
Dolly on Dolly: Interviews and Encounters with Dolly Parton
Dylan on Dylan: Interviews and Encounters
Fleetwood Mac on Fleetwood Mac: Interviews and Encounters
George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters
Hendrix on Hendrix: Interviews and Encounters with Jimi Hendrix
Joni on Joni: Interviews and Encounters with Joni Mitchell
Judy Garland on Judy Garland: Interviews and Encounters
Keith Richards on Keith Richards: Interviews and Encounters
Led Zeppelin on Led Zeppelin: Interviews and Encounters
Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon
Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen: Interviews and Encounters
Miles on Miles: Interviews and Encounters with Miles Davis
Neil Young on Neil Young: Interviews and Encounters
Patti Smith on Patti Smith: Interviews and Encounters
Springsteen on Springsteen: Interviews, Speeches, and Encounters
Tom Waits on Tom Waits: Interviews and Encounters
The Who on the Who: Interviews and Encounters
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C A S H
CASH ON CASH
O N C A S H
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Copyright © 2022 by Robert Burke Warren
All rights reserved
Published by Chicago Review Press Incorporated
814 North Franklin Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610
ISBN 978‑1‑64160‑634‑9
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Cash, Johnny, interviewee. | Warren, Robert Burke, editor.
Title: Cash on Cash : interviews and encounters with Johnny Cash / edited
by Robert Burke Warren.
Description: Chicago : Chicago Review Press, 2022. | Series: Musicians in
their own words | Includes index. | Summary: “A comprehensive collection
of Johnny Cash interviews and feature stories, some widely published and
others never previously transcribed, culled from the 1950s through the
early days of the new millennium, offering unprecedented insight into
one of the most significant American cultural figures of the twentieth
century”—Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022017055 (print) | LCCN 2022017056 (ebook) | ISBN
9781641606349 (paperback) | ISBN 9781641606356 (adobe pdf) | ISBN
9781641606363 (epub) | ISBN 9781641606370 (kindle edition)
Subjects: LCSH: Cash, Johnny. | Cash, Johnny—Interviews. | Country
musicians—United States—Biography. | Country musicians—United
States—Interviews.
Classification: LCC ML420.C265 A5 2022 (print) | LCC ML420.C265 (ebook) |
DDC 782.421642092 [B]—dc23/eng/20220407
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022017055
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022017056
A list of credits and copyright notices for the individual pieces in this collection can
be found on pages 263–265.
Cover design: Jonathan Hahn
Cover photograph: AF archive / Alamy Stock Photo
Interior layout: Nord Compo
Printed in the United States of America
5 4 3 2 1
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For Holly and Jack
. . . my sun and moon
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ............. ix
Preface ....................... xiii
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two
November 15, 1958 | Town Hall Party .......................... 1
Division Street Corral Interview | red robinson
June 27, 1959 | Interview Transcript ............................ 7
Johnny and June Interview and Performance | pete seeger
1966 | Rainbow Quest ......................................... 13
The Restless Ballad of Johnny Cash | christopher s. wren
April 29, 1969 | Look .......................................... 28
G Chords and Revolutions: The Johnny Cash Show, 1969 | rosanne cash
2015 | Dylan, Cash, and the Nashville Cats ....................... 36
An Interview with Johnny Cash | jack killion and peter mccabe
1973 | Country Music ......................................... 41
Interview | larry linderman
August 1975 | Penthouse ....................................... 56
Interview | áine o’connor
1975 | RTÉ Ireland ............................................ 72
Cash Comes Back | patrick carr
1976 | Country Music ......................................... 77
Pacific Coliseum Interview | red robinson
August 28, 1976 | Interview Transcript .......................... 93
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Johnny Cash’s Freedom | patrick carr
April 1979 | Country Music .................................... 97
Monroe County Fair Interview | don gonyea
August 8, 1981 | Interview Transcript ........................... 109
Norrköping, Sweden, Press Conference
November 3, 1983 | Original Transcript ......................... 116
Interview | glenn jorgenson
1983 | It’s Great to Be Alive .................................... 124
Superstar Cash Still Speaks for the Hearts of Americans | robert k. oermann
April 26, 1987 | Nashville Tennessean ........................... 134
“Biggest Party Ever” Opens New Cash Exhibit | robert k. oermann
March 23, 1988 | Nashville Tennessean .......................... 141
Queen Elizabeth Theatre Interview | red robinson
July 9, 1988 | Interview Transcript .............................. 145
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction | lyle lovett
January 15, 1992 | Original Transcript. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash Interview | robert k. oermann
March 1995 | Interview Transcript .............................. 153
1‑800‑TRY‑CASH | rosanne cash
December 1996 | Interview ..................................... 167
Interview | terry gross
November 4, 1997 | Fresh Air .................................. 173
Interview | anthony decurtis
October 2000 and February 2002 | Interview Transcript ........... 188
The Man in Black and White . . . and Every Shade In‑Between |
bill friskics-warren
November–December 2002 | No Depression ...................... 212
Interview with Johnny and Rosanne Cash | holly george-warren
August 2003 | Interview Transcript ............................. 231
Sylvie Simmons Interviews Johnny Cash | sylvie simmons
November 2003 | MOJO ....................................... 247
About the Contributors ........ 257
Credits ....................... 263
Index ......................... 267
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Completing this book required the generosity and help of many people,
some of whom I have yet to meet face-t o- face. All interactions took place
during a waxing, waning (and waxing again) pandemic. This predicament
exacerbated the usual isolation of book creation, so each connection,
favor, and/or kindness resonates all the more.
First and foremost, I thank my editor, Kara Rota, for the opportunity
to add to Chicago Review Press’s “Musicians in Their Own Words” series
and for shepherding me through the process (along with copyeditor
Sharon Sofinski, proofreader Allison Felus, and managing editor Devon
Freeny). My faithful agent, Susan Golomb, always has my back, and I
am grateful. The enthusiasm and support of Ashley Kahn, whose George
Harrison on George Harrison inspired my proposal, was invaluable. The
indispensable Brenda Colladay, vice president of Museum Services at the
Country Music Hall of Fame, gave me access to a wealth of informa-
tion and history. CMHOF Senior Archivist Kathleen Campbell expertly
guided me through the stacks. My pal Dan Smith, a.k.a. the Woodstock
MacDaddy, once again saved the day both technically and spiritually.
I cannot say enough about the power of my wife Holly George-
Warren’s belief in my ability to bring this book to fruition. In a very
difficult year, her conviction was unwavering, her energy always avail-
able when mine flagged. Her 2003 interview with Johnny Cash—one of
the last he granted, and never before published in full—is a highlight of
this book. Our son, Jack, and his partner, Beatrix Herriott O’Gorman,
ix
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