August 1, 2023
A lavishly illustrated biography of the iconic country singer, with his lyrics as the focal point. John R. Cash (1932-2003) was born in rural Arkansas in the depths of the Depression. The child of poor sharecroppers, he was also the grandson of "circuit-riding Missionary Baptist preachers." Stielper, who has been covering Cash for 40 years, argues that these roots are evident in both the sympathy for underdogs and the spiritual aspiration that are constant themes in Cash's music. After graduating from high school, Cash spent four years in the Air Force, stationed in Germany. After his discharge, he married his first wife and moved to Memphis, where he worked as an appliance salesman. At the time, he was busy writing songs, and he managed to convince Sam Phillips, the legendary owner of Sun Records, to let him record some of them. Eventually, he wrote more than 600, and this book includes the lyrics to 125, chosen "to explore Cash's range as a poet and a storyteller." Stielper succinctly covers the singer's career, including his marriage to June Carter, his TV show and prison performances, and his numerous recordings. Cash's son, John Carter, provides personal insights into his father's character and intriguing analyses of his songs. Fleshing out the text are numerous photos of Cash, in performance or in more casual settings, along with handwritten lyric sheets, meditations, letters, and other documents. Many of the photos are very similar, though die-hard Cash fans may not consider this a shortcoming. Regardless, it's the lyrics--some universally familiar, some fairly obscure--that are the true stars of the book. It's easy to hear Cash's voice in them, even for those readers who may not have heard him sing, and all readers will finish the book with a deeper understanding of his art. Invaluable insight into one of the major figures in American music.
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October 30, 2023
In this satisfying outing, music historian Stielper and record producer Carter Cash (House of Cash) delve into the stories behind 125 of Johnny Cash’s songs. In commentary that runs alongside the song lyrics, Stielper delves into Cash’s ruinous issues with addiction, his Christianity (an ordained minister, Cash expressed his “fervent” faith in such songs as 1959’s “It Was Jesus”), and his romance with fellow country superstar June Carter Cash, whom he met in 1956 and fell in love with when both were married to other people (she wrote “Ring of Fire” to express her “torment” over their early relationship; they married in 1968). Occasionally, the book introduces readers to real people Cash fictionalized in his songs, such as H. Ballard Harris, who inspired 1967’s “Cisco Clifton’s Fillin’ Station.” Elsewhere, Carter Cash offers candid reflections on both of his parents, including his father’s advice to him when he fell into addiction (“Finding peace and salvation is in your blood, son, and you’ll find it too”). Supported by a wealth of photographs and Cash’s handwritten notes, this catalog provides solid—if not entirely groundbreaking—insight into the country music singer’s much-mythologized life and creative genius. Though some may balk at the tendency to tip into hyperbole—as when Carter Cash calls “Route 1, Box 144,” a song about a soldier killed in wartime, the “greatest argument for peace ever devised”—devoted fans will find their sentiments echoed and their listening enhanced. Illus.