Crown of Thorns: Johnny Cash and the Authentic Influencer

Written for Rebel Music at The University of Oklahoma - Professor LoLordo - Summer 2023

Imagine a world of people you look to for guidance in everyday life. People you turn to for the hottest fashion styles, the latest gossip, the people you want to be. We live in a fast-paced world where social media stars constantly influence us. I grew up in this world! I was born in 1994 and had a computer in my bedroom as early as I can remember. I had my first cell phone in 2008, and I've been hooked on technology ever since. It runs my life these days (in a good way!). We know what our current world is like, but put yourself in 1969, before cell phones, before instant communication, before you were influenced at every turn. In this era, the only authentic influencers were Jesus Christ and the President of the United States. Christianity and our modern conservatism ruled the USA in the early fifties through the late eighties. A significantly different time than our current world, but the examples it gives are ever necessary. We all live from moment to moment and take our news in short doses. This fast-paced life is why I did not know who Johnny Cash was or his impact on lives worldwide.

Now imagine you are someone like me, who, up until this paper, did not know much about Johnny Cash. I had heard 'Ring of Fire' on the radio growing up, I had heard people rave about him, and I had even seen some fanatics. My research has let me into the mind of Johnny Cash; I feel his pain and struggle, but also his redemption and success. Johnny Cash is a man who drugs himself out of an environment of violence and wants to do the best in the world. He is the success story we turn to in our everyday influencers. Being drawn to someone you can relate to is common in our day-to-day lives. There are arguments across many scholarly sources as to the actual authenticity of Johnny Cash. Today I will give you proof of what an authentic influencer can do and their impact even without the technology we have today. I hope this influences you!

By the end of this paper, you will want to take a step back and look at how your current influencers impact the community. It could be something as simple as making you feel nice, or they donate to charities, or they are involved in politics. Johnny Cash went against the grain his entire life, intending to make the most significant impact. In this paper, we will walk through Johnny Cash's life, upbringing, and early performances. I'll take you through his roughest times, the drug-riddled lows, and the shining light of reform. Johnny's religious reform takes us right into his performances at prisons across the USA. The lyrics and imagery in "Hurt," a cover sung by Johnny Cash (YouTube), let us feel the 'Crown of Thorns' that Johnny wore.

"If I could start again, a million miles away, I would keep myself; I would find a way." This line ends the song and perfectly shows the man described by Richard Corliss in his New York Times article titled "The Man In Black" (Corliss). This article sits neatly under the magazine cover, a full-size picture of Johnny Cash and the years '1932-2003' (Time). Written just weeks after the death of Johnny Cash, Richard Corliss gives us a beautiful glimpse into the life of Johnny and a peek behind the scenes into his final music video for "Hurt," originally written by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. Kenneth D. Tunnel and Mark S. Hamm detail Johnny's commitment to social justice in their paper "Singing across the scars of wrong: Johnny Cash and his struggle for social justice" (Tunnel). They give us clear insight into Johnny's upbringing, which is essential as we explore the authenticity of Johnny Cash and his actual impact. "This is the beginning of a myth," spoke out by a narrator, is a questionable start to the video release of Johnny Cash's performance at San Quentin Prison in 1969 (YouTube). Hearing "Ring of Fire" and seeing the fanatics growing up never told me the whole story of Johnny Cash, but this video, paired with an article written by Michael Foley, paints the whole picture. Foley gives us a more modern argument "In the years since Johnny Cash's death in 2003, popular and scholarly writing has persisted in framing Cash's politics as contradictory." (Foley). While I have yet to encounter this, Michael Foley gives us much information. While I may not have understood it growing up, Johnny Cash significantly impacted the United States' prisons and people worldwide. Johnny Cash was and still is a highly influential musician. In a modern world of influencers, looking at the impact, someone can make when they commit their entire life to doing the most good is essential. Starting, I would like to introduce you to John R. Cash "(his first producer, Sun Records boss Sam Phillips, dubbed him Johnny)." (Corliss).

Johnny Cash grew up in a world full of hate. "He was born into adversity, in 1932... in Kingsland, Arkansas... with others in the Depression-wracked area" (Corliss). His father, Ray Cash, "boasted of attending lynchings," and his uncle "boasted of his mistreating blacks." It was not an environment for a man like Johnny; he needed to leave there as soon as possible. Tunnel and Hamm go on to tell us how Johnny's father was a violent man. If the imagery of lynching is not enough, when Johnny Cash was just five years old, his pet dog gave birth to a litter of puppies. His father had no interest in keeping the puppies, and the authors describe in detail, "Ray put the puppies in a bag with a rock in it and threw it into the river and made Johnny watch as they drowned.". (Tunnel) Even though all of this hatred and violence, there was something in Johnny that always kept pushing him to do better things. Merline Hall, a childhood friend of Johnny Cash, recalls him as a "good kid" who sang at the nearby church. She closes her interview with, "he meant every word he sang. It was the Christian in him." (Corliss).

Marlene may have been on to something; It may have been this 'Christian in him' that led him to move past the hatred and violence around him. After turning eighteen in 1950, Johnny Cash joined the United States Air Force! During the Korean War, he spent time in Germany, "where he developed a talent for decrypting Morse code." Johnny Cash was the first person to decipher a message from Moscow stating Josef Stalin was dead. Tunnel and Hamm argue that this may have led to Johnny's ability to 'decipher cultural codes' and make his music appeal to diverse audiences (Tunnel). It all culminates when looking at how Johnny Cash reflected on this time. Johnny had no interest in a military career, stating, "I did not want to kill. I guess I was a conscientious objector.". Johnny Cash spent his life going against the grain to make an impact, and it did not stop with the military. He was known as John R. Cash his whole life, but after four quick years, Memphis, Tennessee, is where he would be reborn as the Johnny Cash we know today. This name change signifies a significant turning point in Johnny Cash's life; he now had a platform to spread happiness and joy how he wanted. Here he was in the same city that changed Elvis Presley's life just a year earlier! Richard Corliss tells us Johnny sprung right into his music career. "He came home, married Vivian Liberto, and settled with her in Memphis, Tenn. This was in 1954, and by the next year, he had a deal with Sun Records" (Corliss). Tunnel and Hamm give us more detail, letting us know Memphis is where Johnny found Luther Perkins and Marshall Grant. (Tunnel) Two men would go on to spend more time with Johnny Cash than anyone else. These men would be Johnny's initial touring group, himself and the Tennessee Two. Just two short years later, the trio would perform "I Walk the Line" "to thunderous applause." Johnny always knew what he wanted and did what it took to get there. Johnny faced hatred and violence again as Sun Records recently launched Elvis Presley's music career. Elvis Presley did not fit the mold of rock music at the time, just as Johnny Cash did not fit with any genre at the time. Members of the Opry, where Johnny and the Tennessee Two performed, urged Johnny to "stay pure and true to country sounds and not to follow Elvis Presley." Johnny received many hateful and violent comments from the members outside the audience that night. "And you know, when I left that night, I said, I do not wanna go back to this place anymore. I do not have to put up with that crap" (Tunnel). Again we see another prime example of Johnny pushing past the hatred and violence. The good in his heart let him push past it all and work towards his goal of making people happy. When Johnny Cash is himself, he can work through this hatred and violence, but sadly drugs and stress led to a breaking point for this truly influential performer.

The California State Library has kept an online exhibit showcasing Johnny Cash's prison reform movement. Johnny Cash had been performing live shows at prisons as early as 1958. "on New Year's Day in 1958" in California, Johnny Cash was "part of a seven-hour entertainment marathon for the inmates in which Cash's performance was the highlight.". (50 years ago). This performance is an early glance at the impact Johnny tried to have through his performances. Ultimately Johnny Cash loved performing: he loved the smiles he could put on these struggling people's faces. Johnny loved performing and being able to take his performance and better the lives of people suffering made him happy. "Cash later described the prison audiences as being the most enthusiastic crowds he had ever played for." (50 years ago). While these performances may have brought happiness to Johnny Cash and the prisoners, Johnny's life was detrimental to his health. Richard Corliss gives us the whole story, the highs, and the lows. "The nonstop nights on the road led to drug and alcohol binges," George Jones, a country star who toured with Johnny, recalls. They would get together in the dressing room after shows and help each other through the hard times and mistakes they were making, "the pills, the booze, what have you." This was a turning point in the life of Johnny Cash, where the culmination of his life led to a fork in the road. It was now 1967, and Johnny had not had a hit record since 1964. It is relatively easy to pin this on the life he was living. "His health was in serious decline from years of amphetamine abuse." (Tunnel). Johnny could either continue this life of decline or make a change, and make a change he did. 1967 was also the year he met June Carter, who would become his second wife, June Carter Cash. Johnny Cash's biographers attribute his success to this marriage in the years to come. (Tunnel). "It takes a sinner to appreciate the blinding glare of grace," Richard Corliss tells us, as June Carter is the one who pushed Johnny to get away from his drug dependency. June also urged him to attend church services with her at the First Baptist Church of Hendersonville, Tennessee. "That day marked the revival of Cash's churchgoing and the beginning of his great love. He and Carter were married in 1968." (Corliss). This revival of churchgoing and the bond Johnny developed with June Carter was the defining moment in Johnny Cash's life. From the start, Johnny Cash knew he wanted to escape the hatred and violence. Johnny knew he wanted to make the world better than he grew up with. With a stint in the military and performances across the United States, Johnny was only starting. He will go on to touch the lives and be celebrated by people worldwide. Our last source will be Johnny Cash's last music video. This music video, paired with accounts from lives touched by Johnny Cash, is a prime example of what impact an influencer can have.

While Richard Corliss is an author and a writer for the New York Times, he writes this six-page article from the perspective of a friend. Richard spent much time with Johnny Cash, but he also spent time with those close to him. The start of his cover story details the three-day shoot for this music video. This account was from just seven short months before Johnny Cash passed away. June Carter Cash, his wife, passed away three months later in May. Richard recalls how the director, knowing Johnny did not have much time left, would say things like, "If you want to get angry or smash something up, this is your last chance.". (Corliss). This article, aptly titled "The Man In Black," profoundly explores the mysterious man Johnny Cash was. From growing up in Arkansas, spending time overseas in the military, jumping into a musical career, and playing across prisons for over 15 years. It is hard to understand what made Johnny Cash tick. Richard tells us that Johnny "could not surrender to such defeatism.". This small moment in time shows us how even after a grizzled life, Johnny was always focused on sharing himself with others and bringing joy to the world. Our current influencers have access to millions of people at their fingertips, and this is why Johnny Cash is a prime example of what an influencer can be in our day and age. Without this technology or ability to connect quickly, Johnny was his authentic self daily. He took his authenticity and used it to spread love across the world. This remarkable man who, at seventy-one years old and seven months away from death, recorded his final music video, and it is the most beautiful cover. The original song written by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails is described as "an intense cry of pain dished out and taken." To put this into perspective, the opening lines read, "I hurt myself today to see if I still feel." Leading us into lines that speak volumes about the life of Johnny Cash. "Everyone I know goes away in the end," Johnny speaks out as if giving us one last peek into his heart. "The old familiar sting, try to kill it all away, but I remember everything." Each line feels like Johnny pulls you deeper into his story. Pair these words with imagery that had to have been hand-picked by Johnny. Opening with a wooden statue of what appears to be Jesus Christ and a bowl of fruit with the same shade of green shows how Johnny may have had traditional Christian values but wanted to do things his way. Typically, you would see a statue of such an important figure in stone or marble, and a bowl of fruit would be a vibrant pallet of colors. Throughout the video, we see short clips of Johnny's past, riding on a train, walking on a beach, and walking through a forest. Johnny Cash is speaking directly to his audience with this song, and while it may have lines that speak against his authenticity, it is his most original form. "If I could start again, a million miles away, I would keep myself, I would find a way." (Youtube). Johnny Cash lived a fuller life in seventy-one years than most of us could in thirty. Johnny lived a life of pure authenticity. He wanted to spread the most happiness and joy he could, he loved performing, and the smiles he put on faces drove his life. Please look into the motives of your influencers. Are they genuine? Johnny Cash did not want fame or fortune. I think Johnny Cash was kind-hearted, escaping the violence and hatred he grew up with. His coping mechanism just happened to make people happy, leading to a life that I am sure eighteen-year-old John R. Cash would have never expected. This led to a life of traveling the world and playing the music he wanted to play. Johnny Cash was easy to connect with, and fame followed swiftly. Even though all of the ups and downs of his life, he kept being himself, and this is an essential lesson to all of us.

Works Cited

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(n.d.). https://www.library.ca.gov/collections/online-exhibits/johnny-cash/

Corliss, Richard. “The Man In Black. (Cover Story).” _TIME Magazine_, vol. 162, no. 12, Sept.

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Streissguth, M. (2018, June 25). _Merle Haggard’s lost interview: Country Icon on Johnny Cash,

prison life_. Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/merle-haggards-lost-interview-country-icon-on-johnny-cash-prison-life-193183/

Tunnell, Kenneth D., and Mark S. Hamm. "Singing across the scars of wrong: Johnny Cash and

his struggle for social justice." _Crime, Media, Culture_ 5.3 (2009): 268-284.

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from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSLsfwTbo4Q.

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Fresh Air . _YouTube_. Retrieved June 25, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KXOxu8x4cg.