Cash

by Rolling Stone Magazine, Jason Fine (Editor), Rosanne Cash (Foreword by)

Sinner. Saint. Outlaw. Rebel. Voice of protest. Man of faith.Johnny Cash is a giant of American music. In a testament to his life and legend, the editors of Rolling Stone magazine have compiled Cash .Since its inception in the late 1960s, Rolling Stone has followed Cash's career, writing about him in settings that ranged from San Quentin prison to a glitzy Vegas hotel. Through the years, Rolling Stone has treated Cash not just as a country music star but a rock & roll icon, whose drug-fueled antics, black clothes and rebel stance have made him a hero to generation after generation of rock fans.More than the Man in Black image, it's the substance of Cash's music that make him one of the greatest musical figures of the past 50 years--the resonance of his deep voice, the driving beat of his simple, powerful songs, the fighting spirit of his lyrics, and his commitment to social justice. Johnny Cash defied convention and expectation at every phase of his career, and Cash chronicles all of it.Cash brings together personal recollections from those who knew him best with the insights of some of America's finest music journalists. A moving foreword by daughter Rosanne reveals Cash as a loving, devoted dad who taught his kids to waterski and made homemade ice cream for them on summer evenings. From the Cash family archive we have Valentine's notes to his daughters from the road and many never before seen photographs. A visit with Johnny and June's only son, John Carter Cash, at the family's rustic cabin studio in Tennessee, provides an intimate look at his parent's drive to create new music until the very end of their lives. Moving personal tributes from Bob Dylan, Bono, Merle Haggard, Al Gore, Emmylou Harris, Tom Petty, Sheryl Crow, and Steve Earle show the scope of the people who Cash considered his friends. Mikal Gilmore's "The Man in Black" is a lengthy and thoughtful examination of the full scope of Cash's life and work. Robert Hilburn's 1973 interview "Nothing Can Take the Place of the Human Heart" was conducted in a Las Vegas hotel suite and shows Cash at the peak of his game. David Fricke's interview with producer Rick Rubin offers moving insight into the a remarkable, ten-year relationship between him and Cash that produced some of the finest albums of his career. Greg Kot's exhaustive annotated discography examines all of his classics and unearths hidden treasures among the hundreds of albums Cash recorded. Excerpts from Cash's autobiography let the man speak to his life in his own words. And editor Jason Fine's "A Day in the Life" is a visit with Cash at home less than a year before his death.Johnny Cash left this world on September 12, 2003, but he left behind songs that charts the highs and lows of the human experience, and that speak to Americans young and old. Cash is the essential tribute to the Man in Black from Rolling Stone , a magazine that has long chronicled the life, career, and influence of this great American man.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Rolling Stone is a U.S.-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner (who is still editor and publisher) and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.

Reviews

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb collection of essays, richly illustrated, personal, comprehensive. A wonderful way to be reminded of the phenomenal man who was Johnny Cash.

[Keith Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fitting tribute to the great man by way of photographs and written contributions,just found very small font size on a very large book tricky hence 4.3 score

[Greg Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed the book. It was articles that the Rolling Stone over the years. Johnny was very truthful of his mistakes over the years. There are great pictures that the family supplied. There were a lot of funny things in the book. One of them was from Tom Petty. While Tom and the Heartbreakers were working as Johnny's backup band in one of his last studio albums they were waiting on him because he was late. When Johnny and June finally walked in the door everyone was worried and asking them if everything was ok. Johnny laughed and said that June and him were sitting on a bus bench across from the studio checking out all the strange people in Hollywood and talking with fans that recognized them. They were having a good time.

[Meeve K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting, very good insight into Johnny Cashs character.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

very interesting read with some really great photos of the great man

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty solid

[Tim Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting collection of stories about Cash and interviews with Cash. I enjoyed it well enough.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a big fan of Johnny Cash, but it was a really good book about his personal life and musical career. Learn several things I never knew about him. Although he was a bad ass, he was a loving husband and father, loved his country, was friends with famous people, the average neighbor, would strike up conversations with strangers in Walmart while shopping their with his wife June Carter Cash and he took risks in his music career by going outside the country scene and performing with greats like Bono and Bob Dylan. Great photos in this book. He was one good looking guy back in the day!

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is primarily a collection of Rolling Stone interviews & articles about Johnny Cash... while they repeated themselves a bit, it was still fascinating to get a clearer picture of the man & his music.

OTOH, they really glossed over his religious faith... except to touch on it in the cliche "saint & sinner" musician vibe.

The book also had some great photos & excerpts from notes & letters to his kids.

[Benjamin Zapata · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning and beautiful tribute to a legend: Johnny Cash. Full of awesome photos, interviews, personal tributes from a wide array of friends and admirers, and a lengthy and thoughtful examination of the full scope of Cash's life and work. One of the best books from the editors of Rolling Stone Magazine.

[Anneke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect level of information. Although it isn't a lot of pages, it includes a lot of new information, at least for me. Also due to the interviews with for example Rick Rubin. Nice addition for people who like/love the Cash songs, but do not know a lot of of background information about him.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great review of the life of a great musical artist. I found much to admire about Cash and look forward to reading more about him.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

ton's of awesome pictures, that's about it.