Cash Johnny - Johnny Cash: the redemption of an American icon

A lot of books have been written about my brother Johnny since his 2003 death, but I think he might have liked this one the best. Greg Laurie and Marshall Terrill have done a marvelous job capturing Johnnys spiritual walk, which was not always easy or done in a straight line. But he reached the finish line and he finished well.

Joanne Cash Yates

Artist and co-founder of Cowboy Church

The redemption story of Johnny Cash needs to be told to a new generation. This American music legend, the Man in Black, sang his way into our hearts and now the full story is written by my good friend Greg Laurie. This biography is inspiring as well as informative. It includes the spiritual transformation of a man who overcame his demons and finished well. Im so glad the rest of the story is now written.

Dr. Jack Graham

Bestselling author and senior pastor, Prestonwood Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas

Cash was definitely an original and a one-of-kind artist. Clearly his style was all his own. What lingers for me is the fact that he was able to stand up for the things he believed in, and he stood up strong. Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon beautifully captures his spirit, which will live on forever.

Will Turpin

Bassist, Collective Soul

Johnny Cash experienced a life of diamonds and dirt, heart and hurt, mixed with mishap and majesty. Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon is a tragically beautiful journey into the vastness of Gods heart and a world that few can imagine.

Ken Mansfield

Waylon Jennings & Jessi Colter producer

former US Manager, Apple Records

As Johnnys brother-in-law for over thirty years of his life, I have had the pleasure of spending quite a bit of time with him. So many people have written books, songs, and other things about his life, but no one until now has captured the true essence of Johnny Cash. This book is an amazing itinerary of his spiritual quest to be more like his Lord. Ups and downs, ins and outs, but when put all together Johnny would have heard these greatest words, Well done, thou good and faithful servant.

Dr. Harry Yates

Co-founder and pastor of Cowboy Church

Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon

Copyright 2019 by Greg Laurie

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ISBN: 978-1-62157-974-8

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-62157-980-9

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I m standing at the gravesite of Johnny Cash. Theres nobody else around here at Hendersonville Memory Gardens. Its just me and The Man in Blacka one-on-one in death I wish I could have had with him in life.

Overhead, massing clouds threaten rain. All week long, its been hot and muggy in Nashville, which is to be expected in July. My main purpose in coming here was to deliver a pep talk at a convention of Southern Baptist preachers, but it was also a golden opportunity for a personal pilgrimage Ive long had in mind. It started at the Johnny Cash Museum just off Nashvilles Broadway District, also known as the Honky Tonk Highway. The name certainly lived up to its billing with its souvenir shops, cowboy hat and boot stores, three-story bars, trendy lounges and live country music blaring from door to door. For that matter, theres no mistaking youre in Music City, USA as soon as you deplane at the Nashville airport. There are singers performing as you make your way to the baggage claim area. The Las Vegas airport has slot machines; the Nashville one entertainers.

My very first stop was The Johnny Cash Museum. It houses the largest and most comprehensive collection of Cash artifacts and memorabilia in the world. It includes interactive exhibits, clips of his performances and TV appearances, old guitars, gold records, costumes, handwritten notes and letters, all spotlighting different periods in Cashs lifehis childhood in Arkansas, his hitch in the Air Force, his marriage to June Carter, the famous prison concert tours. I spent hours there, soaking it all up, finishing up at the gift shop, and shelling out a small fortune on T-shirts for the whole family. Were all big fans of Johnny Cash.

My own fandom comes from a very personal place. The Man in Black was a touchstone in my life dating back to my childhood. I remember watching him perform on television with my grandparents and hearing that deep booming voiceonce called The Voice of America. An even more indelible memory is of my grandfather, who read the newspaper religiously, coming across a mention of one of Cashs frequent brushes with the law (he was arrested five times in one seven-year span).

When that happened, the man we called Daddy-Charles would give the paper a quick shake, shoot my grandmother a disapproving look, and say to her, Well, your cousins in trouble again.

Whoawere we related to Johnny Cash?

A man named Nettie Cash Fowler was a relative on my grandmothers side. I know nothing about him, but have an Old West-style photo of him in my family album. He has a distant look on his face, and his arms are crossed. Theres a gun in one hand and a large knife in the other.

He looked like trouble.

Fowler was my grandmother Stellas last name when she married Charles McDaniel. So, even if she was only a distant relative of the famed entertainer, Daddy-Charles never let her forget it.

The possibility isnt that far-fetched. Johnny Cash was born in Kingsland, Arkansas, and my grandparents hailed from Friendship, Arkansas, about an hours drive away. When they moved to Southern California in the 1930s they brought their Southern Baptist values and work ethic with them. They were like parents to me when I was sent to live with them while their daughter Charlenemy motherwas living her wild life.