Johnny Cash: The Life in Lyrics - Hardcover

by Johnny Cash (Author), John Carter Cash (Contribution by), Mark Stielper (With)

The life of the Man in Black revealed by his lyrics and by rare photographs and ephemera, in a collectible edition featuring 125 of his most iconic songs, authorized by the Cash estate

Johnny Cash is one of the most beloved and influential country-music stars of all time, having composed more than six hundred songs and sold more than ninety million records. He received twenty-nine gold, platinum, and multiplatinum awards for his recordings and has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

This is the first time Cash's fifty years of songwriting have been collected anywhere; this book includes the lyrics to 125 songs and the stories behind them. Perhaps more than any other American artist, he spoke to the soul of the nation as well as to the triumphs and challenges of his own life. These pages explore Cash's range as a poet and storyteller, taking readers from his early life and first successes through periods of personal challenge, activism, and faith. The result is a profound understanding of Johnny Cash as a man and an artist, as well as the American story he helped shape.

An essential collectible that sheds new light on Cash's life and work, this book includes rare visual material in addition to remembrances from Cash's son, John Carter Cash, "family historian" Mark Stielper. Released for the twentieth anniversary of the legendary musician's passing, it will be a landmark in music publishing

Author Biography

Johnny Cash was an American singer and songwriter who continues to be one of the bestselling musical artists of all time. He is best known for blending country, rock, blues, and gospel in his music, ushering in the Countrypolitan and Outlaw country movements. Cash was also a successful actor, writer, and activist. His lifelong support for SOS Children's Villages, a nonprofit advocating for children in need, led to the creation of the Johnny Cash Memorial Fund to carry on that legacy after his death.

John Carter Cash is the only son of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. He has produced five Grammy Award-winning albums and owns and operates the Cash Cabin Studio in Tennessee. He is also the author of House of Cash: The Legacies of My Father, Johnny Cash.

Mark Stielper has chronicled the life of the Man in Black for nearly forty years, contributing to a dozen Cash biographies, appearing on screen in documentaries, and speaking at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Cash museum. Johnny Cash himself called Stielper "my friend, the family historian" and said, "He knows more about me than me."