I had always liked Johnny Cash because he was a legend, but it wasn’t until I moved to Memphis that I really became a fan. I attended the premiere of Johnny Cash’s America – and then my love for Johnny Cash began. I immediately bought all of his music, biographies and dvds. A few days later I drove to Dyess, Arkansas to Johnny’s boyhood home, which was featured in the movie Walk the Line about Johnny’s life. I then sought out his adult homes in Memphis. Although I was too late to see Johnny in person, I was able to see and meet his bass player and lifelong friend Marshall Grant. At the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Marshall performed one last time, talked about his life with Johnny and then signed autographs. After the U2 360 show in Nashville, I finally visited Johnny Cash’s grave in Hendersonville, TN.

Johnny Cash is linked to my two favorites, Elvis Presley and U2. Like Elvis, Johnny also started at Sun Studio. He, Elvis, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis were dubbed the Million Dollar Quartet after a jam session one December night at Sun. U2 and Johnny Cash recorded a song together called The Wanderer.

 

This blog post is part of my A to Z April Challenge about ‘My Music’ – music I love from A to Z. Thanks for stopping by. I am also blogging the A to Z Challenge on my other blog On the Road with U2 about ‘My U2′ – what I love about U2 from A to Z.