Nashville SC is unveiling a signed "Man In Black" jersey celebrating the legacy of music icon Johnny Cash. His son, John Carter Cash, sat to down to talk about this special project and the places that shaped his father's career and lasting legacy.
Less"It was in 1955 that my father first walked through the doors of the legendary Sun Studio, wanting to record gospel music. Producer Sam Philips, the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio, was impressed by his talent. He encouraged him to try something different of a secular nature. My father did, and the rest is history. The two forged a very special musical bond. My father recorded some of his biggest hits there, including "Cry, Cry, Cry," "Folsom Prison Blues," and "I Walk The Line."
"In the early 1950s, a lot of music was made at the Saturday Night Jamboree, a weekly event at the Goodwyn Institute Building Auditorium. It's the birthplace of rockability and modern country music. Artists like Charlie Feathers, Eddie Bond, and Elvis Presley performed here alongside my father. They may have ruffled some feathers with their modern take on music at that time, but looking back, the Jamboree is an important marker in music history."
"A few months after the release of "I Walk The Line," my father made his Opry debut at the Ryan Auditorium. It's also the place where he met my mother, June Carter. So much history of my father's life is connected to the Ryman. He chose to tape 'The Johnny Cash Show" here with guests like Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan. He also performed "Man In Black" here for the first time. Today, you can get a tour of the facilities, and there's a dressing room on view that's named in my father's honor."
"What's exciting to me about the County Music Hall of Fame is that you can walk through it and experience the history of country music. From Vernon Dalhart, Jimmie Rodgers, and the Carter family to my father and all the wonderful country music played out there. My father was inducted here in 1980, and you can find some of his personal artifacts here, including the guitar he used to play on 'The Johnny Cash Show.'"
"The Johnny Cash Museum is true to the heart of my father's life. It's very well done. My father was good friends with the man who began and still runs the museum. There's a wonderful collection of my father's life there - from his early years to the end of his life. There are interactive exhibits where you can listen to isolated vocal tracks from original recordings, and you can even put your own voice in there to hear it. It's an exciting place to find a closer connection to my father."
"People go here to find a connection with my parents' lives. There's a bench where you can sit near my parents' grave. I'm very grateful that people still find a connection at their final resting place."
"Bristol is the place where the big boom of country music occurred in the late 1920s. My family, the Carter family, my mother's mother, Mabelle Carter, was one of the original members of the Carter family who recorded in Bristol. My mother June returned here with my father in the latter part of their lives to bring them closer to their roots. The museum brings visitors closer to the beginnings of country music and my parents' heritage."
"People will be able to find the Johnny Cash-inspired Nashville SC 'Man In Black' kit for the first time at the Walk of Fame Park. It's exciting to see this jersey unveiled with my father's signature on it, and to see my dad's music and heritage continue with Nashville SC. You can also see my father's star here that was established in 2015."
"On February 25, at the start of the new season, Nashville SC will celebrate my father's life and legacy when the team will play in the 'Man In Black' jerseys. My father would have turned 91 the day prior. I will be there sporting the jersey and be part of the celebration. I'm very much looking forward to it."