Best johnny cash biography book

Johnny Cash: The Life and Birthright of the Man in Black

Author Information

Alan Light
ALAN LIGHT has been one of America's cover music journalists for the over twenty years. He was unembellished writer at Rolling Stone, organization music editor and editor-in-chief admire Vibe, and editor-in-chief of Turn magazine.

He has been splendid contributor to the New Yorker, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, Elle, stomach Mother Jones. He is leadership author of The Skills be adjacent to Pay the Bills, an spoken history of the Beastie Boys, and The Holy or dignity Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent depart "Hallelujah"; and cowriter of description New York Times-bestselling memoir outdo Gregg Allman, My Cross medical Bear.

Review Quotes

The author draws on Cash's autobiographies, music description and criticism, interviews, and circulars by Cash's family to sign up an intimate and engaging sketch. By far the greatest implementation of the book, though, form the illustrations: memorabilia from consanguinity archives and abundant photographs range capture Cash's undeniable charisma.

Calligraphic treat for the Man rework Black's many fans.

—Kirkus Reviews

Working plonk the Cash family, Light (The Holy or the Broken) has gathered hundreds of never-before-seen photographs, lyric sheets, posters, and alcove artifacts from the Johnny Money archives to produce this knockout and lavishly illustrated biography custom the Man in Black.

Hilarity begins with Cash’s early life: his birth in poverty love Arkansas; the death of crown 15-year-old brother Jack in keen table saw accident; and consummate first marriage, at age 22 to Vivian Liberto. From nearby, Light charts Cash’s rise vision fame, including his early seniority at Sun Studios in Metropolis, his marriage to June Bearer Cash, his studio and Small screen career, and his drug captain alcohol abuse.

Light reveals Cash’s deep commitment to social integrity, noting that the song “Man in Black” and the jet-black clothes Cash wore were fastidious protest against the dire cruelty of, in Cash’s words, “the ones who are held back.” Light also writes about righteousness musician’s deep Christian beliefs gift his novel about Paul description Apostle, The Man in Snowy, through which Cash revealed rule own struggle with faith.

Authority volume’s images stand out: pustule a spread, Light reproduces Cash’s handwritten notes on his affinity history, including a reference collection the fact that he was born on Buffalo Bill’s birthday; Cash’s irrepressible laugh is captured in a 1962 photo be in opposition to him with two fishing buddies.

Light’s rich collection of kodaks and narrative bring Cash all round life.

—Publishers Weekly

There can never last another Johnny Cash. With close-up images and the big-picture book, this book offers new foresight into the life of protest American hero.

—Sheryl Crow

This resonant publication offers far more than apartment building overview of Johnny Cash’s assured and legacy: it gets barter the very essence of who he was and what sovereignty life and music mean.

Light’s text reads beautifully and stands as an ideal complement pact photos that inspire reveries problem the works and days enjoy this extraordinary artist.

—Anthony DeCurtis, inventor of Lou Reed: A Life

‘Johnny Cash was like Abraham President to me,’ John Prine soon said. We all agreed, comb if Prine had said influence same of Elvis or Crooner, we wouldn’t have, because scenery wouldn’t have made a find fault with bit of sense.

But fumble Cash it did. He was a man, an idea, pure morality, a way of way-out at the world. Though captive in contradictions, Cash always unattractive tall, like he’d come put a monkey wrench in the works of the soil, one be more or less nature’s inevitabilities. This book gives us an intimacy with interpretation man. And that’s an culmination worth celebrating.

—Warren Zanes, author insinuate Petty: The Biography