“People hear Bob Dylan’s words and they want to think like him. People see Johnny Cash and they want to BE like him. And the more they listen, the more they realize they want to think like him also because there’s so much to my dad. He had such a strength of understanding. . . and his wit. . . his nature. . . the truth of his heart. . . “ John Carter Cash to The Country Note on his dad, Johnny Cash
On a 40-acre property in Hendersonville, Tennessee, on a crisp October afternoon, John Carter Cash chuckled with pride when speaking about his father on the other end of the phone.
“I’m so grateful to be in this family,“ he told The Country Note. “My father had a particular vision for his name and likeness and everything that followed. Everything we do—every decision we make—we do it in his honor and as he would have reacted. And with the mind he would have had. He didn’t always make the best decisions, but he had a higher mind and a higher understanding. And we try to follow what’s creatively right. His music has a life of its own. His image has a life of its own.”
And that is why this year (this weekend to be exact), the son of Johnny and June Carter Cash is inviting the public to celebrate the legacy of The Man in Black in his father’s hometown of Dyess, Arkansas. The rich, black Delta land of Dyess, known as Gumbo Soil, turned to marshland during the Depression of the mid-1930s. In an effort to revitalize the economy, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the “New Deal” act, draining the marshes and adding ditches and dykes to create farmland opportunity for the nearly 500 impoverished families. One of those families being the Cash family.
“My grandfather bought a 20-acre farm for $1 in the mid-30s. Later on, his son Roy also bought a farm and they worked those 40 acres of cotton very hard. My dad grew up very humble-no electricity, no running water.”
Unfortunately, poverty and tragedy went hand in hand on that plot of land when “J.R. Cash” was just 12 years old. His 14-year-old brother Jack got caught in a table saw while cutting wood and later died from his injuries. Cash left home at 18, but his son remembers going back to the childhood home on his dad’s tour bus as a kid when passing through Arkansas. And if you have ever seen the hit movie, Walk the Line, you would recognize it as being the same house featured on screen.
Memories of that cotton field house and a repressed community is what inspired John Carter Cash to aid in the house’s recovery.
“About ten years ago, a kind man owned the house. . . .” Cash paused. “But it was not gonna make it. It was gonna fall apart.” So, Cash partnered with Arkansas State University to help restore the property back to its original standing. The college purchased it and now it is on the path to being placed on the Historical Registry. It is also open to the public and features a number of exhibits showcasing Cash’s childhood in Dyess.
And on Saturday, October 20, the marshland turned cottonfield will once again transition for the second year in a row—this time, into an amphitheater of sorts for a “Tribute to 1968 Johnny Cash Show Tour.” The man who made “Ring of Fire” one of the greatest songs of all time will be honored by a stellar lineup of performers, led by the incredible Jamey Johnson and Alison Krauss.
“This year is the 50th Anniversary of Live at Folsom Prison since it was recorded back in 1968. The show they are doing is song for song from a tour set back in 1968 in sequence and it is spot on. Jamey doesn’t sound like anybody but himself but man. . . you outta hear him sing Johnny Cash. Alison sings the parts of my mother and four voices are singing the Carter Family song. . . hearing those voices together is so beautiful and reminiscent and nostalgic for me. But at the same time, it’s brand new. It’s overwhelming.”
The show, taking place outside in the afternoon, will be produced and hosted by Cash and will focus on the history lessons and the music. And seeing as this is the tenth year of the Johnny Cash Heritage Festival in general, Cash says the family members trade off years when hosting and picking talent and this year, it’s his turn!
As if planning and producing this monster of a show doesn’t keep Cash busy enough, he also recently released new music of his own for the first time in over eight years. The 17-track album, We Must Believe in Magic, mixes traditional country, bluegrass, soul, and rock, with some Southern gospel thrown in for good measure because as Cash puts it, “it’s all the music that I love. I don’t love hard rock less than I love Southern gospel. When I’m doing my own music, I have no rules or restrictions. Music is fun and about breaking the rules and that’s the way I was taught. If it feels good, I’m gonna do it. “Songs like “Runaway Train” draw an Americana, radio friendly Seger feel, while “Feels Like Going Home” channels Ray Charles playing a church piano on a Sunday morning. “Jayne Hill” narrates a story reminiscent of an Irish countryside, while Cash’s haunting version of “Hurt” clearly demonstrates his father’s influence, even in the afterlife.
Cash’s excitement over this latest project stems from his love of stories and his adoration for one of his greatest mentors, Bruce Springsteen.
“My dad introduced me to two songwriters when I was 11 years old – Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. When I was 12, he handed me a little cassette of (Springsteen’s) Nebraska. I was in NYC with my parents and it just changed my entire life of songwriting and opened my mind. My father had music he loved, and he introduced me to some but more or less, (he showed me) his way of appreciating music. And then he introduced me of course to one of his best friends, Jack Clement. Jack of course was one of the engineers at Sun Studios who produced a lot of Dad’s albums through the 80s. The first time I ever heard the title song (“We Must Believe in Magic”) . . . Cowboy Jack Clement was singing it. . . stayed with me in my heart. He wrote ten rules of things to follow in the studio and we keep them on the wall here (Cash Cabin Studios) and one of them is that we must believe in magic. “
So why did the magic take so long John Carter Cash? Well. . . . for one, Cash not only arranges his own music, but he’s constantly producing other renowned artists. In fact, he just co-produced Loretta Lynn’s most recent album, Wouldn’t It Be Great, along with her daughter, Patsy Lynn Russell, recorded at none other than the Cash Cabin Studios. He is also helping his beautiful wife, Ana Cristina Cash, prepare for the holidays with her traditional full-length Christmas album which comes out next week and even features a bilingual track of “Silent Night” to celebrate her Cuban-American heritage. And yes, he produced that one too. Then there’s their precious one-year old daughter Grace June who is probably running around trying to chase the chickens and deer he raises on their Hendersonville land. And let’s not leave out his well-received cookbook, featuring many family recipes and desserts concocted by his wife, Ana.
“Ana is an amazing cook. She has her chocolate peanut butter cake in there and because she’s Cuban-American, I’ve been introduced to the whole world of Cuban cuisine! By the way, you need any eggplant parmesan? You want me to make one and put it in the freezer for you?”, he joked, talking about one of his favorite recipes featured in the book.
When asked how he can handle so much, Cash responds perfectly. “Creativity is about diversity. I’m always just following part of my heart.”
And that heart will always lead back to the music it seems and the celebration of Nashville’s finest musicians. Because after all, that’s what this town was built on. The bloodline of country music royalty can almost guarantee you that, growing up around the greats. We Must Believe in Magic showcases some of Nashville’s most beloved and iconic musicians and guest artists, including Jerry Douglas, Tony Rice, The Fisk Jubilee Singers, Sam Bush, Bob Moore, and Charlie McCoy. Cash takes his gratefulness one step forward by adding the participants’ caricatures to the album artwork, designed by Roberto Parada.
“I work with those musicians a lot that are on there and they are masters. I’m so blessed and that itself is such a beautiful experience. We all have a passion and love for music. So, I kept going back to things and rethinking it and I took my time. You can call it production or whatever. But it’s the spirit of magic and love that made that album. That’s how I remember my father working in the studio back in the day doing the American Recording Series and it’s that same spirit in me that drives the creativity.”
The creativity has definitely been driven with John Carter Cash. The album is now available through all streaming platforms and if you aren’t in Arkansas to catch the show this weekend, the host with the most did hint that it is being recorded, most likely for release. And because The Johnny Cash Heritage Festival typically takes place the third week of October, you can go ahead and tentatively put it on your calendar for next year! Because in the words of John Carter Cash, “If you’re not having fun, you might as well quit.”
And nobody’s quitting anytime soon!