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kimlb's review against another edition
5.0
This is not a quick read but it is an excellent one. I had no idea how dark some of Cash's personal life was. This was a fascinating book!
wingover's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book. I learned things about Johnny Cash that I never knew and learned things about the music industry when Cash was first starting out that surprised me and would not be stood for these days. At times I found it hard to read this book because I learned things about Cash that made me not like the man as much but the redemption he found at the end of his life made it all the sweeter. A must read for anyone interested in Johnny Cash.
johndiconsiglio's review against another edition
4.0
(4 stars) This down-and-dirty bio of the Man in Black hits all the right notes. Respectful not reverent, revealing not salacious, it’s a sturdy book & a quick read despite 600+ pages. It may not break new ground, but it certainly feels definitive. Hilburn, the only journalist at the Folsom Prison concert, isn’t here to bury Cash—or praise him. Just to tell it like it was, in often moving prose. He’s a good storyteller, but his writing really comes alive when dissecting Cash’s recordings. That’s fine. A veteran music critic, Hilburn knows his way around a tune.
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
Johnny Cash: The Life is a biography of Johnny Cash.
I've been a Johnny Cash fan for couple decades but most of what I knew of the man was from his music and Walk the Line and a couple VH1 specials so when I saw this come up on Netgalley, I thought I'd give it a read.
The Life is a well-written chronicle of Johnny Cash's life and career, starting from his childhood in Arkansas to his time in the army and his steady rise into a music icon to his death. Walk the Line was just the sanitized tip of the iceberg.
This is no white-washed account of things. Maybe because most of the principal people involved are dead, this book doesn't pull any punches. While I knew Cash had a drug problem, I had no idea how big it was. Fifteen Dexedrines a day for almost a decade is crazy. Did you know Johnny Cash once let a fire get out of control in a drunken and drugged haze that killed some endangered condors? Or that he had lots of affairs, not just with June Carter, while he was married to his first wife Vivian? Or that he cheated on June with her sister? Or that he wasn't too keen on Elvis?
There were a lot of good things as well, like donating money to people he read about in the paper, or getting Glen Sherley, the guy who wrote Greystone Chapel that Cash performed on the legendary Live at Folsom Prison album, paroled.
Cash's career had its share of ups and downs, stemming to his drug use, and later, alienating a portion of his audience by focusing on religious themed music, sliding into irrelevance with the dawn of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, and other outlaw country acts that he inspired.
One person I feel bad for, aside from his family, is Marshall Grant. Not only did Marshall play bass for Johnny for decades, he also kept the ship running smoothly and kept Johnny from dying on countless occasions. I wasn't surprised when Marshall later sued Cash. I would have sued the bastard, too.
Honestly, the book got sadder and sadder as it went. Everyone knew Cash's best days were behind him once 1980 hit except for him. By then, all the abuse he'd put his body through had caught up to him. Going from Columbia to Mercury didn't help much.
After a few surgeries, going bankrupt, and getting dropped by Mercury, things didn't get good for Cash until meeting Rick Rubin. From there, the American recordings, and the end of the trail for both June and John.
The story of Cash finishing American IV on sheer willpower reminds me of Warren Zevon, who died the same week as Cash, forcing himself to finish his final album before the curtain fell.
The Life was a very informative look into the life of Johnny Cash. And now, since I can't think of another way to wrap this up, my ten favorite Johnny Cash songs, in no particular order. Yes, I'm aware that a couple of them are only covers.
- Ring of Fire
- One Piece at a Time
- Orange Blossom Special
- Folsom Prison Blues
- A Boy Named Sue
- Long Black Veil
- Give my Love to Rose
- Cry, Cry, Cry
- Hurt
- When the Man Comes Around
I've been a Johnny Cash fan for couple decades but most of what I knew of the man was from his music and Walk the Line and a couple VH1 specials so when I saw this come up on Netgalley, I thought I'd give it a read.
The Life is a well-written chronicle of Johnny Cash's life and career, starting from his childhood in Arkansas to his time in the army and his steady rise into a music icon to his death. Walk the Line was just the sanitized tip of the iceberg.
This is no white-washed account of things. Maybe because most of the principal people involved are dead, this book doesn't pull any punches. While I knew Cash had a drug problem, I had no idea how big it was. Fifteen Dexedrines a day for almost a decade is crazy. Did you know Johnny Cash once let a fire get out of control in a drunken and drugged haze that killed some endangered condors? Or that he had lots of affairs, not just with June Carter, while he was married to his first wife Vivian? Or that he cheated on June with her sister? Or that he wasn't too keen on Elvis?
There were a lot of good things as well, like donating money to people he read about in the paper, or getting Glen Sherley, the guy who wrote Greystone Chapel that Cash performed on the legendary Live at Folsom Prison album, paroled.
Cash's career had its share of ups and downs, stemming to his drug use, and later, alienating a portion of his audience by focusing on religious themed music, sliding into irrelevance with the dawn of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, and other outlaw country acts that he inspired.
One person I feel bad for, aside from his family, is Marshall Grant. Not only did Marshall play bass for Johnny for decades, he also kept the ship running smoothly and kept Johnny from dying on countless occasions. I wasn't surprised when Marshall later sued Cash. I would have sued the bastard, too.
Honestly, the book got sadder and sadder as it went. Everyone knew Cash's best days were behind him once 1980 hit except for him. By then, all the abuse he'd put his body through had caught up to him. Going from Columbia to Mercury didn't help much.
After a few surgeries, going bankrupt, and getting dropped by Mercury, things didn't get good for Cash until meeting Rick Rubin. From there, the American recordings, and the end of the trail for both June and John.
The story of Cash finishing American IV on sheer willpower reminds me of Warren Zevon, who died the same week as Cash, forcing himself to finish his final album before the curtain fell.
The Life was a very informative look into the life of Johnny Cash. And now, since I can't think of another way to wrap this up, my ten favorite Johnny Cash songs, in no particular order. Yes, I'm aware that a couple of them are only covers.
- Ring of Fire
- One Piece at a Time
- Orange Blossom Special
- Folsom Prison Blues
- A Boy Named Sue
- Long Black Veil
- Give my Love to Rose
- Cry, Cry, Cry
- Hurt
- When the Man Comes Around
barbtrek's review against another edition
3.0
Listened to this audiobook during several long road trips. This was interesting but VERY long & detailed.
bhouse's review against another edition
3.0
good start and great finish, just like Cash's career. pretty fallow in the middle - could have cut out the mid 1970's - late 1990's - and just said, music kind of sucked. Rick Rubin part was fantastic.
oschrock's review against another edition
3.0
This is a detailed history of Johnny Cash's life and song-writing and recording career. Very interesting to know the backstory of many of his songs and of his interactions with other musicians of his time.
This book deals honestly and openly with the many issues with which Johnny Cash struggled. He was a definitely a tortured man as he had a strong belief in Christ, yet was constantly plagued by his drug addiction. His life is a very vivid example of the struggle his hero, the Apostle Paul, described in Romans 7.
I give only three stars because of how much the author's personal aversion to religion affects how he presents Johnny Cash's spiritual beliefs. In the 80's when Johnny chose to focus on Bible study and family time, the author only showed how detrimental this was to his musical career. He frequently alluded to Johnny Cash being evangelistic and "giving his testimony" in public, even stating that many fans felt put off by how strongly he tried to push his beliefs on them. However, this was the one area in which the author never gave any quotes from Cash nor did he detail what that evangelism looked like. I would've appreciated if the author had been as transparent with this aspect of Cash's life as he was with the negative parts.
Nevertheless, it was a great walk-through of Johnny Cash's musical career.
This book deals honestly and openly with the many issues with which Johnny Cash struggled. He was a definitely a tortured man as he had a strong belief in Christ, yet was constantly plagued by his drug addiction. His life is a very vivid example of the struggle his hero, the Apostle Paul, described in Romans 7.
I give only three stars because of how much the author's personal aversion to religion affects how he presents Johnny Cash's spiritual beliefs. In the 80's when Johnny chose to focus on Bible study and family time, the author only showed how detrimental this was to his musical career. He frequently alluded to Johnny Cash being evangelistic and "giving his testimony" in public, even stating that many fans felt put off by how strongly he tried to push his beliefs on them. However, this was the one area in which the author never gave any quotes from Cash nor did he detail what that evangelism looked like. I would've appreciated if the author had been as transparent with this aspect of Cash's life as he was with the negative parts.
Nevertheless, it was a great walk-through of Johnny Cash's musical career.
baypot's review against another edition
5.0
Breaking past the fairy tale is sometimes more comforting than clinging to it. This book serves as a perfect example of this. Impeccably researched and empathetically told, Hilburn's biography should be required reading for any Cash fan. John Carter Cash is quoted by Hilburn as saying, "Every moment of darkness enabled him to better see the light." Upon completion, I put this book down feeling strengthened to see a bit more light in my own moments of darkness.