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| The Entertainment Review |
| By: Michael Streissguth Publisher: Da Capo Press |
It is hard to tell if a definitive Johnny Cash biography has yet been or ever will be written. However, as a fascinating
and no holds barred, look at the life of the legendary Man In Black, Michael Streissguth's “Johnny Cash: The
Biography” has to rank as one of the better and more revealing books available for readers.
In this book, the author traces Cash's life by drawing, for the very first time, from the archive of Cash's late manager
Saul Holiff, who guided his career through the pivotal years of the sixties and seventies, when Cash enjoyed his
greatest commercial success. There are also exclusive interviews with Cash confidantes such as his longtime
producer Jack Clement, and Marshall Grant, the lone surviving member of the original Tennessee Two. Streissguth
also interviews various business associates, family members, and even those who knew John R. Cash as a child.
The result is an absolutely fascinating read that is hard to put down once readers begin to delve into its pages.
It explores his music in acute detail, heaping praise when it is rightfully deserved, and casting a critical eye when it is
equally necessary. All of the commercial highs of his biggest successes like the Folsom Prison album are given the
attention they warrant. What fans may find most interesting however are the personal insights offered during the
eighties period when Cash's star began to dim somewhat.
“Johnny Cash: The Biography” also explores the apparent personal dichotomies in the man's life with an unflinching
honesty. The inner conflict between Cash's outlaw image and his deep Christian faith are given particular attention,
as are his battles with drug addiction, which he apparently continued to battle right up until his death.
The reader here is given a first-hand account of Cash's deep disappointment when his Christian themed pet project,
The Gospel Road, failed to reach the wider audience he had both hoped for and anticipated. Streissguth's account
likewise holds back nothing when discussing Cash's drug addiction, and the personal demons which apparently
followed him throughout his days, and indeed for far longer than portrayed in more popular accounts such as
Hollywood's version in the film “Walk The Line.”
Cash's relationship with producer Rick Rubin beginning in the early nineties, which produced the remarkable
American Recordings series of albums, allowed Cash to end his career on the same critical and commercial high note
it had began on so many years earlier. By stripping his sound to the barest essentials, there is little doubt that Rubin
was in many ways the catalyst for Cash's rejuvenation as an artist.
Cash's final moments, surrounded by his daughters at his bedside make up the final few paragraphs of the book,
capping a final chapter that is among the most sad and moving things that readers will ever read.
“Johnny Cash: The Biography” tackles these subjects and more in riveting and brutally honest detail that puts the
reader there, in a way like few such biographies have ever done. It may not be the definitive story of the legendary
Man In Black, but it is possibly the best available to read to date.
and no holds barred, look at the life of the legendary Man In Black, Michael Streissguth's “Johnny Cash: The
Biography” has to rank as one of the better and more revealing books available for readers.
In this book, the author traces Cash's life by drawing, for the very first time, from the archive of Cash's late manager
Saul Holiff, who guided his career through the pivotal years of the sixties and seventies, when Cash enjoyed his
greatest commercial success. There are also exclusive interviews with Cash confidantes such as his longtime
producer Jack Clement, and Marshall Grant, the lone surviving member of the original Tennessee Two. Streissguth
also interviews various business associates, family members, and even those who knew John R. Cash as a child.
The result is an absolutely fascinating read that is hard to put down once readers begin to delve into its pages.
It explores his music in acute detail, heaping praise when it is rightfully deserved, and casting a critical eye when it is
equally necessary. All of the commercial highs of his biggest successes like the Folsom Prison album are given the
attention they warrant. What fans may find most interesting however are the personal insights offered during the
eighties period when Cash's star began to dim somewhat.
“Johnny Cash: The Biography” also explores the apparent personal dichotomies in the man's life with an unflinching
honesty. The inner conflict between Cash's outlaw image and his deep Christian faith are given particular attention,
as are his battles with drug addiction, which he apparently continued to battle right up until his death.
The reader here is given a first-hand account of Cash's deep disappointment when his Christian themed pet project,
The Gospel Road, failed to reach the wider audience he had both hoped for and anticipated. Streissguth's account
likewise holds back nothing when discussing Cash's drug addiction, and the personal demons which apparently
followed him throughout his days, and indeed for far longer than portrayed in more popular accounts such as
Hollywood's version in the film “Walk The Line.”
Cash's relationship with producer Rick Rubin beginning in the early nineties, which produced the remarkable
American Recordings series of albums, allowed Cash to end his career on the same critical and commercial high note
it had began on so many years earlier. By stripping his sound to the barest essentials, there is little doubt that Rubin
was in many ways the catalyst for Cash's rejuvenation as an artist.
Cash's final moments, surrounded by his daughters at his bedside make up the final few paragraphs of the book,
capping a final chapter that is among the most sad and moving things that readers will ever read.
“Johnny Cash: The Biography” tackles these subjects and more in riveting and brutally honest detail that puts the
reader there, in a way like few such biographies have ever done. It may not be the definitive story of the legendary
Man In Black, but it is possibly the best available to read to date.
