From Publishers Weekly
Published in time for the first anniversary of Johnny Cash's death, this eminently readable biography of the Man in Black feels more honest about its subject than most authorized biographies, perhaps because Cash himself was more honest about his flaws and modest about his successes than many other public figures. Musical biographer Turner (Conversations with Clapton, etc.) leans heavily on interviews with Cash fans such as Larry Gatlin and Kris Kristofferson (who pens the foreword) and on quotations from songs Cash wrote, sang or both. The result is an affecting mosaic of oral history, poetry and memoir—concerning Cash himself, but also the era in which his music took root and thrived. Turner addresses Cash's drug and alcohol abuse, his failed marriage and his love for June Carter Cash with sympathy and fairness; he doesn't flinch from talking about how Cash's affair with June hurt his first wife, or about his struggle and relapses during his recovery from addiction. But something about this book seems one degree removed. Turner's interviews with Cash's family and friends are excellent, and tidbits such as Cash's reasons for wearing the famous black are priceless, but at times it feels like Turner is just guessing, as we all must, how this American legend really felt and what his life was like. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"One of the most influential figures in American music and pop-culture, Johnny Cash is an icon to people of all ages. In Cash's first-ever authorized biography, author Steve Turner sifts the man from the legend and presents a picture of the often contradictory figure with unflinching honesty." The Man Called Cash follows the star on his stumbling journey from the cotton fields of Arkansas to the drawing room of presidents. It details his self-destructiveness and brushes with the law, as well as his humanitarian generosity and eventual acceptance as an American icon, all the while keeping in view the deep, enduring faith that informed his life and work. We see Johnny Cash not only as a performer and recording artist but as a neighbor, church member, fisherman, father, brother, husband, and friend.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly