Johnny Cash

The Life

By: Robert Hilburn

Narrated by: Charles Pittard

The national bestseller celebrated as "the ultimate Johnny Cash biography . . . Rock writer great Robert Hilburn goes deep." -- Rolling Stone

In this, the definitive biography of an American legend, Robert Hilburn conveys the unvarnished truth about a musical superstar. Johnny Cash's extraordinary career stretched from his days at Sun Records with Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis to the remarkable creative last hurrah, at age 69, that resulted in the brave, moving "Hurt" video.

As music critic for the Los Angeles Times, Hilburn knew Cash throughout his life: he was the only music journalist at the legendary Folsom Prison concert in 1968, and he interviewed both Cash and his wife June Carter just months before their deaths. Drawing upon a trove of never-before-seen material from the singer's inner circle, Hilburn creates an utterly compelling, deeply human portrait of a towering figure in country music, a seminal influence in rock, and an icon of American popular culture. Hilburn's reporting shows the astonishing highs and deep lows that marked the journey of a man of great faith and humbling addiction who throughout his life strove to use his music to lift people's spirits.

I was never a fan of Cash, but what a great read.

I was never a fan of Cash and didn't care for most country music. I still don't. So when my husband wanted to listen to this book on a long car trip, I was thoroughly surprised at how engaging it was. Not only is his personal story interesting, but the context of pop music in the 50s 60s and 70s and beyond in the US, all the personalities; it was absorbing. Cash made some astonishingly bad decisions that didn't slow him down but may have led him to an early death. I thought the book was well tempered between pointing out Cash's foibles honestly and in appreciating his work as an artist. The last portion of his life, where he was being produced by Rick Rubin was poignant and wonderful. What a great story.

And a word about the narrator--it took me until I was two-thirds of the way through it to realize that the narrator sounded like Cash himself was telling the story. I thought he did a perfect job.

book was very detailed and great insight,.!!!!!!!

johnny cash was a musical genius all the way to the end. Rick rubin was a great friend to johnny........

A look into the light and dark of the man in black

I feel I know much more about the man in black after reading this, and I didn't think there was much more to know.
For some this might be too much info. I was starting to get a different picture of who he was, but by the end the positive and negative balanced out.
Since most of his success was before my time I never realized how lackluster his career was in the 70's and 80's since he was such a legend.

So much I didn’t know

A complicated man and a complicated family. Sometimes he was hard to like but in the end he was just a man. Just as we all are. Remarkable but human. Worth the long listen.

Amazing

I am 50 and grew up around his music played by my parents and knew all the hits, but I had no idea the depth and breadth of his career and his life. Just a great book so well put together. It is a real picture into a great soul. Thank you