Johnny Cash: The Life - Hardcover

Hilburn, Robert

4.28

3,944 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0297866575 ISBN 13: 9780297866572

Publisher: W&N, 2013

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The definitive, intimate, no-holds-barred biography of Johnny Cash.

People don't just listen to Johnny Cash: they believe in him. But no one has told the Man in Black's full story, until now.

In Johnny Cash: The Life, Robert Hilburn conveys the unvarnished truth about a musical icon, whose colourful career stretched from his days at Sun Records with Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis to his remarkable, brave and deeply moving 'Hurt' video, aged sixty-nine. As music critic for the Los Angeles Times, Hilburn knew Cash well throughout his life: he was the only music journalist at the legendary Folsom Prison concert in 1968, and he interviewed Cash and his wife June Carter for the final time just months before their deaths in 2003. Hilburn's rich reporting shows the remarkable highs and deep lows that followed and haunted Cash in equal measure. A man of great faith and humbling addiction, Cash aimed for more than another hit for the jukebox; he wanted his music to lift people's spirits.

Drawing upon his personal experience with Cash and a trove of never-before-seen material from the singer's inner circle, Hilburn creates an utterly compelling, deeply human portrait of one of the most iconic figures in modern popular culture - not only a towering figure in country music, but also a seminal influence in rock, whose personal life was far more troubled, and whose musical and lyrical artistry much more profound, than even his most devoted fans ever realised.

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Product Description:

Originally part of the Sun Records stable with Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash launched his career at the birth of rock 'n' roll but became one of the most influential country artists of all time. Charting a life characterized by drug and alcohol addictions and deep religious beliefs, this biography examines the personal struggles and musical achievements of a singer who inspired the love and loyalty of his fans like few artists of any era.

Review:

"Rock biographies can feel like they are ten-a-penny so it is a refreshing change to read a meaty no-holds barred, non-sycophantic record of legendary Man in Black Johnny Cash...

...The wealth of detail on every page, in every incident in Cash's Life (1932-2002) is both impressive and a joy to read. Unlike so many biographies that are reported incidents jigsawed together, this is almost an eyewitness account with not always favourable opinion, perfecting its colour and gravitas.'

(Nicole Carmichael SUNDAY EXPRESS)

The result is the most authoritative and revealing portrait to date of the most chronicled figure in country-music history. (Eddie Dean The Wall Street Journal Europe)

..finely wrought biography (Eddie Dean The Wall Street Journal Europe)

A great story requires great storytelling, and that's exactly what it receives here. Ultimately, Robert Hilburn's biography uncannily resembles its subject: massive and stolid, but with a dangerous glint in its eye. (Charles Shaar Murray LITERARY REVIEW)

There is madness aplenty in this excellent life of the turbulent Johnny Cash. (Rod Liddle SUNDAY TIMES)

A warts-and-all biography follows Johnny Cash, a rebel and outsider, from one drama to the next. It's a must-read. (Will Hodgkinson (Chief Rock Critic) THE TIMES)

Johnny Cash was a man both extraordinary and ordinary. Every man could relate to him, no man could be him, and only one man could get inside his head - like Robert Hilburn. (Bono)

..a moving, respectful and sympathetic biography. (Alan Taylor SUNDAY HERALD (GLASGOW))

Hilburn's biography has the sort of immense scope and tremendous insight that comes from years of interviewing such a truthful, troubling subject. (Rob Fitzpatrick SUNDAY TIMES)

How do you write an interesting biography of such a beloved figure?
First, hire Robert Hilburn. he is a prodigious researcher, but he keeps a steady hand on the tiller, and never allows his research to swamp his narrative. He knows his music and music history, but unlike far too many music critics, he avoids the temptation to show off.

(THE ECONOMIST)

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