Johnny Cash: The Life - Softcover

Hilburn, Robert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1780220952 ISBN 13: 9781780220956

Publisher: W&N, 2014

Synopsis

'Johnny Cash ... Every man could relate to him, no man could be him, and only one man could get inside his head - Robert Hilburn' BONO

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.

About this title

Review:

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: Robert Hilburn (Bono)

Robert Hilburn displays a deeply felt affinity with his subject, illuminating Johnny Cash as the moral compass of country music (Patti Smith)

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)

Johnny Cash and Robert Hilburn are two of the true blessings of my life. Both the best at what they do and each a gifted artist. It's a killer combination (Kris Kristofferson)

[T]he most authoritative and revealing portrait to date of the most chronicled figure in country-music history ... [a] finely wrought biography (Eddie Dean Wall Street Journal Europe)

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)

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 The Times)

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 ever incident of 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 opinions, perfecting its colour and gravitas (Nicole Carmichael Sunday Express)

How do you write an interesting biography of such a beloved figure? First, hire Robert Hilburn. He is a prodigious researcher, but 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)

Hilburn has pulled off the rare feat of making the dispassionate truth more extraordinary than the myth (Andy Fyfe Mojo)

From the Author:

Robert Hilburn is a pop music critic and author. As critic and music editor at the Los Angeles Times from 1970 to 2005, his reviews, essays and profiles have appeared in publications around the world. Hilburn's memoir, Corn Flakes with John Lennon (And Other Tales from a Rock `n Roll Life) was published on Oct. 13, 2009 by Rodale. He is a member of the nominating committee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and lives in Los Angeles.

About this edition

• Publisher: W&N
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1780220952
• ISBN 13: 9781780220956
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 688