Review by Booklist Review
Almost biblical with his deep baritone and stoic demeanor and all dressed in black, Cash was an authoritative figure, honest, serious, moralistic, and outspoken. Signed by Sam Phillips and Sun Records, the label on which Elvis Presley was getting attention by mixing black and white musical styles, Cash soon found listeners with his signature boom-chicka-boom sound, recording such hits as Hey Porter, Cry! Cry! Cry!, Folsom Prison Blues, and I Walk the Line. As a singer and guitarist, he introduced a darker, rawer, bleaker sound to rock 'n' roll as well as a humanist element, speaking for the disenfranchised, in song and in life as he championed convicts, Native Americans, and the underprivileged. Music journalist Light deftly ties together all the different strands of Cash's life, his recording career, groundbreaking television show, battles with substance abuse, marriage to June Carter Cash, and late-life revival with the American Recordings sessions. Aided by interviews with Cash and others and an abundance of photographs and artifacts, this biography will be a good companion to Robert Hilburn's Johnny Cash (2013).--Ben Segedin Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Working with the Cash family, Light (The Holy or the Broken) has gathered hundreds of never-before-seen photographs, lyric sheets, posters, and other artifacts from the Johnny Cash archives to produce this stunning and lavishly illustrated biography of the Man in Black. Light begins with Cash's early life: his birth in poverty in Arkansas; the death of his 15-year-old brother Jack in a table saw accident; and his first marriage, at age 22 to Vivian Liberto. From there, Light charts Cash's rise to fame, including his early years at Sun Studios in Memphis, his marriage to June Carter Cash, his studio and TV career, and his drug and alcohol abuse. Light reveals Cash's deep commitment to social justice, noting that the song "Man in Black" and the black clothes Cash wore were a protest against the dire treatment of, in Cash's words, "the ones who are held back." Light also writes about the musician's deep Christian beliefs and his novel about Paul the Apostle, The Man in White, through which Cash revealed his own struggle with faith. The volume's images stand out: in a spread, Light reproduces Cash's handwritten notes on his family history, including a reference to the fact that he was born on Buffalo Bill's birthday; Cash's irrepressible laugh is captured in a 1962 photo of him with two fishing buddies. Light's rich collection of photos and narrative bring Cash to life. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Music journalist Light (The Holy or the Broken) offers a concise yet comprehensive biography of Johnny Cash (1932-2003), from his earliest years to his death. Light features quotes from interviews with Cash family members and with Cash himself, and examines the man's musical influences, social causes, religion, love of wife June, and lasting legacy. However, it's the visuals that distinguish this volume, documenting the public and private life of a man whose legend has only grown since his passing. Dozens of images from the Cash family estate appear here for the first time: family portraits and travel snapshots, journal entries, notes, handwritten song lyrics, and photos of memorabilia. -VERDICT An attractive offering for music fans in general and Cash lovers in particular.-James Collins, Morristown-Morris Twp. P.L., NJ © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A profusely illustrated volume documents a celebrated performer's struggles and hard-won triumphs.Veteran music journalist Light (What Happened Miss Simone?: A Biography, 2016, etc.) offers an admiring yet cleareyed biography of Johnny Cash (1932-2003), a composer, singer, and guitar player who crossed many genres. Though associated mainly with country, in 1992, when he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cash acknowledged a wide range of influences, including Alan Lomax's field recordings of hill country music, Hank Williams, and gospel singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Cash's cultural contributions went beyond music; he was also an actor, writer (of two autobiographies and a novel), and social and political activist. "You could guide your ship by him," his friend Bob Dylan said. "Listen to him and he always brings you to your senses." Cash made his first major concert appearance in 1955, opening for Elvis Presley in Memphis; "Cash don't have to move a muscle, he just sings and stands there," Presley remarked. "The whole world will know Johnny Cash." His early recordings"Folsom Prison" and "I Walk the Line"were immediate hits, topping country and pop charts. But neither his career nor his personal life was smooth. Married with four children, he fell in love with singer June Carter and desperately wanted his Catholic wife to agree to a divorce. In the 1960s, he descended into alcoholism and drugs, "gobbling amphetamines at a ferocious pace." During a seven-year period, he found himself in jail seven times for drug-related offenses. Throughout the book, Light interrupts the chronology of Cash's life with "spotlights," concise essays on four themes: musical influences, social concerns, marriage to June (complex, tense, and often volatile), and religion (he was a good friend of Billy Graham). The author draws on Cash's autobiographies, music history and criticism, interviews, and writings by Cash's family to produce an intimate and engaging portrait. By far the greatest strength of the book, though, are the illustrations: memorabilia from family archives and abundant photographs that capture Cash's undeniable charisma.A treat for the Man in Black's many fans. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
