Citizen Cash The political life and times of Johnny Cash

Rather than a conventional biography, cultural historian Foley digs deep into the political views of the iconic musician. Johnny Cash (1932-2003) rarely shied away from discussing politics. In fact, he devoted much of his musical career to spotlighting issues faced by minorities and other groups that he felt were underrepresented. However, as the author demonstrates, Cash was often misunderstood. At times, his views appeared incongruent to members of his audience, such as when he paid tribute to Confederate soldiers and endorsed equality for Black Americans in the same episode of his eponymous show or when he publicly expressed support for Nixon's handling of Vietnam while at the same time calling for peace. In this deeply researched, unique examination, Foley looks at the many reasons Cash was drawn to particular issues: Cash "rarely took 'stands' on political issues in conventional ways; instead, he approached each issue based on feeling." Cash released several concept albums that largely focused on marginalized groups--e.g., Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian. Since his youth, he had been told that his ancestry included Cherokee, but he later learned that it wasn't true. Nonetheless, his songs and performances continued to reflect great sympathy for the plight of Indigenous people. "Whether Cherokee blood pumped from his heart or not did not really matter," writes Foley. "In the marginalized lives of Native peoples, Cash saw something of his own experience as a poor kid." Cash was also well known as a strong advocate for prison reform, a stance made widely known via his At Folsom Prisonand At San Quentinalbums. Furthermore, given his childhood as "an Arkansas farm boy," he appeared as part of the supergroup known as the Highwaymen when Willie Nelson organized the first Farm Aid concert in 1985. With sufficient detail and a gift for storytelling, Foley explores these and many other aspects of Cash's complex life. A powerful biography that will leave fans with a newfound respect for the Man in Black. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.