Johnny Cash

The Life

By: Robert Hilburn

Narrated by: Charles Pittard

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

People don't just listen to Johnny Cash - they believe in him.

Although part of his life has been told on film, there are many compelling layers to his story that have remained hidden - until now. Robert Hilburn tells the unvarnished truth about a musical icon whose personal life was far more troubled and his artistry much more profound than even his most devoted fans have realized. 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 him extensively just before Cash's death in 2003.

Drawing upon his personal experience with Cash and a trove of never-before seen material from the singer's inner circle, Hilburn gives us a compelling, 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.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2013 Robert Hilburn (P)2013 Hachette Audio

the last half is amazing

This made me love Cash even more. Always wanted info on the Rick Rubin years, and thus delivered

life changing book!

loved it. if you start this book, it will be like falling into a burning ring of fiery biographical awesomeness that you will not be able to escape from.

Histoic & Humbling.

Embodies one of Americas beloved Air Force Veterans life from past present and his undying legacy. John coped with and endured physical,spiritual,and other forms of pain. Hurt, fourty prescription medications prevented Cash from living an additional 7 years...

Grace Wins

I have been captivated by this listen! As a longtime Johnny Cash fan, it is incredible to learn so much detail about his story. I knew the gist, but not all of it. The author takes us through the story in a way that has sparked my curiosity. I've done a lot of side researching, googling images, and pausing to go to YouTube and listen to songs and full albums. This is a fascinating look into the world of recording studios and record labels; there's so much about the industry I never understood until this book. I love the details of Cash's relationship to other artists of several eras and with his own band mates.

Cash is a great example of how history is dotted with some spectacular humans who accomplish unbelievable feats of talent, artistry, and grit in their lifetime. In Johnny Cash's example, he kept the faith, despite many ups and downs, and produced untold amounts of cultural capital.

The performance is good, but there are some funny bits where you can tell the recording was spliced. He also pronounces words with t's in the middle in a very funny and precise way. Definitely not a big deal, but certainly idiosyncratic. I really liked when he read quotes of Johnny Cash - he truly captured Cash's real voice.

THE Man

loved the book. alot of stories i never knew. Johnny Cash is an American Icon.

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