Hello I’m Johnny Cash by G. Neri (review)

This biography of the quintessential “a boy, a dream, and a cheap guitar” success story—country musician Johnny Cash—focuses on the rise of the singer/songwriter from his impoverished family life in the Great Depression, through to his big break at Sun Records and opening for Elvis Presley. In the oversized picture-book format, each double-page spread functions as a chapter in Cash’s life. Multiple columns of ragged-right-edge prose, rich in lyricism and boasting a driving cadence, deftly develop an intricate and detailed look at different moments and themes: J.R.’s (Johnny’s) close relationship with his older brother, who died a tragic and gruesome death; Johnny’s first sight of June Carter (smitten) and Elvis wowing the ladies (jealous); Johnny’s stint in the Korean War (radio plays another pivotal role in his life). Neri musters these elements together to track Cash’s musical development and reveal the encouragement, mentoring, and lucky breaks that bolstered his own determination to make it in entertainment. While Ford’s oil paintings are not particularly stellar in portraiture, the scenes ably convey the variety of milieus in which Cash marked time or made his mark before hitting it big. End matter includes information about Cash’s later career and second marriage to June Carter; a brief, annotated discography of sources to begin careful listening; paragraphs about historical events, noting Cash’s songs on those themes; and a bibliography. Kids unenthusiastically facing a biography report may find this to be a perfect balance of engaging reading and teacher-satisfying substance.