Johnny Cash and the Paradox of American Identity

Acknowledgments

Indiana University Press Bloomington • Indianapolis a n d t h e p a r a d o x o f a m e r i c a n i d e n t i t y l e i g h h. e d w a r d s johnny å å Cash This book is a publication of Indiana University Press 601 North Morton Street Bloomington, IN 47404-3797 USA http://iupress.indiana.edu Telephone orders 800-842-6796 Fax orders 812-855-7931 Orders by e-mail iuporder@indiana.edu© 2009 by Leigh H. Edwards All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses’ Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences— Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z 39.48-1984. Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Edwards, Leigh H., date Johnny Cash and the paradox of American identity / Leigh H. Edwards. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-253-35292-7 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-253-22061-5 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Cash, Johnny—Criticism and interpretation. 2. Country music—History and criticism. 3. Country musicians—United States. I. Title. ML420.C265E48 2009 781.642092—dc22 2008033364 1 2 3 4 5 14 13 12 11 10 09 for my family å Contents “What Is Truth?” Authenticity and Persona . . . . 27 “A Boy Named Sue” American Manhood . . . . 65 1 2 Gender and “The Beast in Me” Ramblers and Rockabillies Authenticity and Persona . . . . 83 3 Introduction Cash as Contradiction . . . . 1 Acknowledgments . . . . ix Race and Identity Politics . . . . 107 4 Man in Black Class and National Mythologies . . . . 127 5 The Gospel Road Cash as Saint and Sinner . . . . 157 6 Conclusion “God’s Gonna Cut You Down”: Cultural Legacies . . . . 185 Notes . . . . 191 Works Cited . . . . 215 Index . . . . 227 ...