Not Cash-ing In
Joanne Cash says she's not riding the coattails of her famous older brother, but that she was born to sing gospel music—especially after her dramatic conversion.
by Andree Farias | posted 3/12/2007
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It's almost subconscious, the way Joanne Cash can't talk about something without talking about her big brother, the late great Johnny Cash. Whether it's sibling pride or something else, the youngest of seven Cashes has been singing for as long as she can remember. But like her enormously popular brother, her song began to fade as demons plagued her life—fears spurred by the death of her brother Jack, a failed marriage, and bouts with drugs and alcohol. Now married to a preacher, drug-free, and more in love with Jesus than ever, Cash released her first nationally distributed album, Gospel (ACME/Infinity), a collection of songs dear to her heart that also features her brother. In this conversation, Joanne reminisces about her life with the Man in Black, relates her conversion experience, and has a word or two for those who think she's just taking advantage of her brother's fame.
You have such a legendary last name. It must have opened a lot of doors for you over the years.
Joanne Cash Well, it has. Singing has been part of our family's life ever since I was a little girl in the cotton fields in Arkansas. Johnny sang a lot about the cotton fields in Arkansas. Our mother was a very strong Christian—she was the first to tell me about Jesus, that he's the Son of God. We had two options on Sunday: You can go to church, or you can go.
A young Joanne (center) with her older brother Johnny in a family photo.
But singing has been part of our lives as long as I remember. It's been such an inspiration to me. I told someone in another interview, "Singing is not what I do; it's what I am." I'm a Christian and I love the Lord with all my heart.
What was life like growing up?
Cash If you saw the movie Walk the Line on Johnny's life, the portrayal of our house was so accurate. It was a very poor existence. Our daddy was from the old school where he literally had to dig life out of the dirt. It was very hard work.
Starting at the beginning from the cotton fields where we all sang, I remember I was six years old when my brother Jack died. He and Johnny were at the school to earn some extra money. Johnny went on fishing that day, but Jack was sawing some fence posts with one of those round electric saws, and it jerked him into the saw. It was a horrible accident. He went to be with the Lord. I never get over the death of a loved one; with God's grace, you just get past it and get on with your life.
What effect did it have on the rest of your life?
Cash That's when some of my fears started. We have funeral homes today, but back then, they brought the bodies back to the home for viewing. So our brother Jack is laying in a casket in our living room, and I was terrified. As a six-year-old child, I didn't understand it. So I went and hid under my bed with my sister Reba. And fear started in my life—that Jesus didn't love me because he took my brother. That was a child's thinking.
But down through the years, I remember at nine years old I went down the aisle and shook hands with the preacher because I wanted to be in heaven to see Jack. The preacher patted me on my head and said, "You're saved." But I was convinced I wasn't, so I thought that was another rejection from God.
Then what happened?
Cash Through my teenage years, I still fought that fear. I got into drugs and alcohol. I went into a bad marriage that didn't last—the only thing good that came out of that marriage were three beautiful children. By this time, when I was a young adult, Johnny had become what the world calls a superstar. But my desire for music and singing was deep within my heart. When Johnny became a superstar, it just intensified my desire to sing.
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