J.R. Cash is born on February 26th to a sharecropping family in Kingsland, Arkansas. The initials J.R. are intended as a placeholder until his parents agree on a name. He is one of seven children.
Cash and his family move to Dyess Colony in northeast Arkansas to farm land given to them by the government as part of Roosevelt's "Colonization Project No. 1." The family works the land, often singing in the fields.
On May 12th, while Johnny is fishing his 14 year-old brother, Jack, is severely injured by a table saw and dies a week later from the injuries. Cash is profoundly affected by his brother's death.
His mother sends him to vocal lessons, and after three sessions the teacher tells him to stop taking lessons and just sing his own way.
Graduates from Dyess High School, moves to Michigan and works at an auto body plant in Pontiac. After a month, Cash returns to Dyess, Arkansas and enlists in the Air Force. The government requires him to put a name to his initials and he signs up as John Cash.
He trains at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi and Brooks Air Force Bases in Texas where he meets high school senior Vivian Liberto at a roller-skating rink.
While stationed in Landsberg, Germany as a Radio Intercept Operator, he forms a band with five other servicemen and pens some lyrics. During his four years of service he exchanges love letters with Liberto.
After being discharged from the Air Force on July 3rd, he weds Vivian Liberto on August 7th. They move to Memphis, TN, where he takes a radio announcer course while selling appliances door to door.
His brother introduces him to Luther Monroe Perkins and Marshall Grant, both guitar players and mechanics at a garage where his brother works. The three men play gospel songs at parties and churches and perform once a week on the Memphis radio station KWEM.
Johnny Cash along with Luther and Marshall, named the Tennessee Two, audition for Sam Phillips at Sun Records. They record "Wide Open Road" and "You're My Baby" but Phillips is not impressed with Cash and advises him to go sin a little bit, [then] come back and sing me some songs. . ."
Cash and the Tennessee Two return to Sun Records in March and audition again for Sam Phillips, who signs Cash to the label as "Johnny" Cash. They record "Hey Porter" in March, which climbs to #14 on the Billboard Country/Western chart and "Cry, Cry, Cry" in May.
Daughter Rosanne is born on May 24th.
Tours with his band and Elvis Presley throughout the summer. Their act includes poking fun at each other and Cash imitating Elvis. Cash also makes numerous appearances at the Grand Ole Opry, where he meets country singer June Carter for the first time. He later tours with the Carter family during the early 1960s.
"I Walk the Line hits #1 on the Country and Western charts and the Top 20 pop chart.
Signs with Elvis Presley's former manager, Bob Neal.
Daughter Kathleen is born on April 1st.
Meets up with Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley at Sun Studios for an impromptu recording session. Photographs of the legendary night are published in the Memphis Press-Scimitar newspaper and the rising stars are dubbed the "Million Dollar Quartet"
Releases his first album "Johnny Cash With His Hot and Blue Guitar", becoming the first artist on the Sun label to release an LP (a long playing album).
Daughter Cindy Cash is born on July 29th.
Signs with Columbia Records after his contract with Sun Records expires.
Releases his first album with Columbia, "The Fabulous Johnny Cash" – hitting #19 on the Top LP charts.
"Don't Take Your Guns to Town makes it to #1 on the Country/Western and Top 40 Pop charts.
Releases his second album "Hymns" with Columbia Records. The album reflects Cash's original desire to record gospel and religious songs.
Television series "The Rebel" premieres featuring Johnny Cash's "The Ballad of Johnny Yuma" as the theme song.
Daughter Cindy is born on July 29th.
Daughter Tara Cash is born on August 25th.
Arrested in El Paso, TX at the airport on October 4th for smuggling amphetamines across the Mexico border in his guitar case.
His truck catches fire and triggers a forest fire in California's Los Padres National Forest, burning hundreds of acres and killing most of the endangered condors. The government sues him for $125,127 and settles for $82,001.
Arrested in Starkville, MS on May 11th for picking flowers on private property. The incident inspires the song "Starkville City Jail". Divorces his wife Vivian.
Awarded a Grammy with June Carter for their duet "Jackson".
Kicks his amphetamine drug habit with the help of June Carter, her mother Maybelle and her father Eck who all move into his house to help him through the withdrawal.
After proposing marriage to June Carter countless times before, Cash proposes onstage during a performance in London, Ontario on February 22nd. They are wed on March 1st in Franklin, Kentucky.
Hosts "The Johnny Cash Show" on ABC until 1971, which features popular folk and country acts of the era.
Son John Carter Cash is born on March 3rd.
After habitually donning a black outfit during performances for years, he releases the song and album "Man in Black" which proclaims, "I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down, / Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town."
He is attacked and injured by an ostrich at his Tennessee ranch and becomes addicted to painkillers. In December he checks into the Betty Ford clinic.
Returns to Sun Studios in Memphis, TN and teams up with Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins, to record the album "Class of '55."
Records the acoustic album, "American Recordings" in his living room with Beastie Boys producer Rick Rubin. The album revives his career and fetches a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album of the Year.
Releases another album with Rick Rubin, "Unchained", which wins a Grammy for Best Country Album.
Diagnosed with Shy-Drager syndrome, a neurodegenerative disease related to diabetes. He is hospitalized with severe pneumonia the next year.
Releases the album "American IV: The Man Comes Around", featuring the song "Hurt" written by Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor. The accompanying music video, directed by Mark Romanek is nominated for seven MTV Video Awards and wins for Best Cinematography.
June Carter dies from complications after heart surgery on May 15th at the age of 73. Johnny Cash dies four months later at the age of 71, from diabetic complications on September 12th in Nashville, Tennessee.
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