Johnny Cash is still making history.
A statue of the late country singer-songwriter was unveiled Tuesday inside the US Capitol, marking the first time a musician has received such an honor.
Arkansas selected Cash to represent the state within the Capitol after deciding in 2019 to replace its previous statues of Uriah Rose and Sen. James Clarke, which were removed for having been a Confederate sympathizer and segregationist, respectively.
A statue of civil rights leader Daisy Bates was installed earlier this year.
Joanne Cash, sister of Johnny Cash, touching the newly unveiled statue of Johnny Cash at the U.S. Capitol’s Emancipation Hall. Josh Morgan / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Hundreds of guests, including congressional leaders from both parties and members of the Cash family, gathered for the historic occasion.
“Some may ask: Why should a musician have a statue here in the halls of the great American republic?” House Speaker Mike Johnson said at the ceremony.
“The answer is pretty simple. It’s because America is about more than laws and politics.”
Members of the Cash family unveiling a statue of late country singer Johnny Cash at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., September 24, 2024. REUTERS
The statue, created by Little Rock sculptor Kevin Kresse, depicts the “Ring of Fire” singer with a guitar slung across his back and a Bible in his hand.
Cash’s daughter, Rosanne, said that her father would’ve seen the statue “as the ultimate” honor of his life.
The country music icon, who rediscovered his Christian faith later in life and devoted himself to the Evangel Temple church, faced a particularly difficult upbringing in a government agricultural resettlement community that made him forge a strong work ethic, his daughter said.
“This man was a living redemption story,” Rosanne said. “He encountered darkness and met it with love.”
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Rosanne Cash, Tara Cash Schwoebel, and Kathy Cash-Tittle attending the unveiling of Johnny Cash’s statue at the U.S. Capitol, Washington, in September 2024. REUTERS
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders celebrated the statue, harking back to her childhood where Cash was only second to her family’s faith and service to the country.
“When so much in today’s world is fake, Johnny Cash was very real,” Sanders said.
Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries credited Cash for the inspiration he provided to generations of artists and the country’s growth as a whole.
Jeffries quoted Bob Dylan, who partnered with Cash in the song “Girl from the North Country”, and Snoop Dogg when speaking about his impact.
“He called Johnny Cash a real American gangster. That’s a compliment from Snoop Doggy Dogg,” Jeffries said as the audience laughed.
“What a life, what a legend, what a legacy.”
Johnny Cash, American rock and country singer-songwriter, playing guitar circa 1965. Getty Images
Cash died in 2003 at 71 years old due to complications with diabetes.
He won 13 Grammy awards throughout his career, including a lifetime achievement award in 1999. He served in the Air Force during the Korean War on his own volition in 1950. He released his first album “Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar” in 1957, just three years after finishing his service.
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Publish date : 2024-09-24 16:47:00
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