365 Things to Do in Memphis #57: Celebrate Johnny Cash's Birthday
365 Things to Do in Memphis #57: Celebrate Johnny Cash's Birthday
He was an innovative singer who melded country, blues, rockabilly, and gospel, one of the greatest American songwriters, and a member of the Million Dollar Quartet. You may know him as The Man In Black.
Hello, he’s Johnny Cash.
Johnny Cash was born on February 26, 1932. Your assignment for #57 on the list of 365 Things To Do In Memphis is to celebrate!
Cash grew up in Arkansas, spent time in the Air Force, and came to Memphis in 1954 where he found himself in the middle of the birth of rock ’n’ roll. He sold appliances by day and played shows by night, and recorded his early hits at Sun Records.
You can celebrate his birthday with a visit to his statue in Cooper Young, steps away from the historic Galloway Methodist Church where Cash played his first public show with Luther Perkins and Marshall Grant. The statue was installed in 2019 and its made of bronze, designed by local artist Mike McCarthy.
Another way to celebrate is to visit Sun Studio, and take the immersive tour of the small studio that changed everything. The tour guides there are as interesting as the space, and you can get a feel for what it was like the 1950s when everyone from Cash to Elvis to Rufus Thomas and B.B. King.
Or, you could put on your favorite Cash song or record, turn on the Cash biopic Walk The Line—large portions of the movie were filmed locally—or just put on all black and raise a glass to Johnny Cash.
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