Johnny Cash: I Walk the Line

Cash’s early career is defined by ability to remain defiant against the status quo to achieve his destiny. After working for hours in the cotton fields, they moved to Memphis in the mid 50s, he found rock ‘n’ roll was in. Much to the chagrin of pioneer producer Sam Phillips, Cash stubbornly stayed true to his country roots. The lyrics for “I Walk The Line” came to the married Cash on the road in Texas as he struggled to remain faithful to his wife, Vivian. The temptations on the road for a musician are like no other. The song would also prove to be one of the first examples of a complicated and contradictory artist. In many ways, this song begins a dark period for Cash when there was really no line he didn’t cross: he left his wife Vivian, became addicted to alcohol and amphetamines, and nearly destroyed his life. Cash was trying to find his voice, and a chance tape-recorder mistake inspired a riff that launched a career.