Classic Popular Songs of All Time (an ongoing series)

JOHNNY CASH

I WALK THE LINE

No I didn't buy this and my introduction to Cash was as I have mentioned before the At Folsom Prison LP that my brother bought and the singles here were a mixed bag and some not even released over here. However some of Cash's songs are destined to become all time American Song Book classics . . . . . . some become songs I consider to be amongst the greatest folk songs ever written. 'Big River',  'I Walk The Line, 'Jackson', 'Get Rhythm' to name but a few

On this day in music history: May 1, 1956 - “I Walk The Line” by Johnny Cash is released. Written by Johnny Cash, it is the third single release for the country music icon from Kingsland, AR. Signed to Sam Phillips’ label Sun Records in 1955, Johnny Cash has his initial chart success with “Cry! Cry! Cry!” and “Folsom Prison Blues”. For his next single, Cash turns to matters of the heart for inspiration. The musician meets Vivian Liberto in July of 1951, while serving in the US Air Force. They become romantically involved, but Cash’s service interrupts the relationship, when he’s transferred to Germany. They keep in touch by writing each other long love letters, expressing their devotion toward each other. After being honorably discharged from the Air Force, the couple marry on August 7, 1954 and start a family. Working days as an appliance salesman, Cash begins performing with a small band that includes guitarist Luther Perkins and bassist Marshall Grant. In early 1956, at a gig in Gladewater, TX, Johnny begins writing a ballad about his wife, wanting to remain faithful in spite of temptations that might lead him to stray. Initially unsure about how to title it, Cash’s friend and Sun Records label mate Carl Perkins tells him that he should call it “I Walk The Line”. Playing it for label boss Sam Phillips, he convinces Cash that he should record it at a faster tempo. Resistant to the idea at first, the musician agrees to cut it that way. “I Walk The Line” is recorded at Sun Studios in Memphis, TN on April 2, 1956. “Line” sprints to the top of the Billboard Country singles chart on July 21, 1956, unseating Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel from the number one spot. It ends up spending a total of six non-consecutive weeks at number one on the country chart, in which time, it’s bumped temporarily from the top by Ray Price’s "Crazy Arms” and Elvis’ “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You” (one week each). Then “I Walk The Line” returns to #1 for a third time for four consecutive weeks before finally yielding to Presley’s double A-sided smash “Don’t Be Cruel” / “Hound Dog”. “Line” also becomes a pop crossover hit, peaking at #17 on the Best Sellers chart on November 10, 1956. The single establishes Johnny Cash as a major star, and becomes one of his signature songs. The country music legend re-records the song four more times during his career, in 1964, 1969, 1970 and 1988. The song is covered by a number of artists including Dolly Parton, Glen Campbell, The Everly Brothers, and Halsey. “I Walk The Line” also becomes the title of a biopic about Johnny Cash, starring Joaquin Phoenix as Cash and Reese Witherspoon as June Carter Cash. Revered as one of the most popular and influential country records of all time, Johnny Cash’s original recording of “I Walk The Line” is inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 1998.

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