Johnny Cash and the paradox of American identity / Leigh H. Edwards.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Edwards, Leigh H., 1970-

Series:

Profiles in popular music.

Profiles in popular music

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Country music--History and criticism.

Country music.

Country musicians--United States.

Country musicians.

Cash, Johnny--Criticism and interpretation.

Cash, Johnny.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (257 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Bloomington : Indiana University Press, c2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Throughout his career, Johnny Cash has been depicted -- and has depicted himself -- as a walking contradiction: social protestor and establishment patriot, drugged wildman and devout Christian crusader, rebel outlaw hillbilly thug and elder statesman. Leigh H. Edwards explores the allure of this paradoxical image and its cultural significance. She argues that Cash embodies irresolvable contradictions of American identity that reflect foundational issues in the American experience, such as the tensions between freedom and patriotism, individual rights and nationalism, the sacred and the profane. She illustrates how this model of ambivalence is a vital paradigm for American popular music, and for American identity in general. Making use of sources such as Cash's autobiographies, lyrics, music, liner notes, and interviews, Edwards pays equal attention to depictions of Cash by others, such as Vivian Cash's publication of his letters to her, documentaries and music journalism about him, Walk the Line, and fan club materials found in the archives at the Country Music Foundation in Nashville, to create a full portrait of Cash and his significance as a cultural icon.

Contents:

Introduction : Cash as contradiction

"What is truth?" : authenticity and persona

"A boy named Sue" : American manhood

Gender and "the beast in me" : ramblers and rockabillies authenticity and persona

Race and identity politics

Man in black : class and national mythologies

The gospel road : Cash as saint and sinner

Conclusion : "God's gonna cut you down" : cultural legacies.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [215]-225) and index.

ISBN:

1-282-26321-8

9786612263217

0-253-00317-2

OCLC:

640380219