The Best of the Johnny Cash TV Show

Between 1969 and 1971, The Johnny Cash Show bridged seemingly disparate musical communities thanks to the vision of its obstinate star. Featuring 66 performances, this condensed set features fascinating insights from those involved with the program. Shot at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Cash’s show championed country music while connecting it to other forms. Roots rebels like Kris Kristofferson, George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Tammy Wynette, Bill Monroe, Merle Haggard and Loretta Lynn reached some of their widest audiences thanks to Cash. Talking freely about drugs, Vietnam, civil rights and his devout faith, Cash made the brass at ABC nervous but no less so than guests such as Bob Dylan, Louis Armstrong, Stevie Wonder, Pete Seeger, Credence Clearwater Revival, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. Linda Ronstadt, sans panties, wears a dress so short in rehearsal June Carter forces her to don some bloomers, and Ray Charles’s "Ring of Fire” oozes pure sex. Of another era, The Johnny Cash Show challenged America at a turning point in its history. Herein lays another example of how the "Man in Black” affected significant cultural change.