Johnny Cash Correspondence Regarding Sobriety

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Johnny Cash Correspondence Regarding Sobriety

Maker Johnny Cash (American, 1932 - 2003)

Maker Michael J. Pollard (American, 1939 - 2019)

Datec. 1990s

ClassificationsHistory

DimensionsOverall: 7 x 11 in. (17.8 x 27.9 cm)

DescriptionHandwritten correspondence between Johnny Cash and Michael J. Pollard, c. 1990s. Two letters on one leaf, folded, on United Airline letterhead paper, regarding sobriety.

Michael J. Pollard writes in blue ink on the front of the paper: "Dear Johnny + June, this question is to Johnny... Is it true that you go to A.A. meeting? Because I've been going 8 yrs! Answer..." followed by boxes marked "Yes" and "No" "Love, Michael J." Johnny Cash has marked the box "Yes" and has drawn an arrow leading to the next page, where Cash has returned a handwritten note that reads: "Michael, my birthday (sobriety) is Dec. 11th - if I make it, one day at a time. You might not believe it but I'm very shy. (I think you are also) I don't go to public meetings, but there are four of us in my group that have been to treatment, so we carry our meetings on the road. You look great. I saw the transformation the minute you came on. God Bless you. Johnny Cash."

Johnny Cash (1932-2003) was an American singer and songwriter who is one of the best-selling artists of all-time, crossing over between country, rockabilly, gospel, and rock and roll to form his own outlaw persona as “The Man in Black.”

Cash began performing as a rockabilly and country artist after auditioning for Sam Phillips at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee. His 1956 song "I Walk the Line" was a number one hit on the U.S. Country charts and propelled his career. By the 1960s, chart-topping songs like "Ring of Fire," "Understand Your Man," and live versions of "Folsom Prison Blues" and "A Boy Named Sue" cemented Cash's status as one of the most successful country artists. Over the course of his career, Cash released 67 studio albums and 16 live albums. Later in his career, Cash reinvented his sound, covering modern songs such as "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails and "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode - introducing his rich, baritone voice to a new generation.

Cash has sold more than 90 million records across the world and won multiple Grammy Awards spanning from the 1960s to the 2000s. He was inducted into the Country Music (1980) , Gospel Music (2011), Nashville Songwriters (1977), and Rock and Roll (1992) Halls of Fame, speaking to his diverse sound and audience.