"This book is the greatest part of my mother's legacy as a wife, a grandmother, a matriarch, a mother, and most important, a woman in love."
-- Kathy Cash
I Walked the Line
My Life with Johnny
Description
I Walked the Line is a chronicle of first love, long-kept secrets, betrayal, forgiveness, and the truth—told at last by Vivian Liberto Cash, Johnny Cash's first wife and the mother of his four daughters.
This powerful memoir had the full support of Johnny Cash, who insisted it was time for their story to be told, despite any painful revelations or personal cost that might come to light as a result.
Many myths and contradictions regarding the life of Johnny and his family have been perpetuated for decades in film and literature. Vivian, a once-fogotten voice in music history, exposes previously untold stories involving Johnny’s drug addiction, his fraught family life, and their divorce in 1968, as well as the truth behind the writing of two of Johnny’s most famous songs, “I Walk the Line” and “Ring of Fire.”
Supplemented by a never-before-published archive of love letters and family photos, I Walked the Line offers a deeper look at one of the most significant artists in music history. Here, fans and readers can experience the extraordinary account of love and heartbreak between Johnny and Vivian, and come to understand Vivian's dignified silence over the years and life in Johnny’s shadow. Through this elegant and revealing memoir, Vivian Cash’s voice is finally heard.
Reviews
"Vivian was there from the beginning with Johnny. I loved reading I Walked the Line. It brought back memories of our good times together and how crazy it was back then."
-- George Jones
"Just when you thought you had a good idea who Johnny Cash was, in this book we get inside the heart of the Man in Black. Only a very few knew Johnny Cash like his beloved Vivian. Now for the first time we get the full picture of who Johnny Cash really was. His pen and heart expose this very complicated man. If you think you knew Johnny Cash, think again. You see the side he never let anyone on the outside see. The love letters of Johnny Cash will make even the biggest man sneak a tear."
-- Jimmy Carter, host of The Jimmy Carter Entertainment Report
"Here's a love story that encompasses ten thousand pages of love letters. I'm glad I was there to see a lot of that love in the early years in California. Vivian was a very special person in my life."
-- Johnny Western