The Johnny Cash I Knew. A Kind and Caring Man
By Tom Blake
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About this ebook
The author had the pleasure of working with Johnny Cash for two years in the 1970s. He got to know him well. He was with Johnny in all kinds of situations--in the House of Cash recording studio, backstage multiple times, in his Sahara Tahoe guest house, riding in limos, at dinner often in the author's Victoria Station restaurants, amongst hundreds of fans, performing live in San Quentin Prison--in places very few people were privileged to be with him. The author co-produced with Johnny an album of train songs. Johnny was always kind and considerate, a true gentleman.
In the years since the author worked with him, he has read and seen many things that disparaged Cash's character and overplayed Johnny's addictions and behavior. The author never saw any evidence of that. The author felt the way Johnny was portrayed in the movie Walk the Line was a misrepresentation of the man he knew as Johnny Cash.
He wrote this book to show the soft, mellow, kind side of this warm and loving man. 17 pictures are included in the text.
Tom Blake
Tom Blake is an author and syndicated column in Southern California. He has written more than 4,379 columns and email newsletters on finding love after 50. Tom's website, www.findingloveafter50.com, has articles and videos. Tom is a columnist for the Dana Point Times, San Clemente Times, and The Capistrano Dispatch in Orange County, California. He is the author of five printed books and several ebooks (on Smashwords.com and Amazon.com) John Gray, PhD, author of "Men Are From Mars. Women Are From Venus," says Tom is an expert on dating after 50. Tom has appeared on the Today Show and Good Morning America. Each Friday, he emails the complimentary "On Life and Love After 50" Newsletter to several thousand subscribers across the USA, Canada, and other foreign countries. Sign up at www.findingloveafter50.com, or email Tom at tompblake@gmail.com
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The Johnny Cash I Knew. A Kind and Caring Man - Tom Blake
The Johnny Cash I Knew. A Kind and Caring Man
Published by Tom Blake at Smashwords
Copyright 2015 Tom Blake
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Published by:
Tom Blake Publishing, Dana Point, CA. 92629
The Johnny Cash I Knew. A Kind and Caring Man
Table of Contents
Foreword
Chapter 1 - My First Meeting With the Man in Black
Chapter 2 - How the Johnny Cash Miami Meeting Came About
Chapter 3 - The Pursuit of Johnny Cash
Chapter 4 - Off to Las Vegas to See the Johnny Cash Show
Chapter 5 - Coconut Grove Hotel, Miami Beach
Chapter 6 - Hendersonville, Tennessee
Chapter 7 - Music Producer Fascinates Johnny Cash
Chapter 8 - Working with Johnny on an Album of Train Songs
Chapter 9 - Hendersonville Revisited
Chapter 10 - Lake Tahoe with the Cash Family
Chapter 11 - On the Road with Johnny in the Deep South
Chapter 12 - The Album Destination Victoria Station Debuts
Chapter 13 - The Summer of 1976. Bloom Comes Off the Rose
Chapter 14 - San Quentin with the Man in Black
Chapter 15 - My Victoria Station Train Ride Comes to an End
Chapter 16 - Seeing Johnny in the Later Years
Chapter 17 - 2000 and Beyond
Chapter 18 - Rosanne Cash
Chapter 19 - Lou and Karen Robin
About The Author
Other books by the author
Author Websites
Foreword
I had the pleasure of working with Johnny Cash for two years. I got to know him pretty well. I was with him in all kinds of situations--in his recording studio, backstage, in his Sahara Tahoe guest house, in a limo, at dinner often in my company's restaurants, amongst hundreds of fans, performing live in San Quentin Prison--in places very few people were privileged to be with him. I worked with him on his album of train songs. He was always kind and considerate, a true gentleman.
In the years since I worked with him, I've read and seen many things that disparaged his character and overplayed his addictions and behavior. I never saw any evidence of that. I felt the way he was portrayed in the movie Walk the Line was a misrepresentation of the man I knew as Johnny Cash.
I wrote this book to show the soft, mellow, kind side of this warm and loving man.
Tom Blake - Dana Point, California, September, 2015
Chapter 1 - My First Meeting With the Man in Black
I knew it wasn't a dream, but it didn't seem real, either. I found it hard to believe that I was sitting and pacing in the lobby of the Coconut Grove Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, waiting for Johnny Cash and his wife, June Carter Cash, to come down from their room. It was April 15, 1975.
I wasn't with a bunch of fans hoping to get autographs, or a quick glimpse of the famous couple. I was the only person in the lobby. Johnny and June were coming down to see me and no one else. And then we were going to ride off in a limo I had hired, which was parked with its engine running under the front canopy of the hotel. Jose, the driver, was behind the wheel.
I was the marketing director of the Victoria Station restaurant chain based in San Francisco. We specialized in serving steaks and prime rib; our restaurants were located in boxcars and cabooses. My job was to hire Johnny Cash.
Johnny had agreed to visit our Miami restaurant to see if he felt comfortable enough to be our national spokesperson and to record our radio commercials. I was there representing a few thousand Victoria Station employees and the officers and stockholders of the company.
There wasn't a Johnny Cash fan in the world who wouldn't have wanted to be in my shoes at that moment. Lou Robin, Johnny's manager, had told me to pick them up at 5 P.M. Jose and I had arrived at 4:30.
Johnny and June had been on the road for two months, performing in smaller towns and cities and had not gotten near enough to any of our restaurants, which were located in bigger cities, to pop in for a quick visit. Until today.
The prearranged plan was to leave the Coconut Grove and drive to Victoria Station, which was just north