AMERICAN SONGWRITER – It’s a sad day for fans of country star Johnny Cash and his musically inclined family.
Tommy Cash, Johnny Cash’s brother, has passed away at the age of 84, according to representatives for the musician.
According to a statement, Tommy passed away Friday evening. Tommy was the older brother of country music icon Johnny Cash and artist Joanne Cash.
Bill Miller is the CEO and founder of Icon Entertainment, as well as the spearhead behind the Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville. He released a statement this morning following Tommy’s passing.
“Shannon and I lost a very, very dear friend last evening,” Miller said in a statement sent to American Songwriter.
“I knew him for over 50 years. Tommy Cash was a loyal supporter of the Johnny Cash Museum and a very beloved member of our extended family as well as a highly respected member of the music industry.
“This great man will be deeply missed by his friends and many loyal fans around the world.”
Bill went on to ask fans of the late singer to keep Tommy’s wife Marcy in their prayers …
Tommy Cash
Cash was born in Dyess, Arkansas, the youngest of four sons and three daughters of Ray and Carrie (Rivers) Cash (one of whom was Johnny Cash, born eight years earlier).
He formed his first band in high school. After high-school graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, and worked as a DJ for the Armed Forces Radio network.
After the Army, Cash played with Hank Williams Jr., and eventually gained a record deal from Musicor Records in 1965. A year later, he joined United Artists Records and just missed the Country Top 40 in 1968 with “The Sounds of Goodbye.”
In late 1969, while on Epic Records, he delivered his biggest hit, a tune dedicated to John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr., entitled “Six White Horses”.
In 1970, he had a pair of top-10 singles, “One Song Away” and “Rise and Shine”, written by Carl Perkins.
Cash’s final top-20 hit, “I Recall a Gypsy Woman”, was released in 1973.
Cash also acted in the 2016 film The River Thief.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
