Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash’s America was not red, white or blue, but black. And that blackness contained multitudes. While society has become increasingly divided, Americans who can agree on little else have agreed on Johnny Cash.

Cash navigated some of the most contentious issues of our time — war, prison reform, youth discontent, religion, Native American rights — without losing his audience. What lessons can be learned from his story? How can one speak his mind without losing his voice?

A newly commissioned film for A&E's Biography Channel, JOHNNY CASH’S AMERICA blends biography, essay and music to explore the meaning of one American’s life. Chapters develop thematically from Cash’s life: his agricultural roots, finding his voice with the original rock and rollers, his commitment to family and selfeducation, his anger at the treatment of Native Americans, his refusal to let prisoners be forgotten, the folk scene as a platform, America’s wars—his support and resistance, and his patriotism even when questioning the government.

This deluxe CD/DVD package contains the film in its entirety plus a CD of the music from the film.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE DVD:
• Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan outtakes from “Nashville Skyline” and other sessions

• Never-before broadcast pilot of 1965 “Johnny Cash Show”

• Rare footage from a 1968 Canadian TV special, in glorious 2-inch videotape color

• Unseen rehearsal for a Highwaymen recording session

• A rare BBC performance during his American Recordings comeback