To millions, he was the rebellious man in black, the unabashed patriot, the redeemed Christian, the king of country music. Yet Johnny Cash was also an uncertain country boy whose dreams carried him from the cotton fields of Mississippi to the vanguard of popular music, all the while struggling with the all-too-real pain of a guilt-ridden childhood, chemical addictions, and self-doubt. This book delves into oft-overlooked moments in his life and career:...

Traces Johnny Cash's childhood, including his distant father to his early attempts at a music career. At this point in his life he marries his girlfriend Vivian. During a tour with singer/musicians Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis, he encounters singer June Carter, and his love for her, and her rejection of him through the years, spurs him into drugs, drinking, and depression. June is both a sassy spitfire singer whose charm breaks hearts and eventually...