Get To Know The Man in Black’s Multi-Talented Son, John Carter Cash

John Carter Cash is well accomplished in his own right.

Growing up as the only son to iconic parents must be challenging. Most of the time, these children are presumed to go in their parents’ footsteps, doing the exact thing and maybe even better. However, the now 51-year-old went his own path, breaking out from his parents’ shadow to succeed in the music industry. 

In addition to being a Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter, John Carter Cash is also a record producer, an author, and even recently added film producer on his resume. Let’s get to know more about him below.

1. He’s the only child of two music icons.

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Born on March 3, 1970, John Carter Cash is the only child of music icons Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. He is the fifth among Johnny Cash’s children from his first wife, Vivian Liberto. He also has two half-siblings from his mother’s previous marriage.

2. He was mentioned plenty of times in his parents’ songs. 

Several years after John Carter Cash was born, his father changed the end of his song, “A Boy Named Sue,” with John Carter Cash’s name. And whenever the country legend performed it, he would call the younger Cash out on stage to introduce him to the crowd.

 JohnCarter Cash recalled the moment of how he would “come out and take a bow” – feeling the intensity and energy of the crowd.

In 1972, Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash recorded a duet about him, and it was titled “I Got a Boy (And His Name is John).” John Carter Cash can also be spotted on the sleeve of his father’s 1975 album, Look at Them Beans – where he was captured playing with the country legend.

3. He’s a successful musician.

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From a young age, John Carter Cash got to live the life of a musician, spending most of his early years on the road with his parents. And growing up, he has always been surrounded by country music. But during his early teenage years, John Carter Cash started shifting to his chosen genre. Bands like AC/DC, Aerosmith, and Pink Floyd became his favorites.

Eventually, John Carter Cash found himself incredibly involved in the music business. It was in 2003 when he first released his album Bitter Harvest. It took seven years for John Carter Cash to release the follow-up album, The Family Secret, in 2010 and his latest one, We Must Believe in Magic.

4. He’s an acclaimed producer.

His successful career as a record producer started in 2000 when he worked with his mother’s album Press On. It took home the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album.

Eventually, John Carter Cash started working together with his legendary father for several American albums, with Cash’s 2002 American IV: The Man Comes Around winning the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Album of the Year from CMA award.

In addition to his legendary parents, John Carter Cash has also produced albums for artists like Loretta Lynn, Brooks & Dunn, George Jones, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, George Jones, among others – including his half-sister Rosanne Cash. Overall, he has produced five Grammy Award-winning records.

Most of these albums were recorded at the Cash Cabin Studio in Hendersonville – which John Carter Cash still maintains and operates.

5. He’s very fond of books.

John Carter Cash is very fond of books and truly treasures written stories that he owns a massive library that includes more than 5,000 books. His favorite one is the King James Bible, which he adored since he was a kid attending a Christian school.

6. He’s also an author.

Could you believe John Carter Cash has written children’s books? He’s actually the author of three children’s books: Momma Loves Her Little Son, Daddy Loves His Little Girl, and The Cat in the Rhinestone Suit. He even published a fantasy novel called Lupus Rex.

In 2012, John Carter Cash published in hardcover the House of Cash: The Legacies of My Father, Johnny Cash – which took him five years to complete. It includes personal stories from the younger Cash’s boating trips with his father. There are also references to the Man in Black’s drug addiction in the ’80s, as well as a glimpse of the country legend’s loving relationship with his father.

There’s even a handwritten recipe for homemade vegetarian burgers his parents have long kept. All these were taken from the notebooks stockpiled in his parent’s office vault, which John Carter Cash recounted finding in absolute chaos.

 John Carter Cash has also penned his mother’s biography called, Anchored in Love.

7. He’s a father of four.

 John Carter Cash has tied the knot three times. In 2016, he married his third wife, entertainer, and songwriter Ana Christina Cash. A year later, they welcomed their first child Grace June Cash.

In addition to Grace, John Carter Cash has three children from previous marriages: Joseph John Cash, Anna Maybelle Cash, and Jack Ezra Cash. Just like their talented father and grandparents, their love for music is also strong. They play the guitar, piano and also perform. John Carter Cash’s eldest son, Joseph, is also an actor.

8. He’s also an award-winning director.

In 2020, John Carter Cash produced the 19-minute short film Dragon Song. Directed by David McClister, the fictional film was based on the civil war’s aftermath with two survivors still at loss in the unending turmoil of a living hell.

The film also features appearances of John Carter Cash’s wife and his eldest son. It earned six awards from the annual Wild Bunch Film Festival, including Best Short Film Award, Best Actor for John Carter Cash, Best Actress for his wife.

9. He was once arrested for one peculiar reason.

In 2014, John Carter Cash was arrested at an airport in Newfoundland, Canada, after he was reported to be seen stripping off his clothing down to his underwear.

 John Carter Cash was said to be coming home from a hunting trip when he was arrested for disrupting the peace at the airport. According to the police who responded to the scene, Carter Cash was either drunk or had medical issues.

But since he was convinced by the security to put his clothes back on before the police arrived and only a few people witnessed the incident, no charges were filed against John Carter Cash. 

10. He does not accept alcohol or tobacco endorsements.

Johnny Cash has appeared in countless television commercials during his active years – from endorsing fast-food restaurants to gasoline and trains. But did you know there is one type of product that the country legend wouldn’t sign up for? 

Despite being known as a Wildman, Cash refused to promote tobacco and alcoholic drinks. This is to help people who – just like him – struggles with addiction.

And John Carter Cash definitely knows how to honor the family name as he continues his father’s legacy by not taking money from tobacco and alcohol companies. 

11. He holds custody of his parents’ legacy.

For the last eighteen years since his parents died, John Carter Cash has been taking care of his parents’ legacy – from managing his parent’s CD compilations to lending museums with different memorabilia. Clearly, it is such a challenging task, yet the younger Cash is taking pride in his work.

Indeed, John Carter Cash continues to uphold his famous parents’ legacy and even shows his love by often re-mastering music from his late legendary father.