J.R. Cash
J.R. Cash was from Cleveland County, Arkansas, born on February 26, 1932. He would later take on the name John when an Air Force recruiter insisted on it since he wouldn’t accept only initials. J.R. supposedly was a compromise between his parents, who simply couldn’t agree on a name. Later on, Sun Records founder Sam Phillips was credited with adapting the name to Johnny.
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Johnny’s young life was struck by tragedy when his older brother, Jack, died in an industrial accident when sawing wood. Johnny was 12 at the time. According to his sister, he helped dig Jack’s grave on the morning of the funeral and stood throughout the entire service covered in dirt. Story has it that Johnny was never the same.