Johnny Isn’t His Real Name
Johnny Cash’s name rolls off your tongue smoothly and sounds like a well-picked stage name. And in truth, it is. But contrary to what many assume, Cash is the real part of it. He was actually born as J.R. because his parents couldn’t decide on a name. His mom wanted Rivers, like her maiden name, and his dad preferred Jay.
Source: Twitter / Flickr
They settled for “J.R.,” and everyone called him that all through his childhood. It wasn’t until he joined the Air Force when he was 18 that his recruiter instructed him to change it from initials to a full lettered name. He chose John R. Cash, which inevitably turned into Johnny.