Johnny Cash, known as the “Man in Black,” wrote about music that described hard living and finding salvation for over 40 years.
However, to his sister Joanne Cash, he was simply “a country boy.”
Joanne Cash has come forward in a new documentary about her brother titled “Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon.”
The documentary shows Cash’s devotion to his faith and how his love for God played a role in his life as he battled depression and drug addiction. It features unheard conversations with Cash himself. Johnny Cash passed away in 2003 at the age of 71.
Joanne told Fox News Digital, “He gave his heart to the Lord when he was 12, at our little country church, but when he grew up he got away from God and got in the drug years. He [then] recommitted his life to Christ… I guess he thought, ‘If God could change me, he could change anybody.’”
“The Lord is very real in my life and was very real in Johnny’s life,” she continued. “Our mother was a very strong Christian and prayed for us constantly. Johnny’s unshakable faith in God was taught to him by our brother Jack. [He] was going to be a pastor, and of course, God took him to heaven before that could happen. He was only 14. But it taught Johnny to have an unshakable faith in the Lord.”
“There was something special about Johnny from the very beginning,” she added. “We would listen to the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night when it came on. That was something that not only he listened to, but all of us looked forward to. He said, ‘Isn’t it great? Listen to that music. One day, you’re going to hear me on the radio.’ I kind of laughed because I was a kid. And I said, ‘Really?’ He said, ‘Yes, you’re going to hear me sing one day on the radio.’ I didn’t believe it at the time, but I certainly believe it now.”
Joanne said the film chronicling Johnny Cash’s journey is “the best documentary I have ever seen.”
“Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon” is playing exclusively in theaters Dec. 5-7.
