Current:Home > MyJohnny Cash becomes first musician honored with statue inside US Capitol-InfoLens
Johnny Cash becomes first musician honored with statue inside US Capitol
View Date:2024-12-23 11:28:11
A statue depicting country music legend Johnny Cash was unveiled Tuesday morning at the U.S. Capitol, making the "Man in Black" the first musician to have his likeness represented in Statuary Hall.
At an unveiling ceremony in at the United States Capitol Visitor Center, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders joined over 100 members of the Cash family to reveal artist Kevin Kresse's bronze statue.
The 8-foot-tall statue depicts the "I Walk the Line" singer with his head slightly downturned, a Bible in one hand and the other on his chest. A guitar is slung over his back.
"Today we have the pleasure of recognizing — get this — the first musician to ever be honored with a statue here in the Capitol," Johnson said. "And Johnny Cash is the perfect person to be honored in that way. He was a man who embodied the American spirit in a way that few could."
Cash, a Kingsland, Ark. native, died in Nashville, Tenn., at the age of 71. Throughout his career, he produced 40 years of hits, including "Folsom Prison Blues," "Ring of Fire," "A Boy Named Sue" and "Hurt."
Johnson shared that he recently learned, "as fate would have it," he is a distant half-cousin of Cash's, joining the many other Cash family members present for the reveal.
Rosanne Cash, the daughter of Johnny Cash, took the podium at the ceremony. "What a remarkable day," she said. "In my wildest dreams, I couldn't have imagined."
"Words cannot come close to expressing our pride to see my dad accorded such a singular privilege, the first musician in history to be included in the Statuary Hall Collection," Cash said on behalf of the family. "I'm very careful not to put words in his mouth since his passing, but on this day, I can safely say that he would feel that of all the many honors and accolades he received in his lifetime, this is the ultimate."
"Thank you Kevin Kresse for capturing his very essence in bronze," Rosanne Cash said. "You see this statue and you know this is no one else but Johnny Cash."
A sculptor from Little Rock, Ark., Kesse has crafted two other statues of Cash and other Arkansas musicians like Al Green, Glen Campbell and Levon Helm.
"In this statue, Kevin, I can actually see the 'gravel in his gut' and the 'spit in his eye,'" U.S. rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., said later at the podium, referencing the iconic lyrics of "A Boy Named Sue."
The ceremony closed with a performance of "I Walk the Line" from the United States Air Force Band and the Benediction delivered by Dr. Mike Garrett, a nephew of Johnny Cash.
Johnny Cash, Daisy Bates statues now represent Arkansas in Capitol
In the Capitol's National Statuary Hall Collection, each state has the opportunity to donate two statues to represent their most notable residents.
The statue of Cash joins the Capitol on behalf of his home state Arkansas, which voted to replace its two existing statues in 2019, ones that have stood in the Capitol on behalf of the state for over 100 years.
Embedded content: https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2024/08/01/johnny-cash-statue-unveiled-washington-dc-statuary-hall/74634737007/
The past two statues depicted Senator James P. Clarke and Uriah Rose, a lawyer who became the first president of the American Bar Association.
A statue of Daisy Bates, a civil rights activist and journalist who documented the end of segregation in Arkansas, most recently joined the gallery on behalf of Arkansas.
According to the Associated Press, the statues of Bates and Cash won out over proposed statue ideas of Sam Walton, Walmart's founder, and a Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan.
Audrey Gibbs is a music reporter for The Tennessean. You can reach her at [email protected].
veryGood! (47479)
Related
- Ford agrees to pay up to $165 million penalty to US government for moving too slowly on recalls
- Young Black and Latino men say they chose Trump because of the economy and jobs. Here’s how and why
- Kelly Rowland and Nelly Reunite for Iconic Performance of Dilemma 2 Decades Later
- Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia Explains Why She’s Not Removing Tattoo of Ex Zach Bryan’s Lyrics
- Insurance magnate pleads guilty as government describes $2B scheme
- Kirk Herbstreit berates LSU fans throwing trash vs Alabama: 'Enough is enough, clowns'
- Wisconsin’s high court to hear oral arguments on whether an 1849 abortion ban remains valid
- World leaders aim to shape Earth's future at COP29 climate change summit
- Stock market today: Asian shares meander, tracking Wall Street’s mixed finish as dollar surges
- Round 2 in the Trump-vs-Mexico matchup looks ominous for Mexico
Ranking
- Beyoncé's Grammy nominations in country categories aren't the first to blur genre lines
- 2025 NFL Draft order: Updated first round picks after Week 10 games
- Bo the police K-9, who located child taken at knifepoint, wins Hero Dog Awards 2024
- Deion Sanders addresses trash thrown at team during Colorado's big win at Texas Tech
- Real Housewives of New York City Star’s Pregnancy Reveal Is Not Who We Expected
- Brian Kelly asks question we're all wondering after Alabama whips LSU, but how to answer?
- Lane Kiffin puts heat on CFP bracket after Ole Miss pounds Georgia. So, who's left out?
- One person is dead after a shooting at Tuskegee University
Recommendation
-
Bradley Cooper and Gigi Hadid Enjoy a Broadway Date Night and All that Jazz
-
Georgia's humbling loss to Mississippi leads college football winners and losers for Week 11
-
Fire crews gain greater control over destructive Southern California wildfire
-
Lane Kiffin puts heat on CFP bracket after Ole Miss pounds Georgia. So, who's left out?
-
Pie, meet donuts: Krispy Kreme releases Thanksgiving pie flavor ahead of holidays
-
South Carolina does not set a date for the next execution after requests for a holiday pause
-
How Ben Affleck Really Feels About His and Jennifer Lopez’s Movie Gigli Today
-
Brianna LaPaglia Reacts to Rumors Dave Portnoy Paid Her $10 Million for a Zach Bryan Tell-All