In the country music universe, few stars shined as bright as Johnny Cash. His music had crossover appeal, and his ruggedly handsome looks gave a young Dolly Parton a crush. The Man in Black had hit songs throughout his career, but one of Cash’s most famous songs wasn’t his.
Johnny Cash recorded dozens of hit songs in his career
Cash began his recording career in the 1950s and recorded hit songs that made the charts up until his 2003 death.
He placed 42 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Cash held his own while competing with artists such as The Beatles and Rolling Stones on the Hot 100. He was more prolific within his genre.
Cash saw 119 songs make the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart across his six-decade career. Nine reached No. 1, including “Ring of Fire” and the gospel-tinged “Daddy Sang Bass.”
Strangely, “I Walk the Line,” which was also the title of the Cash biopic movie, didn’t chart in its original run. But one of Cash’s signature songs, which had crossover appeal with the mainstream, wasn’t even his.
Cash didn’t write ‘Boy Named Sue,’ which was one of his most famous songs
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JC sang several instantly identifiable songs during his career. Cash’s “Boy Named Sue” found fans beyond country music. The song spent 14 weeks on the Billboard country charts in the summer of 1969, including five weeks at No. 1. It simultaneously peaked at No. 2 during a 12-week stay on the pop chart. It was one of his biggest crossover hits.
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But Cash didn’t write the song. Poet and cartoonist Shel Silverstein wrote it (per ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers).
Cash recorded it for his 1969 album At San Quentin, and it found immediate success that propelled it to the top 10 on the Hot 100. “Ring of Fire” (No. 17 in 1963) and “What Is Truth” (No. 19 in 1970) were top-20 hits on the Hot 100, but Cash’s most famous song didn’t belong to him.
The prolific Silverstein has more than 700 songwriting credits via ASCAP, but only a few were ever recorded. Country artist Bobby Bare recorded seven Silverstein-penned tunes in his career.
The Man in Black had one No. 1 album in his career
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At San Quentin album was Cash’s best-performing album from a chart perspective during his lifetime. The 1969 record spent 70 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and four weeks standing at the top soon after its June release.
The Recording Industry Association of America certified At San Quentin gold in August 1969, less than a year after the similarly-themed At Folsom Prison achieved gold status. Both albums went triple platinum, per RIAA.
The Man in Black enjoyed incredible success throughout his recording career. He dominated the country charts, found crossover success, and placed several albums at the top of the charts. Yet Johnny Cash’s most famous song doesn’t belong to him.
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