>> I DON'T CARE WHO BUILT IT.
ARE THEY STILL SELLING RECORDS?
WELL THEN, DROP THEM.
AND THAT'S JUST WRONG.
>> IT'S A BAD THING
WHEN AN ART FORM LOSES SIGHT
OF ITS OWN PAST.
>> HE WAS NERVOUS BECAUSE
HE'D NEVER BEEN SO NAKED
ON A RECORD BEFORE.
>> HE'S GIVEN ME AN OPPORTUNITY
TO EXPRESS MYSELF ARTISTICALLY
THAT I NEVER HAD BEFORE.
♪ I'M GONNA BREAK ♪
♪ MY RUSTY CAGE AND RUN ♪
>> THE MUSIC THAT HE WAS DOING
JUST WASN'T NECESSARILY
COMPATIBLE WITH THE AUDIENCE
THAT COUNTRY RADIO
WAS GOING AFTER.
>> HE'S NOT TALKING
ABOUT THE OTHER GUY.
HE'S TALKING ABOUT US.
HE'S FLIPPING US OFF.
>> NASHVILLE LOOKS LIKE
A LAUGHING STOCK.
HERE WE HAVE ONE OF THE BEST
ARTISTS IN THE WORLD
AND WE'RE NOT PAYING
ATTENTION TO HIM.
>> AND THE WINNER IS...
>> I THINK HE DESERVES THIS
MORE THAN ANY OF US
IN HERE TONIGHT.
>> THERE'S NOT MUCH ROOM
FOR BRILLIANCE.
♪ I HEAR THE TRAIN A COMIN', ♪
♪ IT'S ROLLIN' ROUND THE BEND, ♪
♪ I AIN'T SEEN THE SUNSHINE ♪
♪ SINCE I DON'T KNOW WHEN, ♪
♪ I'M STUCK IN FOLSOM PRISON ♪
♪ AND TIME KEEPS DRAGGIN' ON. ♪
>> THE MINUTE HE OPENED
HIS MOUTH YOU KNEW WHO HE WAS.
HE WAS AN IDENTITY.
>> HELLO, I'M JOHNNY CASH.
>> HE'S SO DISTINCTIVE
FROM THE FIRST NOTE,
WHETHER IT BE HIS GROWL OR JUST
SOME OF THOSE LOWER NOTES.
>> HE WAS NOT, YOU KNOW,
IN ANYBODY'S ROCK AND ROLL
PETTING ZOO.
>> HE WAS ABSOLUTELY ELECTRIC.
HE REMINDED ME OF A PANTHER
PROWLING AROUND ON STAGE.
♪ I SAID MY NAME IS SUE ♪
♪ HOW DO YOU DO? ♪
>> COUNTRY MUSIC
HAD GOTTEN SO BIG
LARGELY BECAUSE OF JOHN,
TO BE HONEST.
HIS TELEVISION SHOW
THAT BROUGHT IN ATTENTION
TO COUNTRY MUSIC
THAT IT NEVER HAD BEFORE
WHEN IT HAD PEOPLE
WHO WERE COMING TO NASHVILLE
OUT OF RESPECT FOR JOHNNY CASH.
>> ONE OF JOHNNY CASH'S
GREAT GIFTS WAS AN ABILITY
TO CONFUSE THE MOST
KIND OF INNOVATIVE ELEMENTS
OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING
WITH THE ABSOLUTE MAINSTREAM.
HE BECAME A MASS A FIGURE
AS YOU COULD BE.
TO THIS DAY...
PEOPLE ARE MYSTIFIED BY IT.
>> IT WAS THE FIRST
REALLY BIG BOOST
THAT OUR INDUSTRY EVER HAD
AND PROVED THAT THERE'S
A LOT OF MONEY TO BE MADE,
YOU KNOW, IN COUNTRY MUSIC.
>> IN THE 70S WE WOULD CELEBRATE
WHEN AN ALBUM SOLD 50,000.
WE WOULD HAVE A PARTY
IF IT SOLD 50,000 UNITS.
BY THE MID 80S
WE WERE DISAPPOINTED
IF WE DIDN'T DO 500,000.
>> COUNTRY MUSIC SUDDENLY
BECAME MORE POPULAR.
THE URBAN COWBOY CRAZE CAME IN.
JOHN NEVER GOT CAUGHT UP
IN ALL THAT.
HE STILL WANTED TO KEEP IT
SIMPLE AND DIRECT.
♪ HE CAME HOME TOO DRUNK FROM ♪
♪ MIXING TANQUERAY AND WINE, ♪
♪ HE GOT A GUN, ♪
♪ SHOT A NIGHT CLERK, ♪
♪ NOW THEY CALL HIM JOHNNY 99 ♪
>> HE WASN'T CERTAINLY
THE SOUND OF RADIO AT THAT TIME
AND I'M SURE THAT ALL THE PEOPLE
AT COLUMBIA RECORDS
WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THAT.
>> THE HEAD OF THE RECORD
COMPANY AT THAT TIME
WAS KIND OF JUDGE,
JURY AND EXECUTIONER.
HE'D LISTEN
TO THE FINISHED ALBUM
AND IF HE DIDN'T
HAPPEN TO LIKE IT,
HE'D PRESS MAYBE 10,000 UNITS
JUST TO GO THROUGH THE MOTIONS
OF PUTTING OUT THE RECORD.
AND IT WAS VERY
DEPRESSING TO JOHN.
>> I THINK HE STARTED
DOUBTING HIMSELF,
STARTED CARING LESS
ABOUT RECORDING.
>> AS WE DEVELOPED A PLAN,
WE FOUND THE EMPHASIS TO BE ON
BRINGING YOUNGER ARTISTS
INTO THE BUSINESS.
♪ CAUSE I'M A HONKY TONK MAN ♪
♪ AND I CAN'T SEEM TO STOP ♪
>> ON THE SCENE AT THAT TIME
WAS DWIGHT YOAKAM, RICKY SKAGGS,
ROSANNE CASH, ALABAMA,
GEORGE STRAIT.
RADIO WAS GETTING RATINGS.
WE WERE SELLING RECORDS
AND THAT BECAME
THE BUSINESS NORM...
AND EVERYBODY WAS HAPPY.
THE MORE AND MORE YOUNG ONES
THAT CAME ON THE SCENE
AND HAD SUCCESS,
IT LEFT THAT MUCH LESS SPACE
FOR THE LEGENDS TO BE PLAYED
AND MORE AND MORE RESISTANCE
WAS COMING FROM RADIO.
>> I THINK JOHN HAD BEEN
AT COLUMBIA TOO LONG.
THE FACES HAD CHANGED.
PEOPLE CAME IN THAT WEREN'T
INTERESTED IN HIS MUSIC
OR TOLERATED HIS MUSIC.
AND DIDN'T HELP SUPPORT HIM.
>> IT'S LIKE MERLIN STOLE
ALL THE PINK AT CAMELOT.
SOMEBODY STOLE ALL THE MAGIC
AND THE PINK OUT OF IT ALL.
LIKE IN THE 70S,
SOME OF THE 80S,
WHEN THE MAGIC OF THE MUSIC
WAS GONE AND I WAS JUST DOING IT
BECAUSE I DO IT.
I WAS JUST DOING IT
BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I DO.
AND I HATE THAT.
I HATE TO THINK
BACK ON THOSE YEARS
WHEN I DID IT JUST BECAUSE
THAT'S WHAT I DO.
>> FOR THE NUMBERS OF THE DEAL,
AND YOU'RE TALKING MILLIONS,
IT'S A SUPERSTAR DEAL...
IN RELATIONSHIP TO
THE AMOUNT OF RECORDS
WE WERE SELLING,
I HAD TROUBLE MAKING THAT WORK.
>> JOHNNY CASH WAS NOT A FIGURE
THAT WAS EASY TO PUT INTO
THE KIND OF COOKIE CUTTER
FORMULAS THAT DEFINED
WHAT COUNTRY MUSIC HAD BECOME.
SO WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO?
JUST GET RID OF HIM.
>> IT WAS JUST SHOCKING.
WE JUST COULDN'T BELIEVE
THAT A RECORD LABEL
DIDN'T HAVE THE FORESIGHT
TO JUST STICK IT OUT WITH HIM
TO LET HIM GO
THROUGH THIS SPELL.
>> THE MAN THAT HAD BASICALLY
BUILT THAT BUILDING
AND BUILT CBS RECORDS
IN NASHVILLE,
I MEAN HE HAD DONE SO MUCH
TO KEEP EVERYBODY'S JOB
IN NASHVILLE.
>> IT WAS MORE LIKE
"I DON'T CARE WHO BUILT IT.
ARE THEY STILL SELLING RECORDS?
WELL THEN DROP THEM."
AND THAT'S JUST WRONG.
>> I THINK WHEN THAT HAPPENED,
EVERYBODY WAS SHOCKED
AND I'M SURE THAT JOHNNY HIMSELF
WAS VERY SURPRISED,
DISAPPOINTED.
>> IT DID HURT. UM...
IT WAS A GOOD RELATIONSHIP
I HAD WITH COLUMBIA.
I HAVE SOME GOOD FRIENDS THERE,
SOME GOOD PEOPLE
THAT DID A LOT FOR ME
AND NEEDLESS TO SAY
I DID A LOT FOR THEM.
>> AT A POINT AT WHICH
IN MANY WAYS JOHNNY CASH
WAS JUST BEGINNING TO BECOME
KIND OF A REVERED FIGURE,
YOU KNOW, HE BECAME IRRELEVANT.
THERE WAS NO PLACE FOR HIM
IN THE NOW VERY POLISHED WORLD
OF OFFICIAL COUNTRY MUSIC.
IN MANY WAYS,
THERE WAS NO PLACE ELSE
FOR HIM TO GO.
>> I CALLED HIM AND I SAID,
"PLEASE DON'T DO IT DAD."
>> I'M NOT PART
OF THE MUSIC MACHINE DOWN THERE
THAT IS GRINDING OUT
RECORD AFTER RECORD
AND ACT AFTER ACT
FOR TOP 40 COUNTRY.
>> I REMEMBER THE VIDEO
FOR "DELIA'S GONE"
AND JUST THINKING HOLY COW.
>> IT'S NOT YOUR
AVERAGE COUNTRY SONG.
♪ DELIA'S GONE, ♪
♪ ONE MORE ROUND, ♪
♪ DELIA'S GONE. ♪
>> I KNEW THAT JOHN
WAS BACK IN THE BALL GAME.
>> CASH BY THIS POINT
HAD BECOME A KIND OF RESPECTED
BUT IRRELEVANT FIGURE.
YOU KNOW KIND OF
SOMEBODY WAS MORE ADMIRED
THAN REALLY TAKEN SERIOUSLY
AS A CONTEMPORARY ARTIST.
>> AS THE 90S DAWNED
IN NASHVILLE,
IT'S A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME
MUSICALLY.
THE CLASS OF '89 HAD COME IN
WITH PEOPLE LIKE CLINT BLACK.
GARTH BROOKS WAS EXPLODING
ON THE SCENE.
COUNTRY MUSIC SUDDENLY
HAD YOUNG, SEXY ARTISTS
DOING MUSIC THAT BORDERED
ON WHAT ROCK HAD BEEN
MANY YEARS AGO.
♪ STANDING OUTSIDE THE FIRE, ♪
♪ STANDING OUTSIDE THE FIRE ♪
>> THE FORMULA WAS STILL
THE SAME.
IT'S JUST NEW FACES.
WHO'S NEW? WHO'S FRESH?
WHO'S EXCITING?
>> IT WAS A YOUNG MAN'S GAME
AND JOHNNY WAS NOT A YOUNG MAN
AND KNEW IT.
SO HE CONTINUED TO TOUR
BUT RECORDING HAD JUST
LEFT HIS MIND AS A POSSIBILITY.
>> THIS IS MORNING ADDITION
FROM NPR NEWS.
I'M BOB ATWOODS.
>> YEAH AND I HEARD
DEMOGRAPHICS, DEMOGRAPHICS,
DEMOGRAPHICS TILL I GOT SICK
OF HEARING DEMOGRAPHICS.
AND I WENT TO CALIFORNIA
AND DECIDED THEY COULD
KISS MY DEMOGRAPHICS.
[hip-hop music]
