Johnny Cash First Musician to Receive Statue Inside US Capitol

A statue honoring country music icon Johnny Cash was unveiled at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday morning, marking a historic moment as he becomes the first musician to be represented in Statuary Hall. The event took place at the United States Capitol Visitor Center, attended by House Speaker Mike Johnson, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and over 100 members of Cash’s family.

The bronze statue, created by artist Kevin Kresse, stands 8 feet tall and portrays Cash with his head slightly bowed, a Bible in one hand, and the other hand resting on his chest. A guitar is slung over his back, capturing the essence of a man who profoundly impacted American music.

“Today we have the pleasure of recognizing — get this — the first musician to ever be honored with a statue here in the Capitol,” Johnson remarked during the ceremony. “And Johnny Cash is the perfect person to be honored in that way. He represented the American spirit in a unique manner.”

Born in Kingsland, Arkansas, Cash passed away in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 71. His legacy includes a staggering 40 years of music, with classics such as “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Ring of Fire,” “A Boy Named Sue,” and “Hurt.”

Johnson shared a personal connection to Cash, revealing that he recently found out he is a distant half-cousin of the country legend, further tying him to the momentous occasion as many Cash family members gathered to honor their own.

Rosanne Cash expressed her deep emotions during the ceremony, stating, “What a remarkable day. In my wildest dreams, I couldn’t have imagined this moment. 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.”

She also reflected on what this honor would mean to her father, saying, “I can safely say that of all the many honors and accolades he received in his lifetime, this is the ultimate.” Rosanne extended her gratitude to Kresse for encapsulating Cash’s essence in such a powerful way: “You see this statue, and you know this is no one else but Johnny Cash.”

Kevin Kresse, a sculptor from Little Rock, Arkansas, has also designed two previous statues of Cash and represented other Arkansas musical icons like Al Green, Glen Campbell, and Levon Helm.

U.S. Representative Steve Womack, R-Ark., highlighted the statue’s resonance with Cash’s musical legacy, stating, “In this statue, Kevin, I can actually see the ‘gravel in his gut’ and the ‘spit in his eye,’” referencing lyrics from “A Boy Named Sue.”

The ceremony concluded with a stirring performance of “I Walk the Line” by the United States Air Force Band, followed by a Benediction delivered by Dr. Mike Garrett, a nephew of Johnny Cash.

Each state in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall Collection has the opportunity to donate two statues representing their most notable figures. Johnny Cash’s statue was added on behalf of Arkansas, which voted in 2019 to replace its existing statues that had been in place for over a century.

Prior to the unveiling, Arkansas was represented by statues of Senator James P. Clarke and lawyer Uriah Rose, the first president of the American Bar Association. Along with Cash, a statue of Daisy Bates, a renowned civil rights activist who played a vital role in ending segregation in Arkansas, also represents the state in the Capitol.

The selection of Cash and Bates as representatives of Arkansas was favored over proposals for other notable figures, such as Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, and a Navy SEAL killed in action.

Source: USA Today