Johnny Cash Becomes First Musician to Receive Statue in US Capitol

Members of the family of Johnny Cash, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries participate in an unveiling of a statue of American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash in Emancipation Hall at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 24, 2024. Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

Genre-bending singer-songwriter Johnny Cash has posthumously achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first musician to be commemorated with a statue in the U.S. Capitol.

A bronze sculpture of the Grammy Award-winning singer will now represent the state of Arkansas as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection, an exhibition of 100 statues—two from each state—aimed at honoring notable figures in history.

The statue was unveiled on Sept. 24 in Washington as congressional leaders, Arkansas officials, and more than 100 members of Cash’s family, including daughters Rosanne Cash, Tara Cash Schwoebel, Cindy Cash, and Kathy Cash-Tittle, as well as his sister Joanne Cash, gathered to remember Cash’s indelible legacy.

During the ceremony, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer—who was born and raised in Arkansas—was the “perfect person” to be honored because “he was a man who embodied the American Spirit in a way that few could.”

“He was an everyday man. He loved to fish, and he suffered the pain of loss. He was the son of Southern farmers and of the Great Depression,” Johnson said.

“Americans related to Johnny Cash, so families across the country invited him into their homes through their radios and their record players because the ‘Man in Black’ sung of tragedies of life and the difficulties that Americans faced—he provided Americans hope.”

Statue of the ‘Man in Black’

Cash’s statue, which was designed by Kevin Kresse, a local sculptor from Little Rock, Arkansas, stands atop a limestone-clad pedestal, bringing its total height to almost 11 feet, per the Architect of the Capitol.

“Cash looks downward as he steps forward with his right foot. Lost in thought, he grapples with many different emotions, his left hand gripping his guitar strap at his chest, his right hand clasping a Bible at his side,” a description of the statue reads.

The bronze figure is one of two new statues that the state of Arkansas has donated to the U.S. Capitol.

Cash’s statue replaces the likeness of former U.S. Senator and Arkansas Governor James Paul Clarke in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center’s Emancipation Hall. The second statue, which depicts civil rights leader Daisy Bates, was unveiled in the National Statuary Hall in May, replacing a marble statue of attorney Uriah Rose.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who signed the state’s proposal to replace the sculptures into law in 2019, told NPR that it was time for change.

“It’s been over 100 years since the statutes were replaced for Arkansas, and our state has changed. James Clarke was a segregationist. You had Uriah Rose, who was a Confederate sympathizer,” Hutchinson said. “They do not reflect what our state represents today.”

Remembering a Legend

Born on Feb. 26, 1932, in Kingsland, Arkansas, Cash served four years in the U.S. Air Force before going on to work a variety of odd jobs, from helping to assemble cars in a factory to working as a door-to-door home goods salesman, per his online biography.

However, in 1954, Cash—then in his early 20s—auditioned for the Memphis, Tennessee-based music label Sun Records, where he landed his first record deal.

Three years later, Cash released his debut studio album, “Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar!,” which featured four of his hit singles: “Cry! Cry! Cry!,” “So Doggone Lonesome,” “I Walk the Line,” and “Folsom Prison Blues.”

Subsequent albums included “Ride This Train” (1960), “Blood, Sweat and Tears” (1963), “Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian” (1964), and “At Folsom Prison” (1968), among many others.

Cash was also known for his television show, “The Johnny Cash Show,” a country variety show that aired on ABC from 1969 to 1971.

Country music legend Johnny Cash, circa 1965, during a television appearance. Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Cash, whose career in music spanned nearly five decades, died on Sept. 12, 2003, at the age of 71 from complications of diabetes.

During the statue unveiling ceremony, Cash’s nephew, Dr. Mike Garrett, the executive director of Christian Counseling Associates Raleigh, said the singer’s family was “very encouraged” to see that his bronze likeness was holding a Bible.

“I think if there were visiting hours in heaven, I believe [Johnny] would say, ‘Kevin Kresse: You got that right,’” Garrett said, adding that Cash’s faith was an important part of his life.