" TELL ME, JOHNNY ? "

This is an interview that John gave to the Johnny Cash Society in 1968.

Q. If one of your most devoted fans had enough nerve to ask you, would you go out with her ?

A. No, I couldn't do that, I am married -- happily.

Q. Did you write the narrations on your album, "RIDE THIS TRAIN" yourself?

A. Yes, I did.

Q. Is sheet music for all your songs available ?

A. Most of them.

Q. Do you do a lot of sight-seeing on the days between personal appearances ?

A. No. There isn't time - or we are too tired.

Q. Do you like German Folk songs ?

A. Not especially, I don't know any.

Q. Where may I get the words to most of your songs?

A. Sheet music should be available in music stores. I have three (3) Song Folios with words to some songs.

Q. Please answer this question, it is not a joke. If I come to see you, will you take me fishing at Hickory Lake ? Will you put the worm on my hook?

A. If I have time. (I'll show you how to bait your own hook. )

Q. How long did it take you to record "Ballads of The True West"?

A. About a week. All night - every night.

Q. Where can we write to you personally?

A. Hendersonville, Tennessee.

Q. Who does the "flat top" picking in "Tennessee Flat-Top Box" ?

A. Roy Nichols (now with Merle Haggard. )

Q. Who plays lead guitar in "Nine Pound Hammer"?

A. Johnny We stern.

Q. Will you always continue to record C&W music?

A. Yes, as long as I live. I love Country Music.

Q. "I Called Him", my favorite of your hymns, has a wonderful philosophy. Did you write the words, and were they inspired by your mother?

A. My brother Roy and I wrote them. It was Roy's idea.

Q. When in Melbourne, Australia, did you complain because there wasn't enough furniture in the hotel room?

A. I sure don't remember it if I did.

Q. Where can I buy "The REAL Truth About Johnny Cash" ?

A. You can't.

Q. Were you a close friend of Johnny Horton?

A. Yes, very close. '

Q. Would you accept an invitation to stay at a fan's house, rather than a motel,

and I mean you and the entire group?

A. I doubt it. Simply because of all our luggage and unusual hours we keep.

Q. I have invited you to my home several times for dinner, each time I have gotten a letter from you regrettably declining my invitation. Do you get a lot of invitations of this nature ?

A. Yes, quite a few and I'm sorry we can't accept them.

Q. When you were in the Air Force, what type of service did you do, I mean did you have a desk job, or just what?

A. I can't tell you. I had a "Top Secret" clearance.

Q. How long were you in the service and what was your rank when you were discharge d ?

A. Four years. Staff Sergeant.

Q. When will you come to France for a stage tour ?

A. I don't know. Sometime soon, we hope.

Q. How much Indian blood do you have ?

A. I am one-fourth Cherokee.

Q. Do you find that young people are responding to C&W Music?

A. Yes, very much so. Not only young people, but people of all ages.

Q. Have you seen the movies you have made ? Did you like them?

A. Yes, I've seen them. No, I surely am not proud of them.

Q. Do you feel that you don't have a personal life of your own?

A. No, sometimes I demand privacy.

Q. What do you consider your best album to date ?

A. "Ride This Train".

Q. Do you consider any of your records bad? By this I mean, do you wish you hadn't recorded one or more that you don't like ? (J. R., she means, have you ever recorded a song and wished later you hadn't, that for some reason you don't like the song ? )

A. No, although some weren't good. I thought so at the time.

Q. Since you have moved back to Tennessee, do you have any plans to re join the

Grand Ole Opry?

A. No, we are on the road too many days per year to rejoin.

Q. Do you like Spanish Music and Legends ?

A. I don't know any.

Q. Do you ever stay and sign autographs ? I saw you three times in Ohio and each time you left right after the show.

A. I usually stay and sign autographs.

Q. Do you feel God calling you into any special kind of service for Him?

A. I think He did that years ago when He called me to sing. I've vowed to make 10% of my recordings sacred songs.

Q. Since you and Gordon Terry are friends, do you ever visit one another?

A. Yes, quite often.

Q. What would you say is your most embarrassing moment?

A. I don't know, or remember.

Q. Would we be allowed to take pictures of your house when we visit Nashville ?

A. Yes, of course.

Q. Do you have any pet peeves ?

A. Yes - several.

Q. What do you do with the guitars you don't want anymore ? How much do you

pay for them?

A. I don't have any that I don't want, I try to keep them all. I pay up to $2, 000.

Q. What kind of guitar do you use most of the time ? What kind of strings ?

A. Martin Guitar - Gibson Strings. (Usually, but not always. )

Q. How do you feel about female fans who hug and kiss you during an autograph

session?

A. I think it's nice that a person thinks enough of you to want to hug and kiss you,

but isn't a picture and autograph more lasting?

Q. How long did you make records for Sun Records ?

A. Three years - 1955-1958.

Q. When did you start to record for Columbia?

A. In 1953.

Q. Who does the piano playing on your Sun and Columbia Recordings ?

A. Jimmy Wilson - Sun; Bill Purcell and Floyd Kramer - Columbia.

Q. What is your greatest dislike of the world today?

A. The war and world unrest.

Q. What is your ultimate goal in life ? Having already achieved the goals that most people strive for, success in your chosen field and financial security, are you satisfied, or do you think there is something more to be desired in your life ?

A. I can never reach my goals. Some of them are secret, but all of them are unattainable, so that I'm forced to do my best. There is no such thing as financial security.

Q. What makes a successful record?

A. I don't know really, a good song, and most of all - you and thousands of others liking and buying it.

Q. What is an A&R man?

A. A record man who is responsible for supervising an artist's recordings and keeping track of his repertoire.

Q. Would you tell your fans who some of your favorite artists are ?

A. I have many favorites. No one in particular.

Q. Do you like Lorretta Lynn?

A. Very much.

Q. What was the first song you ever wrote ?

A. "Where Can She Be ? ", when I was twelve years old. I haven't sung it since.