The upcoming documentary Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon is set to hit theaters tomorrow (December 5th) on a limited run of showings through the 7th
The movie will document Cash’s relationship with God, his struggle with personal demons, and how he overcame them through his Christian faith, which he was always open about.
Producer John Erwin expressed his excitement for the new release:
”Johnny Cash is an American icon who undoubtedly shaped the musical landscape. Behind the fame is the true story of a man who was haunted by his own inner demons, and through facing them, ultimately found an unshakable faith in God.”
Johnny’s son, John Carter Cash, also weighed in on the upcoming release calling it the one film Johnny would be the most excited about:
“I think of all the documentaries made about my dad, he’d be most excited about this one.”
John Carter also sat down with Fox News recently to weigh in on the new film, as well as reflect back on his own personal demons, and how he and his father overcame various struggles together.
Of course, everyone needs to rely on their parents from time to time, but for Johnny and John Carter, it was a two way street… they both needed each other.
“He was my best friend… he really was. We laughed together. We traveled together. He was supportive of me. He was lenient on me, maybe a little too much. I think he could have been a little bit tougher.
I think I needed it sometimes. But my father never held a record of wrong. And we forgave each other and we healed. And together, we went through the struggles that we had to heal.”
John Carter shares that both he and his father went to the same drug treatment center:
“I dealt with addiction issues, especially when I was younger in my early 20s. My father had gone through a treatment center in the early 1990s.
Well, I went through that same treatment center back in the early 1990s, and we were able to hash out a lot of our crap from when I was younger.”
According to John Carter, it was Johnny’s steadfast faith in God that allowed him to persevere, whether it was addiction problems, marital problems, coping with loss… it was at the core of who he was, and what he leaned on in the most troubling times:
“He was always consistent about professing his faith. It stems from family values. It stems from his love for gospel music. It stems from the fact that he needed salvation and he found it bringing it to other people also.
When he signed up to record with Rick Rubin, one of the most important things to him was that he had a gospel project. Christianity was something that he was never ashamed of. He always put that out in the forefront. It was a huge part of who he was. It made up who he was.”
And that’s what this documentary aims to capture:
“Yes, he fell short, but he got back up again. This is the documentary he would want to be made about his life because this puts faith first… He wasn’t afraid to tell people, ‘I’ve fallen short,’ or ‘This is who I am, and these are the struggles that I’ve had.’
He was willing to admit to his shortcomings. And I think that’s a good example to live by.”
Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon is set to premiere exclusively in theaters on December 5th, with additional showings on the 6th and 7th.
John Carter spoke more about his father and the upcoming documentary with Mike Huckabee: