New Johnny Cash Documentary on Netflix ‘Nixon and the Man In Black’

“I thank god for all the freedoms we’ve got in this country. I cherish them. Even the rights to burn the flag, you know, I’m proud of those rights. But I tell you what, we’ve also got a right to bear arms, and if you burn my flag, I’ll shoot you" - Johnny Cash

One of the most revered and loved songwriters in modern history, the late great Johnny Cash made a household name for himself with his signature deep, calm bass-baritone voice, charismatic persona, and his love for Whiskey, narcotics, and having a good old time.

“He was one of the most patriotic men I’ve ever known” Joanne Cash on Johnny


His sensibilities and lyrics appealed to the working class folks of America, and his stream of hit records made him one of the most memorable artists in recording history. Later in his career, he became known as ‘The Man In Black’ as he always wore black on and off stage, and his reason for this was simple.

"I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down, Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town, I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime, But is there because he's a victim of the times. I wear the black for those who never read" - Johnny Cash

A new Johnny Cash documentary on Netflix investigates the relationship between Johnny Cash and President Nixon. Nixon called Johnny Cash and invited him to play the white house, on the condition that he played “Redneck country music songs” in an attempt to be affiliated with middle America as a political strategy. The idea was to affiliate the music of Johnny Cash with the president’s cause.

This cause a great deal of conflict for Cash, mainly due to the fact he’s spent much of his career touring prisons across the United States of America. This lead to his famous San Quentin State Prison on January 1, 1958. Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison (1968) and Johnny Cash at San Quentin (1969) were two of Cash’s most successful albums. Johnny Cash, The Rebel, The Man in Black, the guy who was famously photographed for “Flipping off the man”, was now going to play for the very same “man”.

What did Johnny Cash really stand for?

The documentary features Joanne Cash & Tommy Cash, Johnny’s sister and brother, and previously unseen home footage of Johnny Cash on the road with his wife June Cash.