Johnny Cash: The Life of an American Icon

Rating:
Summary: Disappointingly flawed.
Review: As a lifelong Cash fan, a book like this was a long time coming during Cash's own lifetime. Overall, while adding some interesting insight into some aspects of Cash's life and career, it's a missed opportunity to clarify many misconceptions about the life and legacy of Johnny Cash and only supports and adds to the inaccurate misconceptions by obviously failing to correct them using more thorough research. Miller tends to rely way too much on previosuly published material by other writers that was just as inaccurate then as it is now - facts any serious Cash fan would easily be able to point out. How anyone can justify a 372 pg. biography without including even one sourced footnote - something a high school student is required to include in any term paper - is beyond comprehension. In comparison, Peter Guralnick's brilliant 1994 biography on Elvis, "LAST TRAIN TO MEMPHIS," included over 40 pages of notes and acknowledged a list of hundreds of people who contributed personal and professional input. Miller, however, relies way too much on the comments of only a very select few directly involved in Cash's life and career which comes across more as rumor or innuendo rather than fact. Hopefully, the next major Cash biography will be written by someone more able and interested in using accurate facts. If you're looking to read a definitive Johnny Cash biogrpahy, you'll have to wait because this isn't it.

Rating:
Summary: Johnny Cash Was America - Great Book
Review: I regret that I wasn't more of a Johnny Cash fan when he was alive. While I owned several of his records, I only had a cursory understanding of his life and the way he wrote songs and made music. After his death, I picked up Stephen Miller's book - the only book currently available that discusses Johnny's passing - and delved into the career of the Man in Black. The author interviewed many of Johnny's friends, his manager Lou Robin, and his brother Tommy. The details seem very accurate, comparing them to Cash's autobiography that I read right after this book. The best parts of the book were discussions of Johnny's early work on Sun Records, his prison concerts (especially San Quentin and Folsom), and his more recent work with the brilliant producer, Rick Rubin. If you're a fan, this book is definitely worth a read.

Rating:
Summary: Liner notes
Review: This author was in need of serious editing. The book with all of its distracting English spellings was nothing more than a complilation of album liner notes. The rest has obviously been cribbed from other publications. Reminded me of a high school term paper albeit a tad more lengthy.

Rating:
Summary: I Walk The Line...
Review: This is a rather different approach to a biography.The author admits that he never actually met Cash,but researched a lot of what has been written by and about him over the years.It is a good place for someone who doesn't know much about Cash to start and there are numerous references and leads to follow up on.The tone of the book is very much like a textbook and has very little in the way of passion either about Cash or his music.There are a lot of references to liner notes and other written material;but little if anything that is new or original.There is also no indication that the author had any love or admiration for Cash the person or his music;but just decided to review what was available (of which there is an awful lot) and produce a book.It is a good book to add to others about Cash;but is completely overshadowed by "Johnny Cash"the Autobiography with Patrick Carr.(see my review on it).
I thought it might hav been titled "An Encyclopedia of Cash";but it is too superficial for that.The list of albums and books is too incomplete for even that.Nonethelessit is still a good read.