It All Starts with a Boy
The end of the 1960’s brought the world the debut of the Boeing 747 jumbo jet, the last live performance of the Beatles, and the first man landing on the moon. In the world of music, 1969 is the year Johnny Cash released his hit “A Boy Named Sue.” In July 1969, Cash released what it would become his biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Tara Cash, Cindy Cash, Kathy Cash and Rosanne Cash speak during ‘Becoming Our Father: Johnny Cash’s Daughters in Conversation’ at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on May 27, 2017, in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall Of Fame & Museum)
Written by Shel Silverstein and produced by Bob Johnston, the song was certified Gold on August 14, 1969, by the RIAA and topped both the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks and Hot Country Songs charts the same year. Cash sang it urged by his wife, June Carter Cash, who thought it to be perfect for Cash’s repertoire. In celebration of the song’s birthday, here is the complete story behind one of the most famous and loved Johnny Cash songs.