Vivian Liberto-Cash

Long may she reign

Many forget that Johnny Cash had a first wife, and if they do remember her, they think of her as a vindictive shrew who hated his career. Vivian Liberto Cash has been horribly misrepresented in popular culture, but she supported her husband throughout much of his early career and dealt with anxiety and depression from her husband's drug use and from attacks by the KKK concerning her non-European appearance. Come join me today to learn about the women who inspired the famous song "Walk the Line" Alexander, Harriet. “DNA Tests Reveals Johnny Cash’s First Wife Was Black and Her Great-Grandmother Was a Freed Slave.” Daily Mail, May 17, 2021. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9588299/Johnny-Cashs-wife-black-great-grandmother-freed-slave.html. Betts, Stephen L. “Rolling Stone.” Rolling Stone, April 29, 2020. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/johnny-cash-first-wife-my-darling-vivian-movie-991700/. Contributors to Wikimedia projects. “Johnny Cash.” Wikipedia, April 4, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Cash. ———. “Vivian Cash.” Wikipedia, April 4, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivian_Cash. Ishak, Natasha. “Vivian Cash, The Controversial First Wife Of Singer Johnny Cash.” All That’s Interesting, July 16, 2022. https://allthatsinteresting.com/vivian-cash-liberto. Find a Grave Memorial. “Richard Laurence ‘Dick’ Distin (1937-2019) - Find...” Accessed April 6, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/196577110/richard_laurence-distin. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Johnny Cash.” Encyclopedia Britannica, July 20, 1998. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Johnny-Cash. This Heart of Mine, LLC. “My Darling Vivian.” My Darling Vivian, January 1, 2020. https://www.mydarlingvivian.com/. Tremaine, Julie. “Johnny Cash’s 7 Children: All About the Musical Legend’s Son and Daughters.” PEOPLE, January 19, 2024. https://people.com/all-about-johnny-cash-kids-8430822. Trent, Sydney. “White Supremacists Attacked Johnny Cash for Marrying a ‘Negro’ Woman. But Was His First Wife Black?” The Washington Post, May 16, 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/05/16/johnny-cash-first-wife-vivian-black/.