A statue of Johnny Cash was unveiled Tuesday at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, as the late singer became the first musician to be honoured with a bronze likeness in National Statuary Hall.
Lawmakers and family members spoke of Cash’s legacy, as the United States Air Force band performed his hit “I Walk the Line,” at Tuesday’s hour-long ceremony inside Emancipation Hall.
Roseanne Cash, daughter of Johnny Cash, said her father and Arkansas native had “achieved the ultimate American dream” with his statue being placed alongside historical figures including civil rights leader Daisy Bates, who fought for desegregation in Arkansas.
“What a remarkable day. In my wildest dreams, I couldn’t have imagined,” Roseanne Cash said as she honoured her father and Johnny Cash’s sister Joanne, who attended Tuesday’s unveiling.
“The last surviving member of the original Cash family from Diaz, Arkansas,” Rosanne Cash said in reference to her aunt. “She has tragically lost her sight and asked if she could touch the statue to feel what it was. And she did.”
“Words cannot come close to expressing our pride to see my dad accorded such a singular privilege: the first musician in history to be included in the Statuary Hall collection,” Cash added.
The statue of Cash, which was sculpted by Kevin Kresse, carries a bible and wears a guitar strapped to his back. The placard on the statue says “singer, songwriter, artist and humanitarian.”
“Thank you Kevin Kresse for capturing his very essence in bronze,” said Rosanne Cash. “You see this statue and you know this is no one else but Johnny Cash.”
Cash’s nephew, Dr Mike Garrett, pointed out that the statue of his “Uncle Johnny is holding a bible out front. I think if there were visiting hours in heaven, I believe JR would say Kevin Kresse, you got that right.”
Cash’s statue replaces Arkansas’ 18th governor James P. Clarke, who had made remarks about preserving the “white standards” of Arkansas. Bates’ statue replaced Confederacy sympathizer Uriah Rose. (UPI)