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Fact #100691

When:

Short story:

Johnny Cash begins his own ABC-tv series, with Bob Dylan as his guest. The show is recorded at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Full article:

Johnny Cash : I remember having a meeting with the producer and network officials before I started. I said, "If I'm going to do a network television show, sing my music, you're going to have to let me have guests that I have a feeling for. Because it comes from the heart, you know."

They said who do you want on? I tested them. I said, "Pete Seeger. Pete Seeger's a banjo player and a folk song singer and a good man. I've been to the house he built and played music with Pete. I understand he was blacklisted one time as a communist or something, but I only know him as a banjo player, a really good folk singer and a really fine man that cares for people.


They said, "Okay, have Pete Seeger. " Then I said, "Bob Dylan."


Bob Johnston (record producer) : Johnny rang up from Nashville and asked me if I could get Dylan to do his tv show with him. He said it would be a success with Dylan and a disaster without him.


I said I couldn't get Dylan to do the show, but I could ask him. I just couldn't promise anything. So I was in Fort Worth, my home town, and called Bob up and told him what Cash had said. And Dylan said, 'Bob, I ain't got nothing to wear.' So I said, 'I'm in Fort Worth. What if I get you a cowboy suit?' So that's what I did and that's what he wore on the show.


Johnny Cash : I think Bob Dylan was scared or even a little embarrassed. He's a very shy person. I can really appreciate that. When he went out to rehearse they had an old shack hanging from wires behind him to try to give it a backwoods look.

He came offstage upset. He said, "I'm gonna be the laughing stock of the business! My fans are gonna laugh in my face over that thing!" I said, "What would you like?" He said, "Have 'em get that out of the way. Just put me out there by myself. " I said, all right, you got it. Then the reporters in Nashville converged. Bob asked me to keep them away. He was staying at my house with Sara and the kids.

This one reporter, Red O'Donnell with the Nashville Banner, wouldn't give up. He kept coming to me saying, "Why can't I talk to Bob Dylan? Why can't I? Ask him again if he won't talk to me. " So I went back to the dressing room and said, "Bob, this Red O'Donnell won't give up. Any way you want to communicate with him at all?" He said, "Have him write out three questions he wants to ask me and I'll answer them on paper." He did that and then the reporter wrote a long article that Bob didn't appreciate.


I had The Who on there one time, and Kenny Rogers And the First Edition. Neil Diamond and Louis Armstrong. Mahalia Jackson and Linda Ronstadt. Mama Cass Elliot and Ramblin' Jack Elliott. I really sincerely enjoy those people.

I spent the day with James Taylor after we taped, out in the boat fishing and singing. You could hear us all over the lake. Wonderful people.

(Source : not known)