Johnny Cash Has a Date at the Capitol

Statue of Man in Black will be unveiled in September
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 2, 2024 10:08 AM CDT
Johnny Cash Will Be First Musician With a Capitol Statue
Artist Kevin Kresse works on a clay bust of Johnny Cash in Little Rock, Arkansas.   (AP Photo/Mike Pesoli)

Former Sen. James Clark has been evicted from the US Capitol and the Man in Black is moving in. Rolling Stone reports that Johnny Cash will become the first musician in the National Statuary Hall Collection on Sept. 24, when congressional leaders will attend an unveiling ceremony. The 8-foot Cash statue will be one of two statues representing Arkansas. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is expected to attend the ceremony in Emancipation Hall, along with members of Cash's family, reports NBC News.

Like other states, Arkansas has two spots for statues in the Capitol. Earlier this year, the state replaced Confederate attorney Uriah Rose with civil rights leader Daisy Bates. Clarke, a former governor of Arkansas, died in 1916 during his third term in the Senate. In a column in the Arkansas Times, his great-great-grandson, state Sen. Clarke Tucker said he supported replacing the statue because of his ancestor's racist views.

Cash grew up in Arkansas and launched his music career after moving to Memphis, Tennessee. He died in 2003 at age 71. "A proud son of Arkansas, Johnny Cash's epic life carried him to Memphis and then Middle Tennessee. He will forever hold a special place in our hearts," Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a post on X. "We celebrate Arkansas's recognition of him and look forward to seeing his statue in the halls of our nation's Capitol." (More Johnny Cash stories.)

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