Johnny Cash Statue Unveiled at U.S. Capitol

Johnny Cash will become the first professional musician to receive a statue in the U.S. Capitol. The likeness of the Man in Black will be unveiled during a morning ceremony at the Capitol’s Emancipation Hall on Sept. 24 and become part of the National Statuary Hall Collection.

Each U.S. state receives two statues to celebrate notable figures in its history. The statue of Cash, a native of Dyess, Arkansas, will be Arkansas’ second: The other is a bronze representation of civil rights activist Daisy Bates. In 2019, the state legislature of Arkansas passed a bill to replace its existing statues of Sen. James P. Clark and lawyer Uriah Rose with those honoring Bates and Cash.

In a May interview, NPR’s Scott Simon spoke with Kevin Kresse, the Little Rock sculptor chosen to create the Cash bronze likeness, which will reportedly be eight feet tall and depict him with both a Bible and a guitar. “I think the honesty of his work, the truth in his lyrics and the simplicity and straightforward way of getting that message across just spoke to me as an artist as well,” Kresse told Simon.

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The National Register of Historic Places added Cash’s childhood home in Dyess to its registry in 2018, designating it “Farm No. 266, Johnny Cash Boyhood Home.” The home was restored and is now open for tours.

Cash, known for his baritone voice, passionate support of the downtrodden, especially the incarcerated, and songs like “Folsom Prison Blues” and “I Walk the Line,” died in 2002 at 71. But interest in the singer hasn’t wavered. In June, a posthumous collection of Cash songs, dubbed Songwriter, was released.