Johnny Cash is inextricably linked with Martin acoustic guitars, and most often spotted with dreadnoughts – primarily his D-28 and D-35.
As the story goes, in the early '70s, Martin was commissioned to craft an all-black lacquered D-35 for Cash. While the guitar brand had never considered designing a guitar with the star's requested finish, Cash eventually did get his all-black “Man in Black” Martin, which became a staple of his performances for the next two decades.
One of the standouts in Cash's ample Martin collection, however, was his D-42 Johnny Cash – the 1997 signature model crafted to wholly unique specs. It was, of course, finished in Cash's preferred all-black lacquer; however, it's also the only 42-style guitar with a three-piece back that Martin has ever built.
“As far as his black Martin [D-42], he said [luthier] Dick Boak called him one day and said they [Martin] wanted to do a signature guitar for him,” his daughter, singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash tells Guitar World.
“He kind of paused and said, ‘I've been waiting for this phone call my whole life.’ I am certain he was involved in the design element of that one, the black guitar.”
In August, Rosanne launched her very own signature guitar with Gibson, the Rosanne Cash J-185, alongside the Johnny Cash SJ-200 – a rare, handmade version of her father’s distinctive signature late 1950s SJ-200. These guitars were released in celebration of Gibson's incredible 130 years of music history, as well as the Cash family's equally remarkable legacy.
Speaking about the process of bringing these signature guitars to fruition, Rosanne says, “Gibson called me and said that they would love a reissue of my dad's iconic Gibson at the same time as a signature model for me.
“They wanted to pair it with mine and release both at the same time. At first, I was afraid of getting too close to my Dad's model. But then I thought about it with my husband, John Leventhal [noted musician, producer, and songwriter], who said, ‘No, this is a good idea. Let's do this.’”
Guitar World's full interview with Rosanne Cash will be published later this month.
