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[Mr Mustard]

I was always a little disappointed that The Beatles never (so far as I'm aware) cited the mighty Johnny Cash as an influence. Their love of his contemporaries like Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison and Carl Perkins is well documented, as is their fondness for C&W music - of which Cash was surely king. For Cash's part, I recall reading an interview in which he recounted meeting them and sensing a special vibe about them which he'd only ever previously encountered in Presley, and never since. And yet the boys never really mention Johnny.

However, I recently saw a TV interview in which Ringo was asked about the famous Candlestick Park last ever concert show in 1966 and he said that: "...what was also great, beside we played really well, was that we met Johnny Cash. He came to the gig." Does anyone have any more information on this? any photos exist?

[Normandie]

In all my own Beatles reading, I have never read anything about them meeting Johnny Cash. I, too, have been surprised that they never (to my knowledge) cited him as an influence.

[KelMar]

However, I recently saw a TV interview in which Ringo was asked about the famous Candlestick Park last ever concert show in 1966 and he said that: "...what was also great, beside we played really well, was that we met Johnny Cash. He came to the gig." Does anyone have any more information on this? any photos exist?

According to Larry Kane, the meeting took place the year before at the Cow Palace in San Francisco:



When They Were Boys: The True Story of the Beatles' Rise to the Top


Sources on the internet mention this as well:

https://www.beatlesbible.com/1965/08/31/live-cow-palace-san-francisco-2/

http://www.rickresource.com/rrp/beatles65.html

I think Ringo’s confusion may come from the fact that Joan Baez was at both concerts.  I can’t find any pictures of Johnny with them...yet.

[KelMar]

Author Steve Turner mentions it in The Man Called Cash: The Life, Love And Faith Of An American Legend. But given what I’ve read on here about Turner I don’t know how accurate that might be. 

[Bobber]

Years later....

[Bobber]

54. Lend Me Your Comb — The Beatles, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, George Harrison, Paul McCartney
December 5, 2016

This week, we return to the "Million Dollar Quartet" and take our own deep dive to investigate two figures well-known to the Beatles: Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins.     We theorize on the distribution of Sun Records throughout Europe in the fifties, how many times Carl Perkins was in the studio with the Beatles, and solo encounters between one or more of these rock icons.  In one show, we manage to touch down in New Jersey, Hamburg, London, Jamaica, Tennessee before returning home to Houston.     Enjoy the trip!

https://whentheywasfab.podbean.com/e/54-lend-me-your-comb-the-beatles-carl-perkins-johnny-cash-george-harrison-paul-mccartney/

[Bobber]

In all my own Beatles reading, I have never read anything about them meeting Johnny Cash. I, too, have been surprised that they never (to my knowledge) cited him as an influence.

Guys like Elvis were big in Europe and The Beatles knew his records. Johnny Cash was mainly popular in the US, maybe not so much in the UK.

[Bobber]

Walk The Line during the Let It Be sessions. It's not much, but still.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=54&amp;v=zbmpFAd8z08" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=54&amp;v=zbmpFAd8z08</a>

And Paul on working with Johnny Cash (fragments also used on the podcast link):

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpG5eYgjnJQ" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpG5eYgjnJQ</a>

[Mr Mustard]

Thanks all, for your feedback. Yes, it sounds like Ringo got a bit muddled and Cow Palace '65 is actually the time Johnny met the boys. I remember now in the comments I read from Cash that he said they were all in a trailer when they met.

I was aware of Johnny's more recent meetings with Paul. And I have found this (poor quality) clip of John's famous car journey through London with Bob Dylan in '66. Cash (a big friend of Dylan's of course) is mentioned right at the start of the clip and John gives a thumbs up and references "Big River" - one of my favourites from Johnny's early repertoire....

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV6qqE8aGlg" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV6qqE8aGlg</a>