On This Day in 1956

On this day in 1956, Johnny Cash released I Walk The Line, his first No. 1 on the Billboard Country Charts. Cash wrote the song backstage one night in Gladewater, Texas as an act of devotion to his new wife Vivian Liberto.

Image shows part of a vinyl single reading I Walk the Line, Johnny Cash and Tennessee Two, Memphis Tennessee.

The classic country hit is based upon the boom-chicka-boom or freight train rhythm that features in many of his songs, and was inspired by the backwards playback of guitar runs on Cash’s tape recorder while he was stationed in Germany with the US Air Force. In the original recording, there is a key change between each of the five verses, with Cash humming the new root note before the start of each verse. The final verse is a full octave lower than the opening verse.

The songs' sound and story went on to inspire many musicians, as well as two movies of the same name.