Artist Kevin Kresse, works on a clay bust of Johnny Cash, April 23, 2024 in Little Rock, Ark. Kresse's full sculpture of Cash will be unveiled at the U.S. Capitol as part of the Statuary Hall collection. (AP Photo/Mike Pesoli/The Canadian Press)
Johnny Cash will soon have an unexpected new home: the U.S. Capitol.
On Tuesday, Congressional leaders, Arkansas lawmakers, and the Cash family will gather to unveil a bronze statue of the iconic “Man in Black.” The event will be attended by Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Arkansas' congressional delegation, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and members of Cash's family.
This statue is one of two new sculptures Arkansas has contributed to the Capitol, replacing figures that had represented the state for over a century. Earlier this year, a statue of civil rights leader Daisy Bates was unveiled. Bates is remembered for mentoring the Little Rock Nine, the group of Black students who integrated Little Rock Central High School in 1957.
In 2019, Arkansas lawmakers voted to replace the previous statues, which depicted lesser-known figures from the 18th and 19th centuries. After much discussion, they chose to honor both Bates and Cash. Other options had included Walmart founder Sam Walton and a Navy SEAL from the state who was killed in Afghanistan. Each state is allowed to contribute two statues of notable individuals to the Capitol’s National Statuary Hall Collection.
Johnny Cash, born in Kingsland, Arkansas, a small town south of Little Rock, passed away in 2003 at the age of 71. Over his career, he sold 90 million records, crossing genres from country and rock to blues, folk, and gospel. He remains one of the few musicians inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The new statue shows Cash with a guitar on his back and a Bible in hand. Kevin Kresse, a sculptor from Little Rock, was selected to create the piece. Kresse has previously sculpted other Arkansas-born musicians, including Al Green, Glen Campbell, and Levon Helm.
The Cash statue is the latest addition to the Capitol, following a statue of Rev. Billy Graham from North Carolina that was unveiled in May.
