2 Years Ago Today, We Lost Johnny Cash’s Younger Brother, Who Scored His Biggest Hit With a Tribute to JFK, RFK, and Martin Luther King Jr.

Everybody knows Johnny Cash, including those who aren’t particularly huge fans of country music. He was an icon, and his talent ran in the family. His younger brother was one Tommy Cash, who also had a long and rich career as a country musician. While his name might not have the household heft of Johnny’s, Tommy Cash was an icon in his own right. And he sadly passed away on this day, September 13, 2024, at the age of 84.

Let’s honor the legacy of Tommy Cash by taking a look at some of his career highlights, shall we?

Remembering Tommy Cash

Tommy Cash was born on April 5, 1940, in Dyess, Arkansas. He is the younger brother of singer Johnny Cash by about eight years. He was the youngest of four sons and three daughters. As a young man, he put together his very first band while in high school. And after graduating, Cash went on to enlist in the U.S. Army, during which he would work as a DJ for the Armed Forces Radio network. 

After completing his time in the military, Cash went on to pursue music heavily. He performed with Hank Williams Jr. early on in his career. After scoring a record contract with the label Musicor Records in the mid-1960s, Cash would switch to United Artists Records and release his first minor hit, “The Sound Of Goodbye”, in 1966. That tune would make it to No. 41 on the country charts, just shy of the Top 40.

That wouldn’t be the end for Cash’s career, though. Just a few years later in 1969, after joining Epic Records, Cash dropped the song “Six White Horses”. You might remember it; it made it all the way to No. 4 on the US country charts and became Cash’s first major hit. Written by Larry Murray, “Six White Horses” was dedicated to three well-known political figures: John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. The song would also make it to the Billboard Hot 100 chart at No. 79.

Following the success of “Six White Horses”, Cash would go on to earn quite a few Top 40 hits on the US country chart. A few include “Rise And Shine”, “I’m Gonna Write A Song”, and “I Recall A Gypsy Woman”. His success on the charts would fade by the late 1970s, but Cash would continue to dish out tunes through the early 2000s. He would later retire from music and become a Tennessee-based realtor.

Tommy Cash passed away on September 13, 2024, at 84 years old. His legacy won’t soon be forgotten.

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