If Elvis Presley was the dark-haired star captivating audiences with his swoon-worthy charm, fiery passion, and swiveling hips, Johnny Cash was the dark-haired star who managed to enrapture his audiences with the opposite: Southern stoicism, barely there smirks, and a kindred connection to the down-and-outer. Truly two sides of the same coin, Cash and Presley even shared a record label, Sun Records, based out of Memphis, Tennessee.
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During a 1959 performance on Town Hall Party, the Man in Black blurred the lines between him and the King of Rock and Roll even further by doing a crazed, slapstick impersonation of the “Heartbreak Hotel” singer. (Or, as Cash put it, an impersonation of a rock and roll singer impersonating Elvis.)
Johnny Cash Impersonates Elvis Presley On Television
Johnny Cash had just transitioned from Sun Records to Columbia when he appeared on Town Hall Party, backing band in tow, in August 1959. The set included the standard hits of Cash’s early years: “Walk the Line,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” etc. But these live performances would often include a short gag where Cash impersonated a notable musician. In this particular appearance, Cash introduced the segment by saying they had received a request to do a rock and roll singer. “Elvis who? Oh!” Cash joked. “No, I’ll tell you this is an impersonation of a rock and roll singer impersonating Elvis.”
And with that, Cash got into character. The country singer popped his collar and shifted his weight onto his hips. Taking a comb from his bandmate, Cash mussed up his signature pompadour to resemble Presley’s long swoop of hair across his forehead. He grabbed his guitar and threw it over his shoulder, swinging his hips á la Elvis Presley while he did so. The next few minutes featured Cash crooning, snarling, burping, shaking, and even pretending to throw out his back when he swung his pelvis like the King.
Cash’s “impersonation of an impersonator impersonating someone else” was three minutes of flamboyant physical comedy. Just think about it: even a few seconds can feel like a lifetime when you’re on stage. Cash drew his joke out for hundreds of seconds, adding to the absurdity of his vibrato-y vocals the longer he waited to deliver them. This was a stark contrast to the subtle smirks and deadpan humor many associate with Cash. But according to biographer Robert Hilburn, there’s a reason he seems so different.
The Dark Side To The Man In Black’s Routine
Johnny Cash released his debut single, “Cry! Cry! Cry!” in 1955. Before he’d see the turn of the next decade, Cash would be propelled into national stardom as one of the hottest country acts of the decade. This sudden acceleration in his career led to Cash using amphetamine “pep” pills to maintain his energy on and off stage. When this eventually grew into a physical and mental dependence, Cash started using barbiturates to try and level himself out. This set off an addictive spiral that saw Cash’s appearance grow wiry and strung-out and his behavior become more and more erratic.
Biographer Robert Hilburn argues that Cash’s comedic appearance on Town Hall Party in August 1959 was indicative of that struggle. “Not only had Cash lost considerable weight since his November appearance, but also he had an almost glassy stare onstage and was consumed now by nervous energy,” Hilburn wrote in Johnny Cash: The Life. “At the same time, he was reaching out aggressively to the audience with his gestures and comments, as well as doing an over-the-top parody of Elvis singing “Heartbreak Hotel.””
“It may have been amusing to the casual observer,” he continued. “But in the stark lens of the camera and hindsight, it looks as though Cash was quickly spiraling out of control.”
Photo by Daily Herald/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images
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