On This Day in 1956, Johnny Cash Recorded His First No. 1 Single in the Legendary Sun Studio

On this day (April 2) in 1956, Johnny Cash stepped into Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, and recorded “I Walk the Line.” Sun released the song as a single a month later, and it caught on like wildfire and brought him his first No. 1. More than six decades later, it remains one of his signature songs.

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Sixty-nine years later, fans still love “I Walk the Line.” However, the general public wasn’t the song’s original target audience. As his star rose, Cash found himself on the road more and more. At the same time, he was newly married. He and his first wife, Vivian Liberto, tied the knot in 1954. They had their first child, Rosanne Cash, in 1955. With all of that going on, the young singer/songwriter wrote the hit as a pledge to his wife. He wanted to assure her that he would be faithful while on tour, and “I Walk the Line” was a public declaration of fidelity.

[RELATED: Johnny Cash Released His First No. 1 Single “I Walk the Line” on This Day in 1956]

Cash had released two previous singles with Sun Records before “I Walk the Line.” First, he released “Cry! Cry! Cry!” backed with “Hey, Porter.” Then, he dropped “So Doggone Lonesome” backed with “Folsom Prison Blues.” The first peaked at No. 14 and the second went to No. 4. As a result, his star began to rise.

While “I Walk the Line” was a declaration of devotion to his wife, it complicated things. The No. 1 single helped make him a bigger star. As a result, it exposed him to more temptation and vice. His life of excess in the early days of his career has become the stuff of legend and a cautionary tale.

The Various Origin Stories of Johnny Cash’s First No. 1 Single

Johnny Cash told differing stories about the origin of “I Walk the Line” in his autobiographies. However, one detail stayed more or less the same. He found inspiration for the song’s unique melody and chord progression while listening to a recording of his first band, the Landsberg Barbarians, played backward while in the Air Force.

In his first autobiography, Cash recounted writing the song in 1955 before playing a show in Shreveport, Louisiana. Then, in another autobiography, he recalled writing it in 1956 in Gladewater, Texas. In that version of the story, he was on tour with his labelmate Carl Perkins, who suggested the title.

According to Songfacts, Cash’s bass player, Marshall Grant, gave a different account of the songwriting process in Robert Hilburn’s Johnny Cash: The Life. Grant said the song came about in late March 1956. He said he was playing some slow bass runs to warm up for a show in Longview, Texas, and Cash started humming along before coming up with the line “I keep a close watch on this heart of mine.” Grant said Cash finished the song soon after.

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