Born on This Day in 1934, the Woman Who Inspired Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line”

Everyone knows June and Johnny Cash. When you say one of these iconic artists’ names, the other follows shortly after. But June Carter wasn’t the first woman in Cash’s life. The beginning of his career saw Cash with Vivian Liberto, his first wife and the mother of Rosanne Cash.

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Liberto inspired his early music, especially the release of his first No. 1 single, “I Walk The Line.” Learn more about the early romance that shaped Cash’s career trajectory and the irony that came as he crossed over the line into a second marriage.

[On This Day in 1959, Johnny Cash Played His First Concert Outside the United States, Cementing His International Star Status]

Born on This Day in 1934, Vivian Liberto

Liberto was born in  San Antonio, Texas, where she also married Cash in 1954. She grew up in a Sicilian family with two other siblings. Her parents immigrated to the U.S. from Italy. She met Cash in 1951 at a roller skating rink. She was 17, and Cash was a 19-year-old Air Force recruit in basic training. Before they could marry, Cash was deployed to West Germany for three years.

Early in their marriage, Cash began to gain fame rapidly. He moved Liberto and her family to California, indicative of his growing star. Because of Cash’s constant touring and struggles with addiction, the couple started to feel strain, ultimately leading to their divorce in 1966.

Their marriage was full of public discourse, and Liberto faced onslaughts of racism. Liberto identified as white and was unaware of any black ancestry. White supremacist groups publicly denounced their marriage and published racist remarks about Liberto. Cash attempted to sue the KKK, but the suit eventually faded. The hate group consistently berated Cash and even called for a boycott of the singer in certain regions. Cash and his manager spent much time and money proving Liberto’s whiteness in an effort to regain support in the South.

Liberto and Cash were separated for several years before actually filing for divorce. She was aware of his close relationship with June Carter, whom Cash married in 1968. Liberto and Cash had four daughters together, including Rosanne Cash. After their divorce, Liberto married Dick Distin, a police officer in Ventura, California.

“I Walk The Line”

Perhaps the most famous story involving Liberto is that of Cash’s first big hit, “I Walk The Line.” In this track, Cash promises to be faithful to his first wife, singing, “I keep the ends out for the tie that binds / Because you’re mine, I walk the line.”

According to the legendary country artist, he was often tempted on the road, which led him to release this affirmation of sorts. “Wasn’t no problem, finding a beautiful girl,” Cash once said. “Look, I’d say to myself, ‘there’s a couple. I’d say, Look, there in the third row’…They pulled them dresses up, and I hollered, ‘Pull it up a little bit higher, baby,’ and they did. Man, they just laid it on you. And they kept on just layin’ it on you, night after night, city after city.”

This song went on to become one of Cash’s most pivotal songs, inspiring his peers. “’I Walk the Line’ [is] a song I’d always considered to be up there at the top, one of the most mysterious and revolutionary of all time, a song that makes an attack on your most vulnerable spots, sharp words from a master,” Bob Dylan once said, expressing his admiration for Cash.

Dylan certainly isn’t the only artist who has deemed this song one of the best country offerings ever. Revisit “I Walk The Line” in correlation to Liberto’s birthday, above.

(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)