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Cash's Billboard Ad Stirs Country Scene

By Karen Thomas, USA TODAY

Country.Com March 25, 1998

Johnny Cash may be ailing, but his fighting spirit isn't diminished. His full-page ad in the March 14 Billboard magazine has country music reeling. The ad, touting Cash's Grammy win for his Unchained album, features a 1970 photo of Cash performing at San Quentin prison in California. In it, a glowering Cash is making an obscene hand gesture at the camera.

The ad's message, placed directly above Cash's middle finger: "American Recordings and Johnny Cash would like to acknowledge the Nashville music establishment and country radio for your support."

Country music has become a "trendy scene," says Cash's producer, Rick Rubin, who placed the ad. "We hope it will open the eyes of the country community and hopefully they'll say, 'The guy did win . . . and he's making records considered the best in country and maybe we should readdress the situation.' "

Cash, 66, who suffers from a Parkinson's-type ailment, was unavailable to comment. He and wife June are in Jamaica. He and many older artists have expressed disappointment about radio's reluctance to play their new music and the focus on the pop-tinged sounds of younger artists.

"They're being more vocal now," says Radio & Records music editor Steve Wonsiewicz. But radio "is not dumb," he adds. Programmers and corporations "do a lot of testing to find out what kind of music they should play. If there was a huge demand for their music, it would get played."

Cash's ad (costing about $20,000) "made me laugh out loud," says country legend George Jones.

"John speaks for all of us," says Willie Nelson, who says he has cut out the ad and hung it in his tour bus "so everyone who comes in has to see it."

Jones says he's running his own ad in Billboard in coming weeks for his new single,Wild Irish Rose. The page will be filled with balls, he says - baseballs, basketballs, etc. along with the song's title. The copy will read: "If radio had any, they'd play this record."

But while the ads are funny, Jones says, "it's very serious. All of us older artists feel that way. Radio gives us one of the biggest insults there is when they don't play our music."

The time has come "for us to speak up about it," he adds. "If no one is going to stick upfor us, we'll have to do it ourselves."

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words

By Chris Skinker

1998 BMSNEWS posted: Mar 16 22:02:54 1998

A picture is worth a thousand words so they say. A couple of weeks back, Johnny Cash spoke volumes with an ad in the music industry trade publication Billboard. A black-and-white photo of Cash saluting Nashville with his middle finger dominated a full-page layout. The copy read "American Recordings and Johnny Cash would like to acknowledge the Nashville Music establishment and country radio for your support."

Cash is no stranger to controversy and this latest antic was pretty much taken in stride (and with more than a few chuckles) by most of the folks on Nashville's famed Music Row. The legendary performer was, in a cheeky sort of way, celebrating his recent Grammy win. Cash's American Recordings album, Unchained, was named the Country Album of the Year by the voting membership of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS).

Although no harm was intended by Cash's gesture, he was making a pointed (no pun intended) statement not only for himself but also for his fellow disenfranchised country performers: We're still viable artists.We can still win awards. Just give us some support! It is no secret that older country artists such as Cash, Merle Haggard, George Jones and other older, established performers are finding it increasingly more difficult to garner airplay on today's country radio stations. You can rest assured that Jones, Haggard, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson all got a real belly laugh out of Cash's ad.

Much has been said and written about the absence of older artists from the radio airwaves recently. A great deal of the criticism levied upon country radio has come from the artists themselves. It appears to be a frustrating situation for all involved. Jones, Cash and Haggard all have released outstanding albums in recent years with very little fanfare and even less airplay.

With country label rosters literally bursting at the seams with new, young talent, there's a glut of performers vying for precious airplay. Radio programmers need to generate revenue and claim that they need to keep young listeners tuned in because they are the ones the advertisers are targeting. As a result, the older artists have been cast adrift by contemporary country radio.

Now some of Nashville's radio industry executives have responded to Cash with a very generous proposition. WSM radio station manager Bob Meyer and operations manager Kyle Cantrell extended an olive branch to Cash and offered him the use of the historic Ryman Auditorium for a concert. In their on-air appeal, the radio executives vowed to broadcast the concert live over WSM-AM and WSM-FM bands with proceeds from the event going to a charity of Cash's choice. Said Cantrell, "We're sad that he feels that way about the industry, that he thinks we're not supportive of him and his Grammy-winning album."

Cash responded to their offer by calling WSM shortly after the early-morning announcement was made. Cantrell indicated that Cash talked with on-air personality Ron Jordan a "good little while on the air." Cash said, "I would be willing if I were able to, but I'm not working this year at all. I will not forget your offer though, and when I'm back to work, then I'll give you a call and we'll talk about it. I really do appreciate it, though. It's really nice of you guys to do that." Cash, who was diagnosed with the Shye-Draegger Syndrome last year and is taking some much-needed time off from the road.

Cantrell expressed some concern that Cash's Billboard ad might be misconstrued by some individuals and said that WSM's offer was "an attempt to make a positive out of a negative." In an interview with country.com Cantrell stated, "In case he (Johnny) was wondering, we wanted him to know we appreciate him. Without artists like Johnny Cash there would not be a country music industry. We (at WSM) have a deep appreciation for the legends of country music and we as industry need to appreciate these people."

Cash Shows His Gratitude To Nashville

The ad to the left appeared in last weeks edition of Billboard Magazine. It is Johnny Cash's official thank you to Nashville and it's music industry. Johnny Cash received the Grammy Award for best Country Album for "Unchained." However the Nashville music industry and radio for that matter has been unsupportive of Cash.

The ad reads "American Recordings and Johnny Cash would like to acknowledge the Nashville music establishment and country radio for your support." It is the small print located just above his middle finger.

In case your wondering about the photo, it is one taken of Cash back in 1970 while Cash was performing at San Quentin Prison in California.

Cash isn't the only one who has the same sentiment about country music and radio today. George Jones is scheduled to run an ad that shows all types of balls, baseball, basketballs etc. The caption for that ad, "If radio had any they'd play this record." Willie Nelson, Tammy Wynette and many of the other legendary country music artists feel the same way. It is strange that with radio not playing the music, someone is buying the music. More importantly, someone is listening to the music. The Grammy Awards proved that to us all.

Maybe it is time that Country Music as an industry and Country Radio takes one step backwards and looks at itself. We may all be frightened.

Originally from the Johnny Cash - the Man in Black website.