In the middle of recording his television series The Johnny Cash Show (1969-1971) at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Johnny Cash invited Kris Kristofferson, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Graham Nash, and Shel Silverstein to his home, the Cash Cabin, on the banks of Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville, Tennessee, for a dinner party no one would ever forget.
At the time, Dylan was staying at Cash’s home while recording his country album Nashville Skyline, which features Cash on the opening “Girl from the North Country.” Coincidentally, Joni Mitchell was also in town recording her appearance on The Johnny Cash Show and was joined by her then-boyfriend Nash.
[RELATED: The Story Behind Johnny Cash’s 1955 Debut Singles “Hey Porter” and “Cry! Cry! Cry!”]
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Cash Cabin Songwriters’ Circle
On that fateful evening in January 1969, everyone, along with Kristofferson and Silverstein, convened at the Cabin for a dinner-turned-songwriters circle. “Music is for everybody,” said Cash explaining the night of his star-studded gathering on the Late Show with David Letterman in 1985. “And although I’m known as a country artist, [‘The Johnny Cash Show’] was a network show, and I wanted to see some people on it that I knew the people wanted to see.”
That evening, Cash’s guests performed some of their most iconic songs for the first time. “That night in my house [was] the first time these songs were heard,” Cash continued. “Joni Mitchell sang ‘Both Sides Now,’ Graham Nash sang ‘Marrakesh Express,’ Shel Silverstein sang ‘A Boy Named Sue,’ Bob Dylan sang ‘Lay Lady Lay,’ and Kristofferson sang ‘Me & Bobby McGee.’ That was the first time any of those songs were heard.”
“Everyone was in tears”
In a 2015 interview, Nash recounted the memorable night when everyone performed for one another inside Cash’s Cabin. By the end of the evening, emotions were running high with all of the music and camaraderie shared.
“It was this incredible dinner, with solid-gold knives, forks, and spoons,” remembered Nash. “Bob [Dylan] was there, the first time he’d been out since his motorcycle accident [in 1966], and so everyone was a little on edge when Joni said ‘Who’s going to be first [to play guitar]?’ Nobody moved, and I thought ‘Fuck it, I’ll sing a song.’ So I sang ‘Marrakesh Express.’ Then Bob did several songs from ‘Nashville Skyline.’
What a night. Everyone was in tears.”
Listen below to Cash describe that fateful night to David Letterman (23-second mark) in 1985.
Photo: Johnny Cash at Cash Cabin by Alan Messer
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