Blazing His Own Path

Tommy Cash

He’s the brother of a legend. But he’s built his own special country career, and put his unique signature on country music.

Music was always in the air for country legend Tommy Cash. Even growing up in rural Dyess, Arkansas, where his parents Ray and Carrie Rivers Cash moved to take advantage of a new farm program started by Roosevelt. They never could have expected the talent that would arise out of the fields of cotton they farmed side by side with their children. Slowly but surely, however, young Tommy was absorbing musical influences – everything from the work songs of the fields and nearby railroad yards to the sweet sound of his mother’s hymns and folk songs. Another boy’s ears were perking up too – his older brother Johnny. In truth, music played a big part in the Cash family’s daily life, but no one knew the fame it would bring.

“We grew up in northeast Arkansas…I’m the youngest of seven children. I remember Mama and Daddy working long hours to provide for us and give us a Christian home. Most of all, I remember a whole lot of love,” Tommy says of his upbringing.

Restless, but never one to squander his musical talents, Tommy formed his first band when he was in high school. Music was not his only love, however. All along, he dreamed of being a basketball player. Today, Tommy’s an avid golfer, competing in various celebrity golf tournaments, a sport he took up as an adult.

After high school, Tommy enlisted in the U.S. Army where he passed time as a deejay for AFN radio’s “Stickbuddy Jamboree” in Germany. The experience sharpened his love of music generally, especially country music.

Back in the USA, he forged ahead in the music business, working in radio, even playing with Hank Williams, Jr. In the meantime, he also worked at managing his brother’s record company. Then in 1965 he was signed to Musicor and proceeded to release his first single, “That’s Where My Baby Used To Be.” Tommy just missed the country Top 40 in 1968 with “The Sounds of Goodbye” on United Artists.

“Six White Horses,” (Epic) his 1969 tribute to the Kennedys and Martin Luther King, earned him his biggest success in the US country charts. Just one year later he released a pair of Top 10 singles, “One Song Away” and “Rise And Shine,” written by brother Johnny’s Sun Records contemporary, Carl Perkins. Tommy appeared in 1987 on Austin City Limits with brother Johnny. He’s won a BMI award for his composition, “You Don’t Hear,” a country hit for Kitty Wells. In 1991, he released The 25th Anniversary Album, which featured guest appearances from brother Johnny, Tom T. Hall, George Jones, and Connie Smith.

Despite his distinctly American country sound, Tommy is also an international star. He has been quite popular at U.K. country festivals, toured Australia, and has played in many foreign countries on almost every continent.

Tommy’s wit, charm, and superb performances have led him to entertain at The Grand Ole Opry, Las Vegas, Branson Theaters, military bases, fairs, and corporate functions. He has also been sought after as a guest by several major networks and his videos have been played on Country Music Television and The Nashville Network. His sparkling personality and excellent voice have also made Tommy a popular guest speaker, as well as a vocal talent for commercials.

Today, Tommy continues to entertain audiences with songs from his more than 20 albums. An ambassador of country music to the nation and to the world, Tommy is very outspoken on the music he loves:

“I’m not surprised that country music has been accepted by such a wide audience, and I believe the best is yet to come!”

We salute a true American country original.