THANK YOU
Rosanne Cash, Kathy Cash, Cindy Cash, Tara Cash, John Carter Cash
I can picture Johnny Cash and Tom Petty high-fiving and fist-bumping and fist-pumping.
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They would be celebrating the fact that Universal Music Group / American Records forced a “radical right” radio network to stop using Johnny Cash’s version of Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne’s “I Won’t Back Down.” They also forced surrender of hundreds of archived shows that had used the music. The mis-appropriation of the music was deemed to be totally without “license, permission, or authorization.”
Rosanne Cash had posted an open letter on behalf of herself and siblings Kathy, Cindy, Tara, and John; they condemned the use of the music, and any other references or images of their Daddy.
“Johnny Cash was a man whose heart beat with the rhythm of love and social justice. He received humanitarian awards from, among others, the Jewish National Fund, B’nai Brith, and the United Nations. . . . He championed the rights of Native Americans, protested the war in Vietnam, was a voice for the poor, the struggling and the disenfranchised, and an advocate for the rights of prisoners. . . . His pacifism and inclusive patriotism were two of his most defining characteristics. . . . He would be horrified at even a casual use of his name or image for an idea or a cause founded in persecution and hatred. ”
International Musician; October, 2017
