--- product_id: 13025988 title: "I Was There When It Happened: My Life with Johnny Cash" brand: "marshall grantchris zar" price: "€ 49.08" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 11 url: https://www.desertcart.sk/products/13025988-i-was-there-when-it-happened-my-life-with-johnny store_origin: SK region: Slovakia --- # I Was There When It Happened: My Life with Johnny Cash **Brand:** marshall grantchris zar **Price:** € 49.08 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** I Was There When It Happened: My Life with Johnny Cash by marshall grantchris zar - **How much does it cost?** € 49.08 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sk](https://www.desertcart.sk/products/13025988-i-was-there-when-it-happened-my-life-with-johnny) ## Best For - marshall grantchris zar enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted marshall grantchris zar brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description I Was There When It Happened: My Life with Johnny Cash ## Images ![I Was There When It Happened: My Life with Johnny Cash - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71yWKvHS02L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Maybe (Just Maybe) the Most Honest History of an American Icon *by W***E on Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2007* In her introduction, Rosanne Cash writes, "[t]ruth is subjective. Every experience has its own individual interpretation, no matter how many people witnessed the same event [...] " No where is this cliché better illustrated than in "I Was There When It Happened: My Life With Johnny Cash."Marshall Grant (with Chris Zar) has written a fascinating, if not always objective, account of the rise and (in his eyes) fall of Johnny Cash.More reminiscence than biography, the tale starts at the point that everyone who picked up the books wanted it to start. Not with a detailed bio of Marshall Grant, but the introduction of Marshall Grant to Luther Perkins. At the time, the two were mechanics trying to get by in post-world-war-II America, working at Automobile Sales, the largest Desoto-Plymouth dealership in Memphis. As fate would have it, another mechanic at the same business was Roy Cash, brother to apprentice appliance salesman (and future music legend), J.R. Cash. In short order, the three join forces and decide that if Elvis can make a record in Memphis, then so can they. And the story is off and running.The book is divided into five sections, starting with the Fifties and moving through each decade to the Nineties. The tale advances more or less chronologically, but with a "stream of consciousness" feel that sometimes causes the story to take an odd jump or two. For example, in the middle of recounting Johnny's longest period of drug-free continence in the book, Marshall jumps to an anecdote of June fretting over the latest outrage committed by an amphetamine using Johnny. Marshall also states in several places that the birth of son John Carter was "the day that Johnny Cash stopped doing drugs. No matter what you may have heard, no matter what was printed, no matter who got credit for what, the moment John looked down and saw his infant son was the moment he quit drugs 100 percent." (Page 177). Except he didn't.Drugs, and their impact on Johnny Cash, consume most of the book, which often reads like a build-up to the day in 1980 that John, heavily using drugs, fires Marshall Grant and (the book implies) torpedoes what's left of his career.There is no doubt that Johnny Cash struggled with addiction most of his life. But in this book, Marshall is the "power behind the throne" making all of the major decisions that propel Cash to international fame. Johnny Cash, on the other hand, wanders zombie-like and stoned through most of the narrative. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find (in this book) much that Cash does to deserve stardom.In between managing Johnny Cash's career and fortunes, Marshall finds time to discover the Statler Brothers, Kris Kristofferson, the Oak Ridge Boys, Reba McEntire, Naomi and Wynona Judd, and Brooks & Dunn. Marshall Grant depicts himself as king-maker and I have to say that if all of this is the *exact* truth, then Country Music has done this man an extraordinary disservice in not recognizing his many accomplishments. So why do I have my doubts? Well, like Rosanne Cash says in her intro, the truth is subjective and this is, above all else, Marshall Grant's truth.Lest you think I'm completely negative and think Marshall Grant a fraud, look at my five-star rating and let me assure you, his account usually rings true and is filled with many heart-felt tributes to Johnny Cash. There is a love and honesty that comes out of the written words and a deep, deep regret that things turned out so negatively for two men with such a unique, and extensively shared, history.Concerning the events that lead up to the 1980 break between Marshall and Johnny, the reader will not gain much insight. Marshall cryptically sums it up on page 260 with "I'll always believe that if that certain band member had kept his mouth shut... [t]hat would have been the best thing that could have happened - for all of us." The details, in the telling, are not much more explicit. I look forward to reading reading Michael Streissguth's  Johnny Cash: The Biography  to see if he has more detail.My only other complaint is that the book is sloppily edited in places (commas where periods should have been, and so forth) and much of the dialogue is wooden and begs credulity. For example, on page 263 Marshall discovers an unconscious June Carter Cash surrounded by hysterical family members and friends who insists that "she's a-dyin!" Instead of seeking emergency medical aid, Marshall launches into soliloquy, expressing aloud his concern about the headlines the next day if an ambulance is summoned or June is taken to the hospital.Despite all my whining and nit-picking, this is a great, great book and may just be the most honest account of the life and fortunes of an American Icon. Whatever the dispassionate truth is, you'll be left with a richer understanding for the life and times of Johnny Cash and the man who, short of June, was his best friend. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Nice book about Johnny Cash *by M***M on Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2022* Nice book and de fine seller. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Terrific Authentic Book by an Authentic Reliable Witness *by M***N on Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2014* I'm not sure I can add anything more to the numerous persons that have already done so here. As a JC fan, and particularly when I was a little boy, I am generally not wanting to read these types of books about persons I hold in esteem simply because I don't care much to know the reality of these people's lives. But something drew me to this book, and I am glad I chose to read it. I guess the most surprising thing to me to read about JC was how long he abused those drugs - practically his entire life. And the amazing thing was the professional side of his life always seemed intact. I saw him several times during his career, at MSG in the 60's as a kid to a quiet summer evening in San Diego during the 90's. I'm left wondering whether the pill taking was simply because he could or whether he was truly addicted and never much cared to address it. Marshall repeats often in the book he never thought JC was addicted per se, and that he could have stopped at any time but simply chose to not do so. Who could know for sure. But he puts together interesting bits and pieces, and timelines, and it's an interesting read for sure. The only thing I think detracted from the book was a nearly chapter by chapter admonition by Marshall that drugs, and the drugs JC was abusing are no good for anybody. I am certainly in agreement with that, but I thought he droned on with that admonition unnecessarily throughout the entire book. It became somewhat irritating in a weird way. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sk/products/13025988-i-was-there-when-it-happened-my-life-with-johnny](https://www.desertcart.sk/products/13025988-i-was-there-when-it-happened-my-life-with-johnny) --- *Product available on Desertcart Slovakia* *Store origin: SK* *Last updated: 2026-08-30*