Johnny Cash - The Official Concert Experience

Debbie Horton has been breaking glass ceilings for years

and it all started with Johnny Cash

Not only is Debbie Horton the lead guitarist for the 2023/24 Johnny Cash – The Official Concert Experience, but she holds the distinction of being the only woman who has ever played lead guitar for Johnny Cash himself. Debbie says of Johnny, “He was the most charismatic person I have ever met, but with the humblest way about him. What a blessing it was for me to be around him as much as I was.” They maintained a friendship for over twenty years. I was lucky enough to talk to Debbie over the phone, just before a rehearsal in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and learn more about her incredible journey which led her to this momentous tour.

How was it that you got to meet and know Johnny Cash?

I was a fan first. In fact, I joined his fan club in Virginia when I was a kid. His voice, persona and storytelling ability just drew me right in. He made me want to learn how to play guitar. And that changed the entire course of my life. Then when I was twelve, I was desperate to meet him. My family went to Nashville on a trip. I knew where he went to church so I begged my parents to take me there because maybe he would be there. And he was there! That’s when I met him for the first time. He was so sweet to me. After that I went to all his shows that I could get to. I saw him 4-5 times a year. Over time we got to know each other and he would even invite me to lunch sometimes.

Can you tell us about how you became the first and only woman to play lead guitar for Johnny Cash?

Yes! It was many years after our first meeting, and I had been practicing and practicing and was a much better guitar player by then. I traveled to Baltimore, MD for one of his shows but didn’t get there in time to visit him beforehand. So, I sent him a note backstage through security saying hello and that I was working hard on my guitar playing and had improved a lot. I had no idea if the note had been delivered to him before the show or not but the next thing I know is he’s calling out my name in front of the 4,000 people at his concert and bringing me up onstage. He hands me his guitar and asks me what song I want to do together. I said let’s do Big River, he sang, and I played lead guitar. It is one of those rare moments and I’ll never get over it. And if you go to my website, www.debbiehorton.com, you can hear it right there.

What can you share with us about Johnny Cash – The Official Concert Experience?

This is the very first show that has ever been sanctioned by the estate of Johnny Cash. It is NOT a tribute show but instead is a celebration of his music and his life. There is a live band and singers onstage performing alongside projected video of him from The Johnny Cash TV Show. Our job is to recreate the experience of going to a Johnny Cash concert, note by note, and not adding any other personal flourishes of our own. John Carter Cash, the only child of Johnny Cash and June Carter, will also be projected on the big screen giving personal commentary and sharing stories about his parents between songs. But this show will not be the first time Johnny’s distinctly deep voice fills the Von Braun Center. Some of his fans in Huntsville might remember seeing him here in concerts in 1975 and 1980. Maybe some of these same fans will be at our show too.

Why do you think the family of Johnny Cash has decided to sanction this tour having never signed off on one before? Why now?

Well, I can only give you my opinion on why I think now is the time. It’s hard to believe but Johnny has been gone for 20 years this year. So, we are reflecting on this amazing man. Let’s all just take some time to think about Johnny Cash and celebrate his life. There is also a new book, Johnny Cash: The Life in Lyrics, which is coming out in November 2023. John Carter Cash says, “There is no better way to know my father than to look at his written works. Whether the songs he recorded, his poetry, or material not published in his lifetime, he put his heart, blood, and spirit into everything to which he added a pen. I am blessed to see this book being released, and to know that his brilliance and life are being honored through focus on his greatest life creation, his words.” 

 

Johnny Cash: The Official Concert Experience
Wednesday, October 18^th at 7:30pm