Johnny Cash Opened Up About His Proposal To June Carter

Dec 21, 2021 by apost team

Johnny Cash and June Carter's 35-year marriage was one of the most famous celebrity pairings in music history. Deep, passionate, forgiving, and played out in front of worldwide fans, their union was far from constant bliss. But it was steadfast.

What many people unfamiliar with the early days of the couple's life may not realize is that both Johnny and June were married to other people when they met. They may not realize that June also had her own successful music career before she met Johnny. June was part of Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters. She was a close friend of Elvis Presley and often sang with him on tour after she began a solo career.

It was Presley who insisted June meet Johnny. Presley had been playing Johnny's music for June. One night after they performed at Nashville's famous Grand Ole Opry in 1956, June met Johnny.

It wasn't exactly love at first sight for June, but Johnny had no problem admitting he fell for June almost right away. June's feelings for Johnny grew over time, but she was still married. Being torn between her husband and Johnny left June in emotional turmoil. She said she felt like she was in a 'ring of fire,' feelings which she later turned into a song that was a huge hit for both Johnny and June.

The couple stayed together through all of their ups and downs. Their connection was one of a kind and remains one of the music industry’s greatest love stories. Keep reading to learn more about Johnny and June and how he proposed to her in front of a live audience. 

When he met June, Johnny was married to Vivian Liberto Cash, with whom he had four daughters: Roseanne, Kathy, Cindy and Tara. Carter was married twice before getting together with Johnny. Her first relationship was with the country singer, Carl Smith, and they had a daughter, Rebecca. The couple got divorced in 1956 and then a year later, June married former football player, Edwin “Rip” Nix. The couple also had a daughter, Rosie, but the marriage ended in 1966.

When looking back at that time in her life, June remembered how difficult it was to fall in love with someone when you are already married. 

“I never talked about how I fell in love with John,” June told Rolling Stone in 2000. “It was not a convenient time for me to fall in love with him, and it wasn’t a convenient time for him to fall in love with me. One morning, about four o’clock, I was driving my car just about as fast as I could… I was miserable, and it all came to me: ‘I’m falling in love with somebody I have no right to fall in love with’… I thought, ‘I can’t fall in love with this man, but it’s just like a ring of fire.’”

Johnny spoke of his “unconditional” love for his wife with Rolling Stone. “You hear that phrase a lot, but it’s real with me and her. She loves me in spite of everything. In spite of myself. She has saved my life more than once. … She’s always been there with her love, and it has certainly made me forget the pain for a long time, many times. When it gets dark, and everybody’s gone home and the lights are turned off, it’s just me and her.”

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Over the next 13 years, Johnny worked hard to convince June to marry him. She kept turning him down. Finally, in early 1968, Cash popped the question again in front of 7,000 fans at a live show. This time June said yes.

Johnny told the story of his proposal on “The Mike Douglas Show,” in 1981. He said:

“We had just sung a song called Jackson, and I stopped the show, and I said ‘Will you marry me?’ on the microphone. She said ‘sing another, sing another, sing another.’ I said, ‘I’m not going to sing until you answer me. Will you marry me?’…she turned her back, you know, trying to get somebody in the band to play some music or something. Kept going until she finally said ‘yes.'”

They married on March 1st of that year and had a son in 1970. He chronicled their relationship in a bestselling book published after their deaths. Though their love was deep, it wasn't easy. Johnny struggled with addiction his entire life, but June stood by him throughout it all. Harder for her to accept was his womanizing.

In 2003, when she passed away aged 73 from complications after surgery, Johnny was devastated. In one of his last concerts, he sang "Ring of Fire," admitting to the audience that he felt June's presence on him as he did so. Johnny himself died shortly after in 2003, at the age of 71, from health issues of his own.

Johnny and June were married for 35 tumultuous years. But their love story remains legendary because of their commitment to each other through such difficult times. Their love was truly unconditional and everlasting.

Are you a fan of Johnny Cash and June Carter? Did you know how they got engaged? Let us know what you think and be sure to send this along to your friends and loved ones.