Johnny Cash has been chosen to represent the state of Arkansas in the U.S. Capitol. The state will replace its current representatives, who are not well-known, with a bust of the singer known for the song “Ring of Fire.”
According to ABC News, former Governor Asa Hutchinson says that young people don’t recognize the current figures representing the country. The decision to replace them was made because it was widely recognized that it was time for a change.
“I used to give tours to people from Arkansas, including young people. During the tours, I would show them the two representatives from Arkansas in Statuary Hall at the United States Capitol,” said Hutchinson, who also worked in Congress. “And they would say, ‘We have never heard of them.'”
After standing in the state’s history for over 100 years, two lesser-known individuals from the 18th and 19th centuries are being replaced by Cash and Daisy Bates. The Johnny Cash statue will not be put in place until later this year. However, Bates will be making her first appearance this week. She is famous for playing a key role in the battle for school desegregation.
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Johnny Cash was born in Kingsland, a small town in the state. During his 71 years, he sold more than 90 million records. His albums covered various genres including country, rock, blues, folk, and gospel. He was one of the first musicians to be inducted into both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame before he died in 2003.
The statue will depict Cash holding a guitar on his back and holding a Bible. Kevin Kresse, a sculptor from Little Rock, has been chosen to build an 8-foot statue. In the past, he has achieved the same level of success as Al Green, Levon Helm, and Glen Campbell.
Kresse has said that Cash is a strong addition to the team, helping to balance out the conflicts that Congress deals with.
“He practiced what he preached and he lived by his beliefs. “And that was the particular characteristic that I found very attractive,” Kresse said about the singer of “Boy Named Sue.” “I wanted to express the deep thoughtfulness of the interior through this sculpture.”
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The new statues of Cash and Bates are being put in place of the old statues of former governor James P. Clarke, who served as governor in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and Uriah Rose, a lawyer from the 1800s. The statues have been the subject of controversy, particularly due to racist comments made by Clarke. He stated that the Democratic Party should uphold “white standards.”
Cash passed away in 2003 due to complications from diabetes. Some of his other songs are “I Walk the Line,” “Prison Blues,” “Highwayman,” and “One Piece at a Time.”
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