Black D-35 Johnny Cash model Martin guitar donated for ...

Black D-35 Johnny Cash model Martin guitar donated for charity auction

August 10th, 2007

The Martin Guitar Company has donated its Black D-35 Johnny Cash model guitar signed by John Carter Cash to the Starkville’s Johnny Cash Flower Pickin’ Festival’s charity auction on November 2. The festival’s headlining musician will also sign the guitar.
While Martin produced the guitar as a tribute to The Man in Black, the Johnny Cash Flower Pickin’ Festival will auction the instrument to carry on his spirit of compassion and charity. All funds from the charity auction will go toward the Starkville Boys and Girls Club and the Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum.

Starkville City Judge to evaluate Johnny’s Pardon

August 23rd, 2007

The Starkville Board of Aldermen authorized on Tuesday Municipal Court Judge William Eshee to review the city’s symbolic, posthumous pardon for Johnny Cash.
Although Judge Eshee actually attended Cash’s May 10, 1965, concert at Mississippi State University that occurred hours before the early morning of May 11 when Cash was arrested, he vowed to use prudence and apply the intent of the law when evaluating the pardon.
We all look forward to seeing you in Starkville, Mississippi, on November 2-4, 2007, for the Johnny Cash Flower Pickin’ Festival. Along with the pardon, we’ll have plenty of music in the same spirit as Johnny’s, along with many other Cash-related events.
Warm regards from Starkville,

Robbie Ward

Executive Director

Johnny Cash Flower Pickin’ Festival
pardonjohnnycash@gmail.com

West Point, Mississippi, Rotary Club meets to learn more about the Johnny Cash Flower Pickin’ Festival


August 23rd, 2007



Executive Director Robbie Ward speaks to the West Point Rotary Club about the Johnny Cash Flower Pickin Festival. Ward shows the group the Martin Guitar Company’s black D-35 model guitar designed to honor The Man in Black.

Ward told the group about a travel writer for the Chicago Sun Times writing a story about the festival that will run in the paper’s August 29 issue.

The Associated Press will run a national travel story about the festival on its national wire service in early September.

Also, music magazine PASTE will have a piece about the November 2-4, 2007, festival in its October issue.

Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives to headline Johnny Cash Flower Pickin’ Festival


September 6th, 2007



Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives will headline Starkville’s Johnny Cash Flower Pickin’ Festival on November 2-4.

“I’ll come down there with the Fabulous Superlatives and put the Johnny Cash on’em,” Stuart told a member of the festival’s organizing committee.
Stuart, a Mississippi native, has deep roots in the Magnolia State and with Johnny Cash and his family. Cash’s former son-in-law, Stuart joined The Man in Black’s backing band in 1980.

A country music renaissance man, Stuart has won four Grammy Awards, scored one platinum and five gold albums. His photography and writing have showcased a wealth of bluegrass, country, rock and rhythm, gospel and blues musicians.

In addition to Stuart’s vocal and musical abilities, he also shines through his songwriting, storytelling and music producing.

Johnny Cash Flower Pickin’ Festival executive director Robbie Ward announced the headliner from inside the “Starkville City Jail” Wednesday.

“We can’t wait to see Marty and the Fabulous Superlatives in November,” Ward said, standing next to one of the holding cells in the jail.
The Fabulous Superlatives consists of Kenny Vaughan, Harry Stinson and Brian Glenn.

Johnny Cash fans throughout the world can participate in a fascinating part of the Cash story–his experience at the “Starkville City Jail” and his lifelong story of redemption. City, county and state officials will issue symbolic pardons to Cash’s family on his behalf during the festival.
Rev. Allison S. Parvin, associate pastor at the First United Methodist Church in Starkville, will deliver the redemption sermon during the festival.

Cash’s story “is just one of the great gospel stories of now,” Parvin said.
Johnny Cash’s family and the John R. Cash Revocable Trust have endorsed the Johnny Cash Flower Pickin’ Festival.

“We’ll all help in any way possible to make this a memorable weekend in Starkville,” said Louis B. Robin, manager-business affairs of the John R. Cash Revocable Trust and manager for Johnny Cash from 1972-2003.

“I’m sure that Johnny would have been the first visitor in town on Nov. 2, had he been able.”

Bill Miller, owner and founder of www.johnnycash.com who was a personal friend of Cash’s, said the thought of a Johnny Cash Flower Pickin’ Festival delighted him and gives Cash fans a formal event to pay tribute to the legendary musical icon who died in 2003.

“There’s nothing like this anywhere in the world,” Miller said.
Cash sang about his run-in with the Starkville authorities on his album, “At San Quentin (The Complete Live Concert),” recorded in 1969. After performing at Mississippi State University in 1965, Starkville
police arrested Cash for public drunk and took him to the Oktibbeha County Jail, referred to as the Starkville City Jail in Cash’s song. His version of the story said police arrested him for “pickin’ flowers.” A few years after the altercation, Cash returned to Starkville and gave local authorities free tickets to his performance to show he had “no hard feelings.”

Of the seven times Cash was arrested, he only wrote about one–Starkville.

For more information about Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, visit www.martystuart.net. For more information about Starkville’s Johnny Cash Flower Pickin’ Festival, visit www.pardonjohnnycash.com or e-mail pardonjohnnycash@gmail.com.

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Good research!!!


Johnny, The Tennessee2 and Glen Glenn