A statue of country music icon Johnny Cash was revealed on Tuesday morning at the U.S. Capitol, marking him as the first musician to be memorialized in Statuary Hall.

During the ceremony at the Capitol Visitor Center, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), and Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders were present, alongside over 100 members of the Cash family, to unveil the bronze statue created by artist Kevin Kresse.

This statue stands 8 feet tall, depicts Cash, known for “I Walk the Line,” with his gaze slightly lowered, holding a Bible in one hand and resting the other hand over his chest, with a guitar across his back.

“We are here today to honor — believe it or not — the very first musician ever to receive a statue in the Capitol,” Johnson stated. “Johnny Cash is the ideal individual for such recognition. He truly embodied the essence of the American spirit in a unique way.”

Cash, who hailed from Kingsland, Arkansas, passed away in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 71. He enjoyed a successful career spanning 40 years, with hits such as “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Ring of Fire,” “A Boy Named Sue,” and “Hurt.”

During the event, Johnson shared a fun fact: he recently discovered that he is a distant half-cousin of Cash, adding to the family members present for the occasion.

Rosanne Cash addressed the audience, expressing her joy at this honor. “What a remarkable day,” she said. “I could never have imagined this in my wildest dreams.”

“Words hardly express the pride we feel to see my dad receiving this incredible recognition as the first musician ever to be included in the Statuary Hall Collection,” she continued on behalf of the family. “While I avoid speaking for him posthumously, I believe he would agree that among all the honors he received, this is the crowning achievement.”

“Thank you, Kevin Kresse, for so skillfully capturing his spirit in bronze,” Rosanne Cash added. “When you see this statue, you immediately recognize it as Johnny Cash.”

Kevin Kresse, who hails from Little Rock, Arkansas, has previously created two other statues of Cash, as well as statues honoring other Arkansas artists like Al Green, Glen Campbell, and Levon Helm.

U.S. Representative Steve Womack (R-Ark.) praised the statue, saying, “In this depiction, I can truly see the ‘gravel in his gut’ and the ‘spit in his eye,’” referring to the famous lyrics of “A Boy Named Sue.”

The ceremony concluded with the U.S. Air Force Band performing “I Walk the Line,” followed by a benediction offered by Dr. Mike Garrett, a nephew of Johnny Cash.

Johnny Cash and Daisy Bates Now Represent Arkansas in the Capitol

In the National Statuary Hall Collection at the Capitol, every state can donate two statues to represent notable figures from their history.

The statue of Johnny Cash now represents Arkansas, following the state’s decision in 2019 to replace its two older statues that had stood for over a century.

The previous statues honored Senator James P. Clarke and Uriah Rose, the first president of the American Bar Association.

Alongside Johnny Cash, a statue of Daisy Bates, a civil rights pioneer and journalist known for her efforts against segregation in Arkansas, was also added to the Capitol’s collection.

As per reports from the Associated Press, these statues

The concept of a statue honoring Bates and Cash has succeeded over other proposals that included statues of Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, and a Navy SEAL who lost his life in Afghanistan.

Audrey Gibbs works as a music journalist for The Tennessean. You can contact her at agibbs@tennessean.com.