In the fifties Johnny Cash wore hep cat rockabilly clothes like Elvis, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee. He didn't stray too far from his Sun records roots until once again Nudie had a gimmick for J.R.
It was basically a hipper version of Hopalong Cassidy's getup, and to boot, it was relatively inexpensive and slimming (!).
So Nudie began making black suits for Johnny Cash, and every now and again for special event like America's Bicentennial he would sneak in some color (red, white & blue), embroidery (eagles and stars of course) and yes, even rhinestones.
Johnny Cash memoralized his new iconic status with the classic song "Man in Black." The lyrics are powerful and moving, and don't mention the slimming effect -- but everyone knows the camera adds ten pounds.
Nudie knew his craft, and he knew even celebrities downplaying their star power, needed a little extra help now and then.
For an extra dose of Johnny and June check out my Redneckonomics blog!
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