GRITtv: Johnny Cash's Protest Music

In "A Heartbeat and a Guitar: Johnny Cash and the Making of Bitter Tears," author Antonino D'Ambrosio connects Cash to the tradition of folk and political music in America from Woody Guthrie to Pete Seeger to Bob Dylan and the 60s folk-music scene. At the peak of his fame, just after "Ring of Fire," Cash cut a record of songs about the Native American experience, many written by the now-forgotten songwriter Peter La Farge. D'Ambrosio joined us in the GRITtv studio to talk about the history of protest music, the myth of Johnny Cash and why music is one of the best ways to carry a progressive message. Then, in a special performance, he was joined by Anthony Roman and David Milone of the band Radio 4 to perform Cash's song "Apache Tears" live.