Marshall Garnett Grant (May 5, 1928 – August 7, 2011) was the
upright bass
The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...
ist and
electric bassist of singer
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
's original backing duo, the
Tennessee Two, in which Grant and electric guitarist
Luther Perkins played. The group became known as The Tennessee Three in 1960, with the addition of drummer
W. S. Holland. Grant also served as road manager for Cash and his touring show company.
Early life
Grant was raised in
Bessemer City, North Carolina
Bessemer City is a small suburban city in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 5,340 (as of the 2010 census). The city is approximately northwest of Gastonia and west of Charlotte. It was settled in 1756 and foun ...
. He was one of twelve children born of Willie Leander (1888–1968) and Mary Elizabeth (Simmonds) Grant (1895–1965). His siblings are Wade (1910–1985), Olson (1912–1993), Burlas (1914–1915), Vernal (1916–1971), Eulean (1918–2012), Hershel (1921–2014), Doris (1923–2006), Odell (1925–2011), Ed (1931–2012), Norma Jean (b. 1935) and Aubrey Grant (b. 1937).
Grant married Etta May Dickerson on November 9, 1946. They had one son, Randy.
Grant and his wife settled in
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...
, in 1947. Grant worked as a mechanic; first for Wagner Brake Service, then C.M. Booth Motor Company, and later, Automobile Sales Company in Memphis. It was during this time that he met fellow Automobile Sales employees Luther Perkins and Roy Cash Sr., older brother of Johnny Cash.
When the younger Cash returned to Memphis after serving in the
U.S. Air Force, Grant, Perkins and Cash began playing together as three
rhythm guitar
In music performances, rhythm guitar is a guitar technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse (music), pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., d ...
ists, along with another Automobile Sales co-worker and steel guitar player, A.W. "Red" Kernodle. Grant was a self-taught musician, learning to play the bass after the group collectively decided that Grant should switch to playing bass, and that Perkins would play lead guitar. During the formation of this group, Cash used Grant's
Martin Martin may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Europe
* Martin, Croatia, a village
* Martin, Slovakia, a city
* Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain
* M ...
guitar for performances, and for many years thereafter, for songwriting.
Grant was an important part of the trademark 'boom-chicka-boom' sound of Johnny Cash that would change the sound of country music. He recorded with Cash from 1954 until 1980. Grant also voluntarily took on the responsibilities of road manager for Cash's touring show.
During his career with Cash, Grant played
Epiphone
Epiphone () is an American musical instrument brand that traces its roots to a musical instrument manufacturing business founded in 1873 by Anastasios Stathopoulos in İzmir, Ottoman Empire, and moved to New York City in 1908. After taking over ...
upright basses and electric basses by
Fender,
Epiphone
Epiphone () is an American musical instrument brand that traces its roots to a musical instrument manufacturing business founded in 1873 by Anastasios Stathopoulos in İzmir, Ottoman Empire, and moved to New York City in 1908. After taking over ...
and
Micro-Frets. On the album cover for ''
Johnny Cash At San Quentin'', Grant's Epiphone Newport bass is famously featured in the foreground of the iconic photo by
Jim Marshall. In the early 1970s, he briefly endorsed
Micro-Frets instruments and
Sunn
Sunn (stylized in all lowercase as sunn) is a brand of musical instrument amplifiers based in Tualatin, Oregon, United States.
History
In early 1963, the Kingsmen, a band based in Portland, Oregon, became known for their hit version of th ...
amplifiers.
Legal troubles with Cash
Cash's recurring drug problems eventually led to issues that resulted in Grant being fired by Cash. It was at this time that Grant discovered that Cash had embezzled retirement funds set aside for Grant and Luther Perkins.
In 1980, Grant filed suit against Cash for wrongful dismissal and for
embezzlement
Embezzlement (from Anglo-Norman, from Old French ''besillier'' ("to torment, etc."), of unknown origin) is a type of financial crime, usually involving theft of money from a business or employer. It often involves a trusted individual taking ...
of retirement funds. A lawsuit against Cash for
slander
Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making wikt:asserti ...
was also considered. In coincidental action, Luther Perkins' daughters from his first marriage filed suit against Cash for embezzlement of retirement funds. Both lawsuits were eventually settled out-of-court.
Despite the bitter legal battles, the two men later reconciled.
[ Grant contends that he was probably Cash's closest and most trusted friend; indeed, he played a critical role in helping Cash along when Cash's drug problems threatened his career and his life.] Grant made a final appearance onstage with Cash in 1999 as an original member of The Tennessee Two.
Later career
Following his career with Cash, Grant managed the Statler Brothers until their retirement in 2002. He last lived in Hernando, Mississippi
Hernando is the county seat of DeSoto County, on the northwestern border of Mississippi, United States. The population was 17,138 according to the 2020 census records. It is located on the south side of the Memphis, Tennessee metro area. U.S ...
, with his wife.[
Grant's autobiographical book ''I Was There When It Happened: My Life With Johnny Cash'' was published in October 2006. It is a behind-the-scenes story of their beginnings and rise to fame.
He "laid down isbass for the last time" at the Brooks Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, in August 2010.
"Etta's Tune" included on ]Rosanne Cash
Rosanne Cash (born May 24, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter and author. She is the eldest daughter of country musician Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian Cash.
Although Cash is often classified as a country artist, her music draws f ...
's 2014 album, '' The River and the Thread'', is dedicated to Grant and his wife.
Powerboat Racing
For many years, Grant owned and raced outboard powerboats. His teams included notable drivers such as Dick Pond, Charlie Bailey and Billy Seebold. Often, members of the Johnny Cash band would work in Grant's pit crews. Grant's distinctive boats were most appropriately given such names as "Ring of Fire" and "A Boat Named Sue" among others of his personal musical references.
''Walk The Line''
Marshall Grant is played by Larry Bagby
Lawrence Bagby III (born March 7, 1974) is an American actor and musician, who is best known as Ernie 'Ice' in ''Hocus Pocus (1993 film), Hocus Pocus'', Larry Blaisdell in ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', Pvt. Shirley "Hickey" Kendrick in ''Saints ...
in the 2005 film, '' Walk the Line''
Death
Marshall Grant died at the age of 83 on August 7, 2011, while in Jonesboro, Arkansas
Jonesboro () is a city located on Crowley's Ridge in the northeastern corner of the U.S. State of Arkansas. Jonesboro is one of two county seats of Craighead County, Arkansas, Craighead County. In 2023, the city had an estimated population of ...
, attending a festival to restore the childhood home of Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Marshall
1928 births
2011 deaths
People from Bryson City, North Carolina
American double-bassists
American male double-bassists
Sun Records artists
American country bass guitarists
American male bass guitarists
People from Hernando, Mississippi
Slap bassists (double bass)
20th-century American guitarists
People from Bessemer City, North Carolina
The Tennessee Three members