05/13/2026
Johnny Cash, 1959
Select archival prints are now available at 30"×45."
To publicize their newly signed talent, Columbia Records hired photographer Marvin Koner to document an evening with the up-and-coming Johnny Cash during a tour stop at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, NY on February 7, 1959. Koner followed Cash from the downtime in his hotel room before the show, through a host of backstage preparations, and finally, onstage to his electrifying performance before a roaring crowd. This image was taken in the pause between preparation and performance as Cash waits to take the stage.
The following night, Cash took his first step into the national spotlight with his television debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, closing the broadcast with his Columbia hit, “Don’t Take Your Guns to Town."
For decades, Koner’s photographs from this assignment were lost and forgotten. First buried in the Columbia Records’ archive and later stashed in a closet in Koner's Brooklyn apartment. They were rediscovered in 2004 by his wife, Silvia, and are now safely stored at the Marvin Koner Archive.
Photo by Marvin Koner
marvinkonerarchive.com
