Category Archives: Performing Arts

U.S. Goes Crazy for Johnny Cash Stamp

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On June 5th, communities large and small around the country celebrated the dedication of the Johnny Cash Forever® stamp (the second stamp in the Music Icons series) with a bunch of fun events, most of them featuring performances of Cash’s unforgettable music.

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The official First Day of Issue ceremony took place at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, where the performers were Cash’s son John Carter Cash, Randy Travis, Larry Gatlin, Jamey Johnson, The Oak Ridge Boys, The Roys, and Marty Stuart. The ceremony concluded with everyone taking the stage to perform Cash’s “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” Incredible,

The stamp presentation at the Chicago Main Post Office included performances of “Folsom Prison Blues” and “Ring of Fire” by the cast of “Million Dollar Quartet.” “Million Dollar Quartet” is based on the 1956 night Cash, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins were together in the same recording studio.

A stamp event at the Candlelight Pavilion in Claremont, CA, was conducted before the start of the Johnny Cash Tribute Show, which features singer James Garner and includes music and storytelling.

970822_10151700576196228_1657698550_nAnd one Post Office even celebrated with lemon bars and Johnny Cash’s music. Fun!

Did your community celebrate the release of the Johnny Cash stamp? Tell us all about in the comments.

Breaking News: Photographer Frank Bez to Sign Johnny Cash Stamps Tomorrow (6/19)

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An enlargement of the Johnny Cash Forever® stamp will be unveiled during a special dedication ceremony at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 19, 2013, in the garden area of the Avila Beach Post Office (191 San Miguel Street, Avila Beach, California).

JohnnyCash-Forever-pane-BGv2Special guest will be famed photographer Frank Bez, who took the original 1963 photo featured on the stamp. Mr. Bez will share his recollections of Johnny Cash and the famous photo shoot, as well as sign sheets of the Johnny Cash stamps.

Bez’s career was set in motion about 60 years ago when he was given a 616 Kodak camera for his birthday. After a stint in the Army as a videographer, he landed in Hollywood and started photographing some of the most spectacular stars of the 1950s and 60s, including Natalie Wood, Raquel Welch, Angie Dickinson, Duke Ellington, Jim Morrison, and Johnny Cash. Bez is now retired and resides in Avila Beach.

Johnny Cash stamp sheets autographed by Mr. Bez will be sold at the Avila Beach Post Office after the June 19 event while supplies last.

Johnny Cash Is Second Inductee Into Music Icons Series

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John Carter Cash, Larry Gatlin, Jamey Johnson, The Oak Ridge Boys, The Roys, Marty Stuart, Randy Travis, and other entertainers paid tribute this week to legendary singer Johnny Cash as he was inducted into the Music Icons stamp series.

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Name and likeness under license from the John R. Cash Revocable Trust.

“It is an amazing blessing that my father, Johnny Cash be honored with this stamp,” said singer-songwriter and producer John Carter Cash. “Dad was a hardworking man, a man of dignity. As much as anything else he was a proud American, always supporting his family, fans, and country. I can think of no better way to pay due respect to his legacy than through the release of this stamp,”

“My family is thrilled that my father will grace a Postal Service Forever stamp, a great honor for any American, and an honor that would have particularly delighted him. It is a joy to know that generations will use this stamp, and my father will forever be where he loved to be: traveling the world,” added singer-songwriter and author Rosanne Cash, the music icon’s eldest daughter.

The dedication of the Johnny Cash Forever® stamp took place Wednesday at Ryman Auditorium, the same Nashville landmark where “The Johnny Cash Show”—which debuted 44 years ago today with guests Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and of course the Carter Family—was filmed.

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This collectible print features a full pane of Johnny Cash stamps matted with vintage-style art and a plaque marking the First Day of Issue details. Click the image for more information.

Want to add the official Johnny Cash first-day-of-issue postmark to your collection? Buy the stamps and affix them to envelopes of your choice. Address the envelopes to yourself or others and place them in larger envelopes addressed to:

Johnny Cash Stamp
Postmaster
901 Broadway
Nashville, TN 37202-9998

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, USPS will return the envelopes through the mail. While the first 50 postmarks are free, there is a 5-cent charge per postmark beyond that. All orders must be postmarked by Aug. 5, 2013.

The Johnny Cash Forever® stamp is available at usps.com/stamps, by calling 800-STAMP-24 (800-782-6724), and at Post Offices nationwide. The Music Icons series, which launched May 15, 2013, with the Lydia Mendoza Forever stamp, also will honor Ray Charles with a Forever stamp later this fall.

Lydia Mendoza’s Musical Legacy

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Recently we sat down with Deborah Vargas, an expert on Latina culture who writes about music, to find out why Lydia Mendoza is the perfect person to kick off the new Music Icons stamp series.

LydiaMendoza-Single-slideshowStamp of Approval: How do you feel about honoring Lydia Mendoza on a stamp?

Vargas: My grandparents immigrated to Texas from Mexico at the beginning of the twentieth century. It’s especially meaningful to me, as someone whose family listened to Mendoza’s music and who feels especially connected to her story. Mendoza is someone who represents the histories of labor and cultural contributions of Mexican descent people in the United States. It is an excellent choice to have her name and image circulate as part of this significant U.S. postal series.

Q: The Mendoza stamp is the first in a new series called “Music Icons.” What makes her a true music icon?

A: Mendoza, along with her family, was an extremely skilled performer.  She had tremendous vocals and knew how to play many instruments. She played the 12-string guitar, which is more rare, especially for women guitarists. She surpassed social barriers, including racial discrimination, that were difficult for anyone, much less a Mexican American women to succeed at. Mendoza worked, traveled, performed, and recorded longer than most singers, for over six decades. She was one of the earliest Mexican Americans to record for a major recording label. Mendoza accomplished all of this while also raising a family.  

Q: Do you have any plans to use the new Lydia Mendoza stamps?

A: Yes. I’m very excited to use them in my daily life. I’ve already pre-ordered several sheets for myself and also plan to purchase others to gift to family and friends. There is tremendous excitement in Mexican American and Latino communities over the release of this stamp.

Thank you Ms. Vargas for the wonderful insight into Lydia Mendoza and for serving as our consultant on this exciting project!

The Lydia Mendoza Forever® stamp is currently available at usps.com/stamps and at Post Offices around the country, or you can call 800-STAMP24 (800-782-6724).

USPS Honors Man in Black With New Music Icons Stamp

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Today the U.S. Postal Service honors singer/songwriter Johnny Cash with a Forever® stamp, the second to be released in the brand-new Music Icons stamp series. (The first stamp in the series, which was released last month, honors Tejano superstar Lydia Mendoza.)

JohnnyCash-Forever-Single-StampReleaseCash is best known around the world as a country music artist. In 1977 he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and three years later, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Yet Cash’s influence extended into many other genres—including rock and roll, blues, and gospel. It’s no wonder, then, that he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. In 1996, he received the Kennedy Center Honors, and three years later, he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. President George W. Bush presented him with the 2001 National Medal of Arts for lifetime achievement.

“With his gravelly baritone and spare percussive guitar, Johnny Cash had a distinctive musical sound,” said Board of Governor’s member Dennis Toner. “His songs tackled sin and redemption, good and evil, selfishness, loneliness, temptation, love, loss and death.”

Rosanne Cash, one of the legendary singer’s daughters and a recording star in her own right, said the Forever® stamp was a great honor for any American, and an honor that would have particularly delighted her father. “It’s a joy to know that generations will use this stamp,” she said.

The Johnny Cash Forever® stamp is available now! You can find it online at usps.com/stamps, by calling 800-STAMP24 (800-782-6724), and at Post Offices nationwide.