Warning: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for A Complete Unknown!
The biopic A Complete Unknown, directed by James Mangold, explores the life of Bob Dylan in the early 1960s. One character in the movie that might surprise viewers is Johnny Cash, who was a significant figure in Dylan’s life. Cash and Dylan had a four-decade-long friendship, which is portrayed in the film.
The two singers first met through letters written back and forth, with Cash being a fan of Dylan’s music. In his memoir Cash: An Autobiography, Cash explained that he had been listening to The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan on a portable record player before and after every show, and he felt compelled to write a letter to Dylan, expressing his admiration for the up-and-coming musician. Unbeknownst to him, Dylan had been a fan of Cash since he heard “I Walk the Line” in 1955 or 1956, and he considered the singer his idol.
The two friends wrote letters for some time before meeting in person. Cash’s book states that they discussed their music, social circles, and the people in their genres, and only ceased writing once they met in person. However, their meeting before the 1964 Newport Folk Festival, which is depicted in the movie, is disputed. Both John Carter Cash, Johnny Cash’s son, and Bob Dylan suggest that they met before this festival.
In his eulogy for Johnny Cash, published in Rolling Stone, Dylan said that the pair first met in either 1962 or 1963. John Carter Cash also claimed that his father and Dylan met in a New York City hotel room, where they reportedly first met in the early 1960s. This would suggest that they met before the Newport Folk Festival.
Despite these differing accounts, it is clear that Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan’s friendship was significant, and they planned to make an album together. They recorded numerous songs, including “Girl from the North Country,” “I Threw It All Away,” and “Livin’ the Blues.” However, the album was never completed, and the tracks were later released as part of Bob Dylan’s album The Bootleg Series Vol. 15: Travelin’ Thru, 1967-1969. The music from this session feels like two friends jamming, with none of the songs appearing in the movie’s soundtrack.
