On July 7, 1956, Johnny Cash walked onto the Grand Ole Opry’s stage for the first time, armed with an acoustic guitar, his Tennessee Two bandmates and his soon-to-be iconic black suit. … The real action happened backstage, though. That’s where Cash first bumped into Carl Smith’s wife, June Carter, who was hurriedly tuning up her guitar before walking onstage. … Smith and Carter divorced later that year, and Carter eventually joined Cash on the road, where the two sang together on hit songs like “Jackson.” They married in 1968, a dozen years after their backstage meeting at the Grand Ole Opry.
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