Recorded March 25, 1963, “Ring of Fire” became the biggest hit of Johnny Cash’s career, staying at #1 on the charts for seven weeks. It was co-written by June Carter and Merle Kilgore. For June Carter, “Ring of Fire” was a metaphor for falling in love with Cash. Both were still married to other people. Cash was sinking into what would be a long battle with drug addiction. Agonizing over her feelings and pondering their many obstacles, Carter penned the lyrics, and Cash was immediately taken with Carter sister Anita’s original version. He claimed he had a dream in which the song was embellished with “Mexican horns”. When, Anita’s version failed to take off, Cash reworked it – removing any gospel elements at the request of Sun Studios – and featured Mother Maybelle and the Carter sisters on backing vocals. Four years later, Carter and Cash were married. Cash’s daughter Roseanne assessed the song’s meaning: “The song is about the transformative power of love and that’s what it has always meant to me and that’s what it will always mean to the Cash children.”

Official Johnny Cash Website
Johnny Cash Fanzine
Kris Kristofferson on Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash on AllMusic.com
June Carter Cash on AllMusic.com
June Carter Cash Fan Site