Robert "Bob" Wootton (March 4, 1942 – April 9, 2017) was an American guitarist. He joined

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

's backing band, the

Tennessee Three The Tennessee Three was the backing band for singer Johnny Cash for nearly 25 years; he was known especially for his country/rockabilly style, although he won awards in numerous categories. In 1980, he reorganized the group, expanding it and namin ...

, after original lead guitarist Luther Perkins died in a house fire. He remained Cash's guitarist for nearly thirty years.

Biography

Robert Cilfton Wootton was born March 4, 1942 in Paris, Arkansas. In 1950, he moved with his family to Taft, California. He first learned to play guitar from his father around age 11. It was around this time that he said he first heard the music of

, which he "instantly loved". In 1956, he bought a copy of " I Walk the Line", even though he did not then own a record player. In 1958, Wootton moved to Oklahoma, where he lived until joining Cash's band. Wootton had been a lifelong fan of Cash's and played his songs religiously until he had perfected the boom-chicka-boom style known as Cash's unique sound. By 1968, Wootton was playing gigs regularly in Oklahoma City. After the death of Luther Perkins in a house fire in August 1968, the role of lead guitarist was given to

Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)#nytimesobit, Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennes ...

(no relation) leading to a different sound of the band. On September 17, 1968, Cash was performing in

Fayetteville, Arkansas Fayetteville () is the second-largest city in Arkansas, the county seat of Washington County, and the biggest city in Northwest Arkansas. The city is on the outskirts of the Boston Mountains, deep within the Ozarks. Known as Washington until ...

, at a campaign rally for Governor Winthrop Rockefeller. An airline delay left only Johnny Cash and drummer

W. S. Holland W. S. "Fluke" Holland (April 22, 1935 – September 23, 2020) was an American drummer who played with Carl Perkins, and later for Johnny Cash in the bands The Tennessee Three, The Great Eighties Eight, and The Johnny Cash Show Band. Holland ...

onstage. Wootton, sitting in the audience, approached Cash requesting to fill in for the night. Wootton stunned the crowd, particularly Cash himself, with perfect renditions of every song. Cash mentioned in passing that he might one day call on Wootton again, but within days asked him to join the tour as new lead guitarist. On Cash's live album recorded at

San Quentin State Prison San Quentin State Prison (SQ) is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated place of San Quentin in Marin County. Opened in July 1852, San Quentin is the ...

, Wootton stood on such tracks as "I Walk the Line" and " Folsom Prison Blues". Wootton continued in the band with only a brief respite until Cash retired from active touring in 1997. With Cash's retirement from the stage, Wootton was willing to take non-musician work to earn a living. He worked as a tour bus driver, including a stint for the

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. Wootton did not participate in the recording sessions that became known as Cash's American Recordings albums. From 2006 to 2007, Wootton performed with Cash's original drummer, W. S. Holland, his wife Vicky Wootton, and his daughter Scarlett Wootton as The Tennessee Three. In 2006 the band released their first album since Cash's death, a tribute titled ''The Sound Must Go On.'' The Tennessee Three was scheduled to perform at Folsom Prison in January 2008 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Cash's Folsom show. Wootton eventually withdrew from the concert project, which was later scrapped following disputes between prison officials and show promoters. Wootton continued his 2008 touring as the Tennessee Three with drummer Rodney Blake Powell, Vicky, Scarlett, and Montana Wootton to crowds in several countries. The band continued to tour throughout 2009. Wootton died of dementia on April 9, 2017 in Gallatin, Tennessee at the age of 75.

References

External links

Bob Wootton
on Myspace * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wootton, Bob 1942 births 2017 deaths People from Paris, Arkansas American country guitarists American rockabilly guitarists American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists Lead guitarists The Tennessee Three members The Great Eighties Eight members Cash–Carter family