Johnny Cash served as grand marshal of the United States Bicentennial parade in 1976.
Cash was already one of America’s best-known performers, associated with country, folk, gospel, and rockabilly music. His public image and songs about American life made him a fitting figure for a celebration centered on national history and identity.
The Bicentennial was not a single ceremony but a broad program of parades, exhibitions, concerts, reenactments, and other events. The national festivities reached their climax on July 4, 1976, exactly 200 years after the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.
Cash is sometimes confused with other major entertainers who participated in patriotic events during the era, including Bob Hope and Elvis Presley. However, the documented grand marshal of the U.S. Bicentennial parade was Johnny Cash.