What phrase did Johnny Cash traditionally use to open concerts?

Johnny Cash traditionally opened concerts by saying, “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash.”

The greeting became one of his most recognizable stage signatures. Its plain wording matched Cash’s performance style: direct, controlled, conversational, and immediately personal. He often followed the introduction with “Folsom Prison Blues,” another defining part of his live identity.

The phrase also carried into television. On The Johnny Cash Show, which aired on ABC from 1969 to 1971, Cash regularly used the same greeting before the opening number. Repetition turned a simple self-introduction into a ritual audiences expected to hear.

The line is often misremembered as “Howdy, I’m Johnny Cash” or “This is Johnny Cash,” but those versions miss the concise wording associated with his customary opening. It was not a song title or formal slogan; it was a spoken welcome that helped establish an immediate connection before the music began.