What was the name of Johnny Cash's first wife?

Johnny Cash’s first wife was Vivian Liberto. The couple met in 1951 at a roller-skating rink in San Antonio, Texas, while Cash was completing Air Force training. They spent only a few weeks together before Cash was deployed to West Germany, but they maintained their relationship through hundreds of letters.

Cash and Liberto married on August 7, 1954, at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in San Antonio. They had four daughters: Rosanne, Kathy, Cindy, and Tara. Liberto later became the inspiration behind some of Cash’s early romantic writing, including the themes of loyalty in “I Walk the Line.”

The marriage ended in divorce in 1966 after years affected by Cash’s touring, substance abuse, and infidelity. Cash married June Carter in 1968, making Carter his second wife—not his first. Rosanne Cash was Vivian’s daughter with Johnny, while Maybelle Carter was June’s mother and a member of the Carter Family.