Johnny Cash, known for his deep bass voice and all-black attire which gave him the nickname of “The Man in Black,” was one of the best-selling musical artists of all time, having sold around 90 million records during his life.

He was open about his troubled past and personal demons in his music, and cultivated his music around a “bad boy” persona that launched his career into success.

He suffered from an amphetamine addiction and frequently performed shows and even recorded some of his music in prisons.

Cash didn’t have a squeaky clean image and had multiple run-ins with law enforcement for various different incidents and charges.

He was arrested seven different times for misdemeanor incidents such as public drunkenness, reckless driving, and drug possession between the years 1959 and 1968.

In 1965, he was arrested in Mississippi for trespassing onto private property at 2 a.m., apparently to pick flowers, and kicked his cell door so hard that he broke his toe.

According to Rolling Stone, Cash based his song “Starkville City Jail” on the encounter.

That same year, he was arrested for smuggling prescription drugs (stimulants) in his guitar case while crossing the border to Mexico.

The famous photograph of him being led away in handcuffs further instilled his rebellious persona into the American zeitgeist.

However, despite his romanticized outlaw image, Cash only spent a few nights in jail for his arrests and never saw prison himself.

In his autobiography, the legendary country singer recalls another arrest and subsequent night in a jail cell in Nevada, where he was roomed with an intimidating lumberjack who refused to believe he was sharing a cell with Cash.

The “Ring of Fire” singer attempted to calm his roommate down by singing his biggest hits, although the lumberjack never changed his mind.

Although Cash was never a convicted felon, his tumultuous arrest record led to an appeal to prison culture that is largely responsible for his success as an artist in today’s history.

His tendency to wear all-black attire gave him the nickname of “The Man in Black,” according to his 1997 autobiography.

Cash often clashed with the police and was arrested seven different times for misdemeanor incidents such as public drunkenness, reckless driving, and drug possession between the years 1959 and 1968.