Johnny Money statue unveiled at U.S. Capitol

The Man in Black has come to Congress. On Wednesday, American lawmakers unveiled a brand new statue of nation music legend Johnny Money, now put in on the U.S. Capitol to symbolize his house state of Arkansas.

Every of the 50 states in the US is represented by two statues (usually one man and one girl, however not all the time). Uriah Rose and Sen. James Clarke used to symbolize Arkansas, however they had been changed in 2019 for his or her help of the Confederacy and racial segregation. Earlier this yr, a statue of civil rights activist Daisy Bates (who mentored and supported the Little Rock 9) was put in to interchange Rose, and now Money will take Clarke’s place.

“Some might ask: Why ought to a musician have a statue right here within the halls of the good American republic?” Speaker of the Home Mike Johnson stated on the unveiling ceremony. “The reply is fairly easy. It’s as a result of America is about greater than legal guidelines and politics.”

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Lawmakers from each side of the aisle had been current in the course of the ceremony, as was Money’s sister Joanne Money. His brother Tommy Money, sadly, died earlier this month.

Born on Feb. 26, 1932 to poor cotton farmers in Kingsland, Ark., Money rose to fame within the ’50s as a part of the burgeoning rockabilly scene. Identified for his all-black ensemble, which earned him the sobriquet “The Man in Black” (which he additionally later used for the title of a 1971 protest music), Money’s most well-known songs embrace “Folsom Jail Blues,” “I Stroll the Line,” “Ring of Hearth,” and “A Boy Named Sue,” amongst others.

In his later years, Money discovered inspiration in newer artists and genres. Youthful generations would possibly know him greatest for his cowl of “Damage” by 9 Inch Nails, which has usually been in utilized in trailers for films like Logan.

Money’s broad recognition and affect on artists exterior of the nation music style was highlighted by Democratic Social gathering’s Home minority chief, Hakeem Jeffries, in the course of the ceremony.

“He known as Johnny Money an actual American gangster. {That a} praise from Snoop Doggy Dogg,” Jeffries stated, in keeping with the Related Press. “What a life, what a legend, what a legacy.”