Bob Wootton, the former lead guitarist for Johnny Cash's band the Tennessee Three, has passed away. He was 75 years old.
Wootton first fell in love with Cash's sound when he heard "I Walk the Line" for the first time in 1956. After serving in the Army during the early 1960s, he began playing local gigs in Oklahoma City, Okla. He attended a Cash concert in 1968, and managed to talk Johnny into letting him stand in for his guitarist Carl Perkins and bassist Marshall Grant, who had missed their flight. After impressing him with his guitar skills, Cash hired him temporarily as a guitarist for his tour.
But Wootton never left the band, and performed with Cash until he stopped playing live shows in 1997. He played on some of Cash's most legendary records, including his live set from San Quentin. He was briefly married to Anita Carter, June Carter Cash's sister.
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The official cause of death has not yet been released. Bob Wootton is survived by his wife of 33 years, Vicky, and his two daughters Scarlett and Montana. He will be laid to rest in Hendersonville Memorial Gardens, the same cemetery where Johnny and June were buried together.
