Russell Crowe's a huge enough Johnny Cash fan to own at least two of the Man in Black's 13 Grammy trophies: one for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male ("Folsom Prison Blues," 1968) and the other for Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Recording (Interviews From the Class of '55 Recording Sessions, 1986).
The latter Grammy Award plays a key role in an off-the-wall story Crowe told James Corden during a 2020 appearance on The Late Late Show.
While Crowe spent a wild night on the farm with pop vocalist Ed Sheeran, Cash's 1986 Grammy helped the famous friends get sloshed.
"(Sheeran) goes, 'Why do think that there's a horn on a Grammy, mate? It's because we do shots'," Crowe said.
Crowe told a similar tale in 2018, as reported by the Daily Mail.
While Cash's first two prison albums (1968's At Folsom Prison and 1969's At San Quentin) need no introduction, some may still overlook Class of '55: Memphis Rock & Roll Homecoming, a recording project that reunited Cash with fellow Sun Records legends Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Ricky Nelson, Chips Moman and Sam Phillips.
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Cash was a Crowe fan, as well, per a letter he sent to the actor.
"I've got a letter from Johnny Cash," Crowe said (as quoted by the Daily Mail). "He saw Gladiator three times in a weekend with his wife (June Carter Cash). He loved it so much he decided to send me a letter about it."
Here's the 11 Grammy Awards won by Cash that, as far as we know, are not part of Crowe's collection. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member also won a Grammy Legend award (1991) and a Lifetime Achievement award (1999).
- Best Country & Western Performance- Duet, Trio or Group (Vocal or Instrumental): "Jackson," 1967
- Best Album Notes: At Folsom Prison, 1968
- Best Album Notes: Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline, 1969
- Best Country Vocal Performance, Male: "A Boy Named Sue," 1969
- Best Country Vocal Performance By a Duo or Group: "If I Were a Carpenter," 1970
- Best Contemporary Folk Album: American Recordings, 1994
- Best Country Album: Unchained, 1997
- Best Male Country Vocal Performance: "Solitary Man," 2000
- Best Male Country Vocal Performance: "Give My Love to Rose," 2002
- Best Short Form Music Video: "Hurt," 2003
- Best Short Form Music Video: "God's Gonna Cut You Down," 2007
In 1970, At San Quentin made the short list of country releases to earn an Album of the Year nomination. Blood, Sweat and Tear's self-titled release took that year's Album of the Year honors. Before then, only full-length country albums by Ray Charles, Eddy Arnold and the previous year's Album of the Year winner, Glen Campbell, had competed for one of the Recording Academy's highest honors.
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