Johnny Cash died on Sept 12, 2003, just 4 months after June Carter passed. One of his last performances was Ring of Fire, dedicated to her. Here he is in happier times, in 1968.

June, a new documentary on Paramount+ revisits the life and country music legacy of June Carter Cash. Though it was often her husband Johnny Cash in the limelight, this feature focuses on her decades-long career, including her role in writing one of Johnny's biggest hits: “Ring of Fire.”

June's sister, Anita Carter, recorded the first version, “(Love's) Ring of Fire,” in 1962, but it really took off when Johnny released his take in 1963, allegedly inspired by a dream to add mariachi-style trumpets. His version, which featured some tweaked lyrics and his baritone voice backed by the harmonies of the Carter Family, reflected in contrasting musical elements the conflict expressed in the lyrics: a great love that is the source of an all-consuming inner conflict.

“I fell for you like a child / Oh, but the fire went wild.” — Ring of Fire

As Emmylou Harris explains in the documentary: “When Johnny recorded it, you’re talking about this thing that came from this really deep ‘I’m going to Hell, I’m in a ring of fire. I’m going to burn in Hell because of what I feel,’ and then you have this angelic chorus of these Carter girls…the juxtaposition of it, there are just so many things that shouldn’t work, and yet it works because it is unusual.”

The Johnny Cash version of "Ring of Fire" claimed the number one spot on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart for seven weeks in 1963 and was a crossover mainstream hit too, peaking at number 17—his first song to crack the Top 20 of Billboard's Hot 100 list. Its success continued as the title track of his album Ring of Fire (The Best of Johnny Cash), which was the top country album for 14 weeks in 1964.

Tyler Civic Theatre's "Ring of Fire" tells the story of Johnny Cash, one of the world's most iconic musicians, and his love, June Carter. Featuring an in-house band, the June 2024 musical includes Cash's classic hits including "I Walk The Line," "Folsom Prison Blues" and "Ring of Fire." "If you’re a Cash fan, I want you to come because the music will be stuck in your head and with a newer and deeper appreciation for that music. And if you’re not a fan, I want you to fall in love with these songs that people have loved their whole lives and that define an era of music,” director Helen Strotman said.