By mid-December of 1961, Johnny had given Saul power of attorney over his affairs. As Christmas approached, Saul decided to formally invite June to become a permanent part of their show; in fact, he would eventually request that she bring on the whole Carter family of musicians. It was a nod to bona fide country royalty, which both he and Johnny liked, but for now at the very least he needed June. She was a dynamo onstage, and damn funny. She was also professional and reliable, an increasingly valuable commodity as the complexity and calibre of their shows was incrementally raised.23
Saul Holiff and June Carter in the back of a limousine after a show, circa 1962.
The next performance was at the KRNT Theatre in Des Moines, and it would be an even larger and more extravagant affair than the Big D. Saul needed to be certain of June’s presence. Even more important was the Carnegie Hall show, for which he had now confirmed a date in early May. Cash had no arguments with Saul’s plans with June, and had so thoroughly enjoyed the car ride to Oklahoma that he made certain to tell the other guys in no uncertain terms that when it came to her, it was “hands off.”
“Don’t mess around with June Carter,” Johnny told them. “I’m watching over her like a big old rooster.” Though it sounded funny, he wasn’t laughing.24
With no objections from Cash, Saul went ahead with pulling June in on a more permanent basis and picked up the phone. To his delight, she was open to the idea. Carnegie Hall was likely a go for her as well, she said, if he’d type out the request and terms of agreement and send it to her in a letter. This would make two female singers for Des Moines, as Saul had just heard back from Patsy Cline, and she was also on the roster. It was all proceeding swimmingly. As Christmas Day dawned clear and bright, Saul sat down and composed a letter.
December 25, 1961
Dear June:
It was very nice talking with you the other night, even though I did make like a remonstrative paternal father.
This letter will confirm your appearance at the KRNT Theatre in Des Moines on January 28th. As we discussed by phone, your return transportation is to be paid by JOHNNY CASH, and if we draw as well as the previous engagement there, an additional $100. […] This time, as you know, we have George Jones, Carl Perkins, Patsy Cline, and, of course, June (“The Heel”) Carter. (Smokey Smith already is pushing “The Heel” like crazy; he has got his “heel” and “sole” in it.)
I would also like to confirm the appearance of you and all your assorted relatives at Carnegie Hall, Thursday, May 10th, with the fee to be $500 for you and your family, plus cost of transportation by car from Nashville to New York and return, and I might even buy you a steak as an additional bonus.
It is understood that you will arrive in New York on May 7th in order to have ample opportunity to assist in the last-minute exploitation of the May 10th appearance.
I will endeavor to fill any additional dates if at all possible, and will advise you subsequently.
I will also try to arrange an appearance in New York at the Village Gate so that an extra source of revenue, plus exposure, may be secured for you and your family.
The very best to you and your family for the new year, and I do look forward to seeing you once again in Des Moines.
Yours for Bigger and Better Heels
JOHNNY CASH INC.
Saul Holiff
Personal Manager25
Within days he would hit the road for a short trip to Las Vegas, but before he departed there were some issues to discuss with Johnny.
With much effort, they were finally getting his jumbled affairs into some semblance of order at the office in Ventura, as various wrinkles left over from Stew Carnall were ironed out. The office itself was a modest affair on 433 East Main Street, which Saul had furnished with a few minimal items: a lamp, a teak desk, and a wooden swivel chair. Behind the desk he mounted a huge map of the United States that took up much of the wall, which not only gave the space the feeling of a war room but also allowed them to map out upcoming tours.
Tasked with the process of streamlining operations was their new office assistant Betty Siegfried, whom he instructed to implement a new filing system for cheques, finances, records, and publicity materials. Cash’s finances were in an incredible state of disarray, and the previous accountant had essentially “filed” items by tossing them into cardboard cartons. There had been no attempt to put them in order, or submit any tax returns for at least three years. I have inherited a massive headache and an extraordinary mess, Saul thought when he first surveyed the wreckage. It would take some untangling to make it functional, but with Betty’s help he felt up to the task.
The move to Los Angeles had been personally stressful. Upon Saul’s midnight arrival at LAX, Cash was nowhere to be found, so he had hailed a cab to travel the almost one hundred miles to Casitas Springs. As they pulled up to the driveway, he rummaged around in his pockets and realized with a sinking feeling that he hadn’t brought any American money with him. The cab driver simply shook his head when he offered Canadian bills. So, although it was about 3:00 a.m., he had to bang on the door and wake up Vivian.
Johnny Cash and Saul Holiff at the Johnny Cash Incorporated office in Ventura, in the fall of 1961.
It was a rocky start to a life that Saul feared he might be ill-equipped to handle. Now dividing his time between London and Los Angeles, living in a motel, without a car, and with net assets at about four thousand dollars, it was a struggle to keep his insecurity at bay. And in the midst of it was the sickening realization that he had entered a bit of a madhouse. Johnny’s marriage was obviously troubled, and he appeared to have some kind of manic-depressive issues due to (or exacerbated by) his pep pill addiction. In addition to the protective inclinations Saul felt — as Johnny was lucid and eminently likeable when he was sober — he could see that this job would require him to be a counsellor, accountant, adviser, agent, and psychiatrist, among other things. Was he ready? He didn’t know.26
Johnny’s Christmas in Casitas Springs was celebrated with typical extravagance. Decorations were trailed all the way up the hillside outside their home to the mountain peak, where he installed a ten-foot light-up aluminum cross. Oblivious to how much their family already stood out as a beacon of wealth, perched above the modest, tiny community in a five-thousand-square-foot mansion, he had proceeded to blare Christmas music from an amplifier on his roof every year until the neighbours complained. At one point, sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to deal with the noise.
“I didn’t think there was a Scrooge left,” Cash muttered in response, and yanked the plug out halfway through “Joy to the World.”27
At their office in the city, Saul waited for June’s reply and feverishly looked for ways to occupy himself as the holidays slowed the flow of work to a muddy pace.
He lit a cigarette and began to dictate a letter to Johnny, as Betty scrolled paper into the typewriter. “Dear Small, Sad Sam,” Saul began. He exhaled. “Enclosed are a few things I thought might interest you.” They were listed off in order: First, a poem that his girlfriend Barbara Robinson had