Where am I?: "Jackson" Johnny Cash and June Carter (1967)

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This famous duet song was written by Billy Edd Wheeler and Jerry Leiber (using wife’s name Gaby Rogers as pseudonym). Wheeler’s inspiration came from Edward Albee’s play “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” “Jackson” is about a long time married couple who feel the zip has gone out of their relationship and think a visit to Jackson will liven things up. Wheeler first recorded the song then the Kingston Trio in 1963. There were two hit versions in 1967. The Nancy Sinatra-Lee Hazlewood duet charted Billboard #14. However Johnny Cash and June Carter “own” the song. Their cover was country #2 and won a Grammy for Best Country Western Performance. This is the most famous version they performed in concert for years. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon recreated “Jackson” in “Walk the Line.” Wheeler said there is no specific Jackson intended. Jackson, Mississippi always comes to mind. Cash and Charlie Daniels referred to Jackson, Tennessee.