«There were numerous tributes from family and friends including one Jerry Jernigan, a prisoner serving 99 years at the Tennessee State Penitentiary where he met Johnny in 1974. Jerry was an aspiring songwriter and gave Johnny a tape of one of his songs, 'It Ain't No Big Thing', which led to a songwriter's contract with the House of Cash.
Jernigan told of an occasion when, feeling particularly lonely and depressed, he phoned Johnny, asking that he simply be allowed to hear his voice. Johnny and June talked to him for 15 minutes, the maximum allowed under prison rules. "Knowing Johnny Cash has given me self-respect, encouraged me to upgrade my morals, and most of all stand up like a man and be counted."»
