The 2005 film “Walk the Line” tells the love story of country music icons Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. June co-wrote one of Johnny’s biggest hits, “Ring of Fire,” and it was featured in the movie at times as a metaphor for the couple’s romance. Actress Reese Witherspoon starred in “Walk the Line” as June Carter Cash, and when fans saw the film, many viewers didn’t recognize the instrument she played as she depicted June penning “Ring of Fire.”
The wooden, stringed instrument known as the autoharp was once a popular instrument in select regions of the United States. It was also a Carter family favorite, and June was one of several musicians who took it from obscurity and into the limelight.
