Pugilist, Painter, Poet, Performer: The Many Sides of Muhammad Ali
A Poem for a Highwayman
Muhammad Ali was friends with many celebrities throughout his lifetime, including a variety of musicians from Sam Cooke to Elvis Presley. He also knew all four musicians of the group The Highwaymen, which consisted of Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, and Johnny Cash.
The poem shown here mentions an encounter where Ali met Johnny Cash on an "Eastern airline" and Cash graciously put him in a first-class seat. While this may or may not have happened, the two periodically swapped poetry over the phone. According to Cash's former manager, the two entertainers chatted and exchanged poetry in Ali's hotel room for around 45 minutes prior to his second fight against Leon Spinks in 1978. At some point, Ali gave Cash a poem entitled "Truth" that Cash kept locked in a safe and is said to have inspired his song of the same name.
