Kid Rock to Host Weeklong Johnny Cash Tribute on CMT

In commemoration of the 12th anniversary of Johnny Cash‘s death on September 12th, CMT will feature a weeklong tribute to the Man in Black. Longtime Cash fan Kid Rock will host the tribute on the network, which will temporarily rename itself “Cash Music Television.”

The week of Cash-specific programming launches on September 8th with the Oscar-winning biopic Walk the Line, which found Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon both winning Oscars for their portrayals of Cash and wife June Carter. On Thursday, September 10th, Cash’s music videos will be represented in a “Throwback Thursday” video block. The following day, the special CMT All-Time Top 40: Artist’s Choice will rank Cash among other country greats, as chosen by current-day country stars.

The weeklong celebration will culminate Saturday with a Cash-dedicated CMT Hot 20 Countdown hosted by Rock with Cody Alan and Katie Cook. That night, CMT will premiere Johnny Cash: American Rebel, a new documentary filled with original interviews with his friends, family, peers and the generations of artists he helped inspire. American Rebel will also be the first time Cash’s children — John Carter and Rosanne Cash — and June Carter’s daughter Carlene will appear together in a film about the singer.

June Carter Cash and her musical family — The Carter Family — will also be the subject of a new documentary, with filmmaker Beth Harrington tracing the evolution of the family in the award-winning new film The Winding Stream: The Carters, the Cashes and the Course of Country Music. The film will include one of Johnny Cash’s final appearances as well as studio performance by George Jones, Sheryl Crow and other acts influenced by the Carters. Its soundtrack will be released on October 16th via Omnivore Recordings.