$50 · JOHNNY CASH AUTOGRAPH

On April 8, 1967 Johnny Cash performed at Victoria Memorial Arena. I went backstage and got his autograph on a page ripped from a notepad in my purse. In an online letter (https://exhibits.library.uvic.ca/spotlight/holiff) that I printed to go with the autograph, Johnny wrote to his manager Saul Holiff: "All time record crowd in Victoria. My 1st time there." That letter, signed "Friend, Johnny", matches the autograph I got. Despite having a cold/sore throat, Johnny performed well (I didn't realize he was ill until meeting him backstage). Interestingly, the crowd was not large - the arena arranged the stage and folding-chair seating on the hockey rink floor and in my memory the fans filled about one-third of that space. Johnny performed at Folsom Prison the year following his Victoria visit and those two concerts revitalized his career.