Ring of Fire (song): History and Key Facts

"Ring of Fire" is a song written by the American singer-songwriters June Carter and Merle Kilgore. It was originally recorded as "(Love's) Ring of Fire" by June's sister, Anita Carter, on her 1962 album Folk Songs Old and New. It was popularized by Carter's future husband, the country singer Johnny Cash, after it appeared on his 1963 compilation album Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash.

Cash's version became one of his biggest hits, staying at No. 1 on the country chart for seven weeks. It was certified gold by the RIAA on January 21, 2010, and by September of that year had amassed over 1.2 million paid downloads. It was named the fourth-greatest country song by Country Music Television, while Rolling Stone called it the greatest country song and the 87th-greatest song of all time. In 1999, Cash's version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

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