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''Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison'' is the first
live album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...
by American singer-songwriter
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
, released on
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
on May 6, 1968. It comprises recordings of performances by Cash and his band at
Folsom State Prison Folsom California State Prison is a California State Prison in Folsom, California, United States, approximately northeast of the state capital of Sacramento. It is one of 34 adult institutions operated by the California Department of Correcti ...
, California, on January 13, 1968. After his 1955 song " Folsom Prison Blues", Cash had been interested in recording a performance at a prison. His idea was put on hold until 1967, when personnel changes at Columbia Records put
Bob Johnston Donald William "Bob" Johnston (May 14, 1932 – August 14, 2015) was an American record producer, best known for his work with Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen, and Simon & Garfunkel. Early life and career Johnston was born into a profe ...
in charge of producing Cash's material. Cash had controlled his
drug abuse Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definitions ...
problems, and was looking to turn his career around after several years of limited success. Backed by June Carter,
Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)#nytimesobit, Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennes ...
, and the Tennessee Three, Cash performed two shows at Folsom State Prison. Despite little initial promotion by Columbia, ''Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison'' reached number one on the US Top Country Charts and the top 15 of the national album chart. The lead single, a performance of "Folsom Prison Blues", was Cash's first top-40 hit since 1964's " Understand Your Man". ''At Folsom Prison'' received positive reviews and revitalized Cash's career. At the 11th Annual Grammy Awards in 1969, it won for Best Album Notes, and "Folsom Prison Blues" won for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male. Cash recorded three more live albums in prisons: ''
At San Quentin ''Johnny Cash at San Quentin'' is the 31st overall album and second live album by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, recorded live at San Quentin State Prison on February 24, 1969, and released on June 16 of that same year. The concert was f ...
'' (1969), '' På Österåker'' (1973) and '' A Concert Behind Prison Walls'' (1976). ''Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison'' was rereleased with additional tracks in 1999, and again in 2018 for
Record Store Day Record Store Day is a semi-annual event established in 2008 to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". Held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November, the day brings together f ...
. It was certified
triple platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
in 2003 for US sales exceeding 3.4 million. It has been cited by numerous critics as one of the greatest albums, and was included in ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' list of
the 500 greatest albums of all time "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring opinion survey and music ranking of the finest albums in history, compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and indu ...
.


Background

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
became interested in
Folsom State Prison Folsom California State Prison is a California State Prison in Folsom, California, United States, approximately northeast of the state capital of Sacramento. It is one of 34 adult institutions operated by the California Department of Correcti ...
, California, while serving in the United States Air Force Security Service. In 1953, his unit watched
Crane Wilbur Crane Wilbur (November 17, 1886 – October 18, 1973) was an American writer, actor and director for stage, radio and screen. He was born in Athens, New York. Wilbur is best remembered for playing Harry Marvin in ''The Perils of Pauline (1914 s ...
's 1951 film '' Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison''. The film inspired Cash to write a song that reflected his perception of prison life. The result was " Folsom Prison Blues", Cash's second single on
Sun Records Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee on February 1, 1952. Sun was the first label to record Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Jo ...
. The song became popular among inmates, who would write to Cash, requesting him to perform at their prisons. Cash's first prison performance was at Huntsville State Prison in 1957. Satisfied by the favorable reception, he performed at several other prisons in the years leading up to the Folsom performance in 1968. A few years after attaining commercial success from songs such as "
I Walk the Line "I Walk the Line" is a song written and recorded in 1956 by Johnny Cash. After moderate chart success, it soon became Cash's first #1 hit on the ''Billboard'' country chart, and eventually crossed over to the pop charts, reaching #19 on the Bil ...
", " Understand Your Man", and "
Ring of Fire The Ring of Fire (also known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Rim of Fire, the Girdle of Fire or the Circum-Pacific belt) is a tectonic belt of volcanoes and earthquakes. It is about long and up to about wide, and surrounds most of the Pa ...
", Cash's popularity waned, in part due to his increasing dependence on drugs. In 1967, Cash sought help for his escalating drug problems, and by the end of the year, began to get clean and try to turn his career around. Concurrently, the country portion of
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
underwent major personnel changes, where Frank Jones and Don Law, who had produced several of Cash's albums, were ousted in favor of
Bob Johnston Donald William "Bob" Johnston (May 14, 1932 – August 14, 2015) was an American record producer, best known for his work with Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen, and Simon & Garfunkel. Early life and career Johnston was born into a profe ...
, who was known for his erratic behavior and willingness to disagree with studio executives. Cash saw this as an opportunity to pitch his idea of recording a live album at a prison, which Johnston enthusiastically supported. Johnston called
San Quentin State Prison San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (SQ), formerly known as San Quentin State Prison, is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated area, unincorporated place ...
and Folsom, with Folsom being the first to respond.


Recording

On January 10, 1968, Cash and the singer June Carter checked into the El Rancho Motel in
Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...
. They were later accompanied by the Tennessee Three,
Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)#nytimesobit, Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennes ...
,
the Statler Brothers The Statler Brothers (sometimes simply referred to as The Statlers) were an American country music, gospel, and vocal group from Staunton, Virginia. The quartet was formed in 1955 performing locally, and from 1964 to 1972, they sang as opening a ...
, Johnny's father Ray Cash, Reverend Floyd Gressett, pastor of Avenue Community Church in
Ventura, California Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura (Spanish for "Saint Bonaventure"), is a city in and the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States. It is a coastal city located northwest of Los Angeles. The population was 110,763 at the ...
(where Cash often attended services), who counseled inmates at Folsom and helped facilitate the concert, and producer Johnston. The performers rehearsed for two days, an uncommon occurrence for them, sometimes with two or more songs rehearsed concurrently by various combinations of musicians. During the rehearsals on January 12, California governor
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
, who was at the hotel for an after-dinner speech, visited the band and offered his encouragement. One focus of the sessions was to learn "Greystone Chapel", a song written by inmate Glen Sherley. Sherley recorded a version of the song, which he passed on to Rev. Gressett via the prison's recreation director. On January 13, the group traveled to Folsom, meeting ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' writer Robert Hilburn and Columbia photographer Jim Marshall, who were hired to document the album for the liner notes. Cash decided to hold two performances on January 13, one at 9:40 am and one at 12:40 pm, in case the first performance was unsatisfactory. After an introduction by MC Hugh Cherry, who encouraged the prisoners to "respond" to Cash's performance, Carl Perkins took the stage and performed his hit song "
Blue Suede Shoes "Blue Suede Shoes" is a rock and roll standard (music), standard written and first recorded by American singer, songwriter and guitarist Carl Perkins in 1955. It is considered one of the first rockabilly records, incorporating elements of blues ...
". Following this song, the Statler Brothers sang their hit "
Flowers on the Wall "Flowers on the Wall" is a song originally recorded by American country music group The Statler Brothers. Written and composed by Lew DeWitt, the group's original tenor vocalist, the song peaked in popularity in January 1966, spending four weeks ...
" and the country standard "
This Old House ''This Old House'' is an American home improvement media brand with television shows, a magazine, and a website. The brand is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The television series airs on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) television ...
". Cherry returned to the stage and instructed the inmates not to cheer for Cash until he introduced himself; they obliged. Waiting for the introduction would be the start of the Cash biopic ''
Walk The Line ''Walk the Line'' is a 2005 American biographical drama film directed by James Mangold. The screenplay, written by Mangold and Gill Dennis, is based on two autobiographies by the American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash: '' Man in Black: His Own ...
'' which was released in 2005. Cash opened both shows with a rendition of "Folsom Prison Blues", followed by many songs about prison, including "The Wall", " Green, Green Grass of Home", and the
gallows humor Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...
song " 25 Minutes to Go". Cash also included other songs of despair, such as the
Merle Travis Merle Robert Travis (November 29, 1917 – October 20, 1983) was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born in Rosewood, Kentucky, his songs' lyrics were often about the lives and the economic exploitation of Ameri ...
song " Dark as a Dungeon". Following " Orange Blossom Special", Cash included a few "slow, ballad-type songs", including "Send a Picture of Mother" and "
The Long Black Veil "Long Black Veil" is a 1959 country ballad, written by Danny Dill and Marijohn Wilkin and originally recorded by Lefty Frizzell. It is told from the point of view of a man falsely accused of murder and executed. He refuses to provide an alib ...
", followed by three novelty songs from his album '' Everybody Loves a Nut'': " Dirty Old Egg-Sucking Dog", "Flushed from the Bathroom of Your Heart", and "Joe Bean". June Carter joined Cash to perform a pair of duets. After a seven-minute version of a song from his '' Blood, Sweat and Tears'' album, " The Legend of John Henry's Hammer", Cash took a break and Carter recited a poem.Streissguth 2004, p. 108 Cash ended both concerts with Sherley's "Greystone Chapel". The second concert was not as fruitful as the first; the musicians were fatigued from the earlier show. Only two songs from the second concert, " Give My Love to Rose" and " I Got Stripes", made it onto the LP release.


Reception

The album release of ''At Folsom Prison'' was prepared in four months. Despite the recent success of " Rosanna's Going Wild", a Cash single released just before the Folsom concerts that reached number two on the Top Country Charts, Columbia initially invested little in the album or its single "Folsom Prison Blues". This was due partially to Columbia's focusing its promotional efforts on pop stars rather than country artists. Nevertheless, the single charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on May 25, 1968, and entered the Top Country Charts a week later. After
Sirhan Sirhan Sirhan Bishara Sirhan (; ; born March 19, 1944) is a Palestinian-Jordanian man who assassinated Senator Robert F. Kennedy, a younger brother of American president John F. Kennedy and a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 1968 U ...
assassinated Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...
Senator Robert F. Kennedy on June 5, 1968, radio stations ceased playing the single due to the line: "I shot a man in Reno / Just to watch him die". Columbia demanded Johnston remix the single with the line removed. Despite protests from Cash, the single was edited and re-released. The new version reached number one on the Top Country Chart and the top forty on the national charts. The single prompted the album to climb the album charts, eventually reaching number one on the
Top Country Albums Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales ...
chart and number thirteen on the Pop Albums chart—the forerunner to the ''Billboard'' 200. By August 1968, ''Folsom'' had shipped over 300,000 copies; two months later it was certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) for shipping over 500,000. ''At Folsom Prison'' received rave reviews.
Al Aronowitz Alfred Gilbert Aronowitz (May 20, 1928 – August 1, 2005) was an American rock journalist best known for introducing Bob Dylan to The Beatles in 1964. Early life and education Aronowitz was born in Bordentown, New Jersey, south-east of Trento ...
of ''
Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...
'' stated Cash sang the songs like "someone who has grown up believing he is one of the people that these songs are about". For ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
'', Ann Fisher wrote that "every cut is special in its own way" and Richard Goldstein said the album was "filled with the kind of emotionalism you seldom find in rock". Fredrick E. Danker of ''
Sing Out! ''Sing Out!'' was a quarterly journal of folk music and folk songs that was published from May 1950 through spring 2014. It was originally based in New York City, with a national circulation of approximately 10,000 by 1960. Background ''Sing O ...
'' praised it as "an album structured an aural experience for us". At the 11th Annual Grammy Awards in 1969, ''Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison'' won the award for Best Album Notes and " Folsom Prison Blues" won for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male.


Legacy

The success revitalized Cash's career; according to Cash, "That's where things really got started for me again."
Sun Records Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee on February 1, 1952. Sun was the first label to record Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Jo ...
re-dubbed Cash's previous B-side " Get Rhythm" with applause similar to Folsom's, and it became successful enough to enter the Hot 100. Cash returned to the prison scene in 1969 when he recorded ''
At San Quentin ''Johnny Cash at San Quentin'' is the 31st overall album and second live album by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, recorded live at San Quentin State Prison on February 24, 1969, and released on June 16 of that same year. The concert was f ...
'' at
San Quentin State Prison San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (SQ), formerly known as San Quentin State Prison, is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated area, unincorporated place ...
. ''At San Quentin'' became Cash's first album to reach number one on the pop chart and produced the number-two hit " A Boy Named Sue". The ensuing popularity from the Folsom concert also prompted ABC to give Cash his own television show. The album was re-released on October 19, 1999, with three extra tracks excluded from the original LP: " Busted", "Joe Bean", and "The Legend of John Henry's Hammer".
Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
praised the new version, calling it "the ideal blend of mythmaking and gritty reality." On May 27, 2003, ''At Folsom Prison'' was certified triple platinum by the
RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
for shipping over three million units. ''At Folsom Prison'' has been cited as one of the greatest albums by several sources. In 2003, it was ranked number 88 on ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' list of
the 500 greatest albums of all time "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring opinion survey and music ranking of the finest albums in history, compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and indu ...
, maintaining the rating in a 2012 revised list, ranking at number 164 in a 2020 revised list. Also in 2003, it was one of 50 recordings chosen by the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
to be added to the
National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation ...
.
Country Music Television Country Music Television, often abbreviated to CMT, is an American pay TV network that launched on March 5, 1983. It is currently owned by Paramount Global through the MTV Entertainment Group unit of its networks division. CMT was the first na ...
named it the third greatest album in country music in 2006. ''
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'' listed the album as the 63rd greatest American album of all time and as one of the "500 CDs You Must Own". In 2006, ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' listed it among the 100 greatest albums. Both '' Far Out'' and ''
Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists and fans of guitar-based music and trends. The magazine has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original a ...
'' ranked it as the best live album of all time. The album was also included in the book ''
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'' is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the ''1001 Before You Die'' series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music criti ...
''. In 2008, Columbia and Legacy Records reissued ''At Folsom Prison'' in an expanded edition with both concerts uncut and remastered. It includes a DVD produced by Bestor Cram and Michael Streissguth of Northern Light Productions, with pictures and interviews. ''Pitchfork Media'' praised the reissue, saying it had "the force of empathic endeavors, as if ashwere doing penance for his notorious bad habits". Christian Hoard wrote for ''Rolling Stone'' that the reissue "makes for an excellent historical document, highlighting Cash's rapport with prison folk". In 2018, ''Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison'' on
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
was inducted into the
Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...
.


Track listing


Personnel

*Johnny Cash –
vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...
,
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
,
harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...
* June Carter – vocal * Marshall Grant –
bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...
* W.S. Holland –
drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...
*
Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)#nytimesobit, Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennes ...
 –
electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...
, vocals on track 2. * Luther Perkins – electric guitar *
The Statler Brothers The Statler Brothers (sometimes simply referred to as The Statlers) were an American country music, gospel, and vocal group from Staunton, Virginia. The quartet was formed in 1955 performing locally, and from 1964 to 1972, they sang as opening a ...
( Lew DeWitt, Don Reid, Harold Reid, Phil Balsley) – vocals *
Bob Johnston Donald William "Bob" Johnston (May 14, 1932 – August 14, 2015) was an American record producer, best known for his work with Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen, and Simon & Garfunkel. Early life and career Johnston was born into a profe ...
 – producer *Bob Breault –
engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...
*Bill Britain – engineer * Jim Marshall – photography


Charts


Certifications


Citations


References

* * *


Further reading

* *Geary, Daniel
The Way I Would Feel About San Quentin': Johnny Cash and the Politics of Country Music"
''
Daedalus In Greek mythology, Daedalus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Δαίδαλος; Latin language, Latin: ''Daedalus''; Etruscan language, Etruscan: ''Taitale'') was a skillful architect and craftsman, seen as a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and power. H ...
''. 142 (Fall 2013). 64–72. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:At Folsom Prison 1968 live albums 2008 video albums Albums produced by Bob Johnston Columbia Records live albums Columbia Records video albums Johnny Cash live albums Live video albums Prison music United States National Recording Registry recordings United States National Recording Registry albums Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Folsom State Prison