A Johnny Cash Concert for the Ages Transpired at the Tennessee State Penitentiary in 1974

Johnny Cash made an absolute killing both financially and culturally with his outlaw persona. By performing at San Quentin, Folsom, Leavenworth, and numerous other prisons, he not only bolstered his image but also showed the world he did not forget about the forgotten. His shows at both San Quentin and Folsom are unarguably his most notable, so much so that they overshadow his 1974 performance at the Tennesse State Penitentiary in his home city of Nashville.

Playing shows in prisons became a Johnny Cash staple. Frankly, if it wasn’t for the handful of performances, who knows what Johnny Cash would have turned into? That being so, he decided to re-emphasize this facet of his personality by performing a live televised concert at the nearly 100-year-old prison. However, this time it wasn’t just him and the prisoners, as many other Nashville legends joined him on stage.

Just A Snippet of Context

Before closing in 1992, the penitentiary opened in 1898 and is located just six miles west of downtown Nashville. Meant to hold 800 prisoners, the facility was closed due to overcrowding and unsanitary conditions. To this day, the prison’s intimidating and beautiful stature sits on its designated 1,200 acres completely vacant.

Now, more in the realm of entertainment, in addition to Johnny Cash’s performance Loretta Lynn also performed there in 1970 in front of 1,500 prisoners. Furthermore, movies to be filmed there include The Green Mile, The Last Castle, and the Johnny Cash biopic, Walk The Line.

Johnny Cash’s Publicized Prison Performance

Cash’s show at the facility was quite the spectacle, to say the least. Broadcast by American Public Television, the TV station named the show A Concert: Behind Prison Walls. Besides being filmed, Cash and company’s performances were recorded and then released in 2003 just 11 days after his death. Matter of fact, the album was Cash’s first posthumously release of previously unreleased material.

Regardless of the lights and the cameras, what made the show was the music and the musicians. Playing with Cash were Linda Ronstadt, Roy Clark, and Foster Brooks. The set list featured some of Cash’s greatest hits such as “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Hey Porter,” “Desperado,” “You’re No Good,” “Shuckin’ the Corn,” and “A Boy Named Sue.”

The only thing indicating this performance transpired in a prison is the prisoners in attendance. Otherwise, the red velvet stepped stage and elaborate light set-up make it seem like this happened at a normal venue. Even though Cash’s 1974 performance was far more polished and proper than his previous prison shows, the concert still seemingly aimed to do the same as the rest of them. Which was to provide the prisoners with entertainment and a taste of the free world.

Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage