At Folsom Prison isn’t just one of Johnny Cash’s greatest albums. It’s widely considered one of the greatest live albums of all time. But the story of the record is unusual—after all, how many superstars perform live in one of America’s most notorious prisons? Here’s how it happened and why At Folsom Prison was so important, not just to Cash’s career, but also to music and prison reform.
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“Folsom Prison Blues”
Cash had an emotional connection to Folsom Prison long before he performed there. While stationed in Germany in the early 1950s, he saw the film Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison. He wasn’t even a professional musician yet. But Cash hoped to break into music once he left the military. Although the film was a fictional story, Cash was moved by it. It was a thought that wouldn’t leave his mind for years to come.
Three years later, he was out of the Army and working as an appliance salesman. He started playing music with several coworkers, and they signed a record deal as Johnny Cash & the Tennessee Two. Their second single was “Folsom Prison Blues.”
The song wasn’t just one of Cash’s first major hits—it became one of his signature songs throughout his career. It contained a line that would become iconic: I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die. The singer said he’d come up with the line as he pondered what would be the worst possible reason to commit murder.
Prison Performances
Folsom Prison wasn’t Cash’s first time performing behind the walls of a penitentiary. In fact, the idea had been cemented in his mind for many years. He first did a show in Huntsville State Prison in Huntsville, Texas, in 1957. As Cash’s career took off, prison inmates around the United States wrote him fan letters. They told him of how they had connected to “Folsom Prison Blues.” For the singer, it was a deeply meaningful experience.
The Late 1960s
In the late 1960s, Cash’s personal life and career were both struggles. His first marriage to Vivian Liberto had fallen apart in 1966. His reputation had been damaged due to his relationship with June Carter and his ongoing struggle with drugs and alcohol. At times he was suicidal. Meanwhile, his record label had threatened to cut his contract if he couldn’t pull himself together.
Desperate for a win, Cash brought up the idea, once again, of doing a live album at a prison. In 1967, his producers reached out to representatives at San Quentin and Folsom Prison. Folsom responded first, clinching the deal (though Cash would also perform at San Quentin in 1969).
Live at Folsom Prison
In January 1968, Cash and his band prepared for two live shows in front of the inmates at Folsom Prison. Before the appearance, they met in private with Ronald Reagan, then the governor of California. He wished them luck during their shows—two performances on a single day, with the goal of getting a whole live album between the two.
The shows opened with a set by Carl Perkins and the Statler Brothers. Then, the Man in Black introduced himself with those simple, famous words, “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash,” before launching into “Folsom Prison Blues.”
The crowds were mostly silent during the performances—supposedly because inmates were concerned that reacting to any line about the prison itself would result in punishment. The live recordings feature cheers after the famous line about shooting a man in Reno. These were an addition in post-production (or, according to some accounts, an amplification of the actual crowd response at the very least).
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However, there were a few noises from the crowd—notably, a chuckle from an inmate during the song “Dark as a Dungeon.” Cash responded by laughing and ribbing him playfully, especially when he responded with a mild curse.
The shows were a massive success. All but two songs on the recording were taken from the first show, proving that the worries about not getting enough good material in the prison were unfounded.
Live at Folsom Prison wasn’t released until May 1968. It was a smash hit. But that doesn’t mean it was free of controversy. Some radio stations refused to play the title song after the assassination of Robert Kennedy in June of that year. But the kerfuffle didn’t keep the album from winning two Grammy Awards the following year—or from giving Cash’s career the boost it so badly needed.
The Legacy of At Folsom Prison
The album’s success also opened the gates to Cash becoming an outspoken advocate for prison reform. It was not a popular topic in the late 1960s and early ’70s, but the singer didn’t care. He used his new platform on The Johnny Cash Show to draw attention to the dehumanization of inmates both in the United States and around the world.
He continued to perform at prisons, finding ways to connect with the inmates there. In 1972, he testified before the Senate, speaking about the shortcomings of the American prison system, particularly in regard to first-time offenders.
“He thought the prison system was broken, because it wasn’t fixing anybody,” Cash’s friend Mark Stielper told The Washington Post. “The population was mixed, kids and killers. This was his thing; he was really bothered by that.”
Cash was the first major celebrity to draw attention to the need for prison reform. It became a deeply important cause of his for many years. Some people think that the Man in Black related to prisoners because, like them, he knew what it was like to not feel free—even if he’d never done hard time himself.
Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images
