On This Day in 1969, Johnny Cash Was at No. 1 with a Song First Recorded Behind the Walls of a Prison

On this day (September 16) in 1969, Johnny Cash was in the fourth week of a five-week run at No. 1 with “A Boy Named Sue.” It was also the Man in Black’s only top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It peaked at No. 2 and held the position for three weeks before descending.

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Shel Silverstein wrote “A Boy Named Sue,” and Cash released it as the sole single from his hit album At San Quentin. According to Songfacts, June Carter Cash heard Silverstein play the song and knew it would be perfect for Johnny. He agreed and recorded it during the prison concert that became the hit album. However, the story is a little deeper and more impressive than that.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1964, Johnny Cash Called Out Country Radio for Refusing To Play a Song About an American Hero: “Where Are Your Guts?”]

First, the Cashes heard the song for the first time during an impromptu gathering called a “guitar pull.” In Nashville at the time, songwriters and artists would gather at someone’s house, pass around a guitar, and show off their new material. When Silverstein played “A Boy Named Sue,” June knew she’d heard something special.

The song’s story was perfect for the Man in Black–it was equal parts funny and gritty. Cash agreed to cut the song. Before long, though, they were on their way to California to record a new live album at San Quentin.

Johnny Cash Surprised Everyone with “A Boy Named Sue”

No one knew Johnny Cash planned to perform “A Boy Named Sue” during his San Quentin show. The way things happened, he may have chosen to do it on the fly.

Cash had only heard the song once or twice and had read over the lyrics a few times. However, he hadn’t yet committed it to memory. His backing band was even less familiar with the song. As a result, when they played it for the inmates at San Quentin, Cash used a lyric sheet on a music stand in front of him. His band didn’t have that luxury, though. Instead, Marshall Grant, Carl Perkins, Bob Wootton, and W.S. Holland improved the arrangement.

“A Boy Named Sue” is a testament to the talent possessed by Johnny Cash and his backing band and how well they worked together.

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