The concert that changed Johnny Cash’s life

On January 13, 1968, Johnny Cashformerly known as The Man in Black, entered the gates of Folsom State Prisona maximum security prison in California, to record what would become one of the most iconic live albums of all time: “At Folsom Prison.” The choice to perform in front of prisoners was not accidental, but the fruit of a deep artistic connection with the reality of the marginalized and incarcerated, and of a difficult period in his personal and professional career.

One of them

In the late 1960s, Cash’s career was in decline: successes were scarce and the artist struggled with drug and barbiturate addictions. In 1967, thanks also to the support of producer Bob Johnston of Columbia Records, the possibility of recording a live album in an “unconventional” environment arose. Johnston, less traditionalist and more inclined to artistic risks, gave Cash carte blanche to carry out his most daring project: a live registered in a real prison.

Cash had already played in prison in the past: his experience at Huntsville State Prison in the 1950s and other visits had convinced him that music could have a particular meaning for that kind of audience. Furthermore, his famous 1955 song “Folsom Prison Blues”, written inspired by the film “Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison” (which he saw in 1953, while serving in the Air Force in Germany), was particularly popular among prisoners.

Registration

The day at Folsom Prison was intense and full of tension. Cash and his band showed up at dawn and performed at two setsone at 9.40am and one at 12.40pm, to ensure you capture the best atmosphere in which to record. With him on stage were his future wife June Carter, the legendary rocker Carl Perkins, the Statler Brothers and his historic backing band, the Tennessee Three.

The event took place in the prison cafeteria, where approximately 1,000 inmates listened to Cash and his musicians. The show began with his deep voice (“Hello, I’m Johnny Cash”) and immediately after “Folsom Prison Blues” began, a classic that could not fail to resonate in the place for which it was written.

The setlist (with songs like “Cocaine Blues,” “Green, Green Grass of Home” and “25 Minutes to Go”) told stories of pain, punishment, remorse and fatalism. One of the most touching stories of that day was the inclusion of “Greystone Chapel,” a song written by a real inmate, Glen Sherley, and brought to Cash by a minister the night before the concert. Cash immediately set about learning it and included it in the setlist, then inviting the author to sit in the front row and publicly acknowledging his contribution.

The impact

Four months after that epic day, “At Folsom Prison” was released and got a huge success: reached the top of the country charts and also climbed the pop charts, becoming a sales phenomenon; the single “Folsom Prison Blues” became a new hit, bringing Cash back to the top of the charts after years of oblivion; the album was certified Gold and then, over the years, Triple Platinum for over 3 million copies sold, one of the most celebrated live shows in the history of American music.

But the value of “At Folsom Prison” went far beyond the numbers: it was a work that redefined Cash’s image and consecrated him as the spokesperson of the marginalized, of the “men with 99 year sentences”, the critics remarked. The performance and the album strengthened Cash’s commitment to prison reform; in the following decades, in fact, he continued to speak about social justice, visit prisons and testify before the United States Congress. And, above all, they helped him get up.