Unlike his outlaw country counterpart Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash had no firsthand experience of what life behind bars was truly like. It’s a true testament to the Man in Black’s storytelling prowess that no one believed him after hearing his signature song “Folsom Prison Blues”. More than a decade after the original 1955 recording, Cash performed “Folsom Prison Blues” live during a January 1968 show for the real-life inmates at the real-life Folsom State Prison in California. On this day (July 20) in 1968, that version replaced Tammy Wynette’s “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” at number one on Billboard’s U.S. Hot Country Singles chart. It would hold that spot for four weeks before being dethroned by Sonny James’ “Heaven Says Hello”.
“I’m Going To Write This Song as if I’m a Criminal”: Behind Johnny Cash’s First Grammy-Winning Hit
The song that would become “Folsom Prison Blues” first began revealing itself to Johnny Cash in the early 1950s.
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While stationed in Germany with the U.S. Air Force, Cash watched the 1951 crime film Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison at the base theater.
Unable to scrub the movie from his mind, he returned to his barracks and began writing.
“I thought, I’m going to write this song as if I’m a criminal,” Cash told Guitar Player in 1994. “What could be the worst thing a criminal could do? Shoot a man just to watch him die.”
Rising to number four on the country charts, “Folsom Prison Blues” was also a hit among incarcerated people, who often wrote Cash letters requesting he perform the song at their prison.
A Tale of Redemption
By 1967, Johnny Cash’s popularity had declined, partially due to his increasing troubles with substance use. After seeking help, he set about turning his life and career around.
Having long entertained the idea of recording a live album for a crowd of incarcerated people, Cash finally found a willing producer in Don Johnston. He called both San Quentin State Prison and Folsom, with the latter responding first.
He performed two shows for the Folsom population, opening both with “Folsom Prison Blues”.
The January 13, 1968 concert became the live album At Folsom Prison, which reached number one on the country albums chart and the top 15 of the national albums chart. Additionally, the live version of “Folsom Prison Blues” gave Cash his first Top 40 hit since 1964’s “Understand Your Man”.
Despite never serving prison time himself, Cash forged a connection with his audience of inmates, offering them a sense of joy and community not easily found behind the iron bars of Folsom.
Consequently, “Folsom Prison Blues” served up a side of personal and professional redemption for the outlaw-country legend. The song won Cash his first-ever Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male and catapulted him back into the national spotlight.
Afterwards, Johnny Cash would go on to record three more albums inside prison walls. He even testified in front of a U.S. Senate subcommittee on prison reform in 1972, continuing to advocate for improved prison conditions with six sitting presidents.
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