Johnny Cash has got to be one of the coolest musicians
America has ever produced, and one of his most unique albums is his famous
“Live at Folsom Prison.” I read an article about the album several years ago on The
Writer’s Almanac Web site and added it to my “bucket list” a few days later.
On Sunday, I listened to the album from start to finish for the first time ever, and
it was as good, or better, than I expected it to be.
The story of how this album came to be is pretty interesting
and has its origins in the early 1950s, well before the album was recorded in
1968. In the early 50s, Cash was serving in the Air Force in Germany when he saw a
documentary about life inside California’s Folsom Prison. The movie inspired
Cash to write a song called “Folsom Prison Blues,” and it’s the song that made
him famous.
Cash included the song on his debut album, 1957’s “With His
Hot and Blue Guitar,” and he began dreaming of the day that he could play the song live
for the inmates at the prison. Record label executives liked the idea, and
officials at Folsom prison were also agreeable. Cash went on to perform two
concerts at the prison on Jan. 13, 1968, and songs from both concerts were
mixed onto the album. The album came out four months after the concerts, and it went straight to
No. 1 on the charts.
In all, the album includes 16 songs and is 55 minutes and 56
seconds long. Songs on the album include “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Dark as a
Dungeon,” “I Still Miss Someone,” “Cocaine Blues.” “25 Minutes to Go,” “Orange
Blossom Special,” “The Long Black Veil,” “Send a Picture to Mother,” “The
Wall,” “Dirty Old Egg-Suckin’ Dog,” “Flushed From the Bathroom of Your Heart,”
“Jackson,” “Give My Love to Rose,” “I Got Stripes,” “Green, Green Grass of
Home” and “Greystone Chapel.”
Many of the songs on the album are about prison life, prison
conditions, separation from loved ones, escape plans, impending executions and
redemption. Some are very funny, and some are very sad. It’s hard to pick a
favorite, but I’d probably go with “Folsom Prison Blues.”
For most of the album, you can hear the inmates enjoying
themselves in the background, and I remember reading somewhere that the album was mixed in such a
way to make it seem like the prisoners were more rowdy than they actually were. The truth of the matter is that
the inmates were especially well behaved during the concerts because they feared they’d lose the
privilege. The album does have a lot of energy and exudes cool. More than once
I was left wishing that it had be recorded on film.
In the end, how many of you have ever listened to Cash’s
“Live at Folsom Prison” from start to finish? Did you like it? What did you
think about it? Let us know in the comments section below.
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