At Folsom Prison

At Folsom Prison
Live album by Johnny Cash
Released	May 1968
Recorded	Live at Folsom State Prison, January 13, 1968
Genre	Country
Length	55:56 (re-release)
Label	Columbia
Producer	Bob Johnston (original) Bob Irwin (re-release)
Professional reviews
Allmusic (re-issue) link Pitchfork Media (Legacy; 9.7/10) link PopMatters (Legacy; 10/10) link Rolling Stone (Legacy) link
Johnny Cash chronology
From Sea to Shining Sea (1968) At Folsom Prison (1968) Old Golden Throat (1968)

At Folsom Prison is a live album by Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in May 1968. Since his 1955 song "Folsom Prison Blues", Cash drew an interest in performing at a prison. His idea was put on hold until 1967, when personnel changes at Columbia Records put Bob Johnston in charge of producing Cash's material. Cash had recently controlled his drug abuse problems, and was looking to turn his career around after several years of limited commercial success. Backed with June Carter, Carl Perkins, and Cash's band, the Tennessee Three, Cash performed two shows at Folsom State Prison in Folsom, California on January 13, 1968. The resulting album consisted of 15 tracks from the first show and one track from the second.

Despite little initial investment by Columbia, the album was a hit in the United States, reaching number one on the country charts and the top 15 of the national album chart. The lead single from the album, a live version of "Folsom Prison Blues", was a top 40 hit, Cash's first since 1964's "Understand Your Man". At Folsom Prison received good reviews upon its release and has since been considered one of the greatest albums of all time. The ensuing popularity revitalized Cash's career, and led to a release of a second prison album, At San Quentin. The album was re-released with additional tracks in 1999 and as a three-disc set in 2008.

Background

Cash first took interest in Folsom State Prison while serving in the U.S. Air Force Security Service. In 1953, his unit watched Crane Wilbur's film Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison. The movie inspired Cash to write a song that reflected his perception of prison life.^[1] The result was "Folsom Prison Blues", Cash's second single on Sun Records. After its release, the song became popular among inmates, who would sometimes write to Cash, requesting him to perform at their prisons.^[2] Cash first answered one of the letters by performing at Huntsville State Prison in 1957.^[3] Satisfied by the favorable reception of the concert, he performed at several other prisons, including Folsom in 1966.

A few years after attaining commercial success from songs such as "I Walk the Line", "Understand Your Man", and "Ring of Fire", Cash's popularity waned. This was due in no small part to his increasing dependence on drugs.^[4] In 1967, Cash sought help for his escalating drug problems; by the end of the year, his drug use decreased and he sought to turn his career around.^[5] Concurrently, the country portion of Columbia Records underwent major personnel changes. Frank Jones and Don Law, who had produced several of Cash's albums, were ousted in favor of Bob Johnston, who was known for his erratic behavior and willingness to disagree with studio executives.^[6] Cash saw this as an opportunity to pitch his idea of recording a live album at a prison; Johnston enthusiastically supported the concept.^[7] Johnston called San Quentin State Prison and Folsom, and Folsom was the first to respond.^[8]

Recording

The album was recorded at Folsom State Prison in Folsom, California.

In early January 1968, Cash, the Tennessee Three, June Carter, Carl Perkins, and The Statler Brothers checked into an inn in Sacramento, California. The musicians were accompanied by Johnny's father Ray Cash and producer Johnston. The performers rehearsed for two days, an uncommon occurrence for them.^[9] During the rehearsal sessions on January 12, California governor Ronald Reagan visited the band and offered his encouragement.^[10] One of the foci of the sessions was to learn "Greystone Chapel", a song written by inmate Glen Sherley. Sherley recorded a version of the song, which he passed onto the prison pastor via the recreation director.^[11][12] On January 13, the group traveled to Folsom, meeting up with Los Angeles Times writer Robert Hilburn and Columbia photographer Jim Marshall, who were paid to document the album for the liner notes.^[13]

Cash decided to hold two performances on January 13, one at 9:40 AM and one at 12:40 PM, in case the first performance was unsatisfactory.^[14] After an introduction by MC Hugh Cherry, who encouraged the prisoners to "respond" to Cash's performance, Carl Perkins took the stage.^[15] Perkins performed his hit song "Blue Suede Shoes". Following this song, The Statler Brothers sang their hit "Flowers on the Wall" and the country standard "This Old House".^[16] Cherry again took the stage and instructed the inmates not to cheer for Cash until he introduced himself; they obliged.^[2] Cash opened both shows with a rendition of "Folsom Prison Blues" and the concerts contained many songs about prison, including "The Wall", "Green, Green Grass of Home", and the gallows humor tune "25 Minutes to Go". The singer also included other songs of despair, such as the Merle Travis song "Dark as a Dungeon". Following "Orange Blossom Special", Cash included a few "slow, ballad-type songs", including "Send a Picture of Mother" and "The Long Black Veil", and then followed with two novelty songs from his album Everybody Loves A Nut, "Dirty Old Egg-Sucking Dog", "Flushed from the Bathroom of Your Heart", and "Joe Bean".^[17] June Carter joined Cash on stage to perform a pair of duets. After a seven-minute version of a song from his "Blood, Sweat and Tears" album, "The Legend of John Henry's Hammer", Cash took a break and Carter recited a poem.^[17] Cash ended both concerts with Sherley's "Greystone Chapel".

The second concert was not as fruitful as the first; the musicians were fatigued from the earlier show.^[18] Only two songs^{Above, it says one only} from the second concert, "Give My Love to Rose" and "I Got Stripes," made it onto the LP release.

Reception and impact

The album release of At Folsom Prison was prepared in four months. Despite the recent success of "Rosanna's Going Wild", a Cash single released just prior to the Folsom concerts that reached number two on the country charts, Columbia initially invested little into the album or its single "Folsom Prison Blues". This was due partially to Columbia's efforts to promote pop stars instead of country artists.^[19][20] Nevertheless, the single charted on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 25, 1968; it also hit the country charts a week later.^[21][22] The single suffered a setback, however, when Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated on June 5, 1968. Radio stations ceased playing the single due to the macabre line: "I shot a man in Reno/Just to watch him die". Reeling in the success prior to the assassination, Columbia demanded that Johnston remix the single with the line removed. Despite protest from Cash, the single was edited and re-released. The new version became a success, hitting number one on the country charts and the top forty on the national charts.^[23] The successful single prompted the album to climb the album charts, eventually reaching number one on the Top Country Albums chart and number thirteen on the Pop Albums chart—the forerunner to the Billboard 200.^[24] By August 1968, Folsom had shipped over 300,000 copies; two months later it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping over 500,000.^[25][26]

At Folsom Prison received rave reviews upon its release. Alfred Aronowitz of Life stated that Cash sang the songs like "someone who has grown up believing he is one of the people that these songs are about."^[27] For The Village Voice, Ann Fisher wrote that "every cut is special in its own way" and Richard Goldstein noted that the album was "filled with the kind of emotionalism you seldom find in rock."^[28][29] Fredrick E. Danker of Sing Out! praised At Folsom Prison as "an album structured an aural experience for us."^[30]

The success of At Folsom Prison revitalized Cash's career; according to Cash, "that's where things really got started for me again".^[4] Columbia re-dubbed Cash's previous B-side "Get Rhythm" with applause similar to Folsom's, and it became successful enough to enter the Hot 100.^[31] Cash returned to the prison scene in 1969 when he recorded At San Quentin at San Quentin State Prison. At San Quentin became Cash's first album to hit number one on the Pop chart and produced the number two hit "A Boy Named Sue". The ensuing popularity from the Folsom concert also prompted ABC to give Cash his own television show.^[32]

The album was re-released on October 19, 1999 with three extra tracks excluded from the original LP: "Busted", "Joe Bean", and "The Legend of John Henry's Hammer". Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic praised the new version, calling it "the ideal blend of mythmaking and gritty reality."^[33] On May 27, 2003, At Folsom Prison was certified triple platinum by the RIAA for shipping over three million units.^[26] Since its release, it has been acknowledged as one of the greatest albums of all time by several sources. In 2003, the album was ranked number 88 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Also that year, it was one of 50 recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.^[34] Country Music Television named it the third greatest album in country music in 2006.^[35] Blender listed the album as the 63rd greatest American album of all time and as one of the "500 CDs You Must Own".^[36][37] In 2006, Time listed it among the 100 greatest albums of all time.^[38]

In 2008, Columbia and Legacy Records re-issued At Folsom Prison as a two CD, one DVD set. This so-called "Legacy Edition" contained both concerts uncut and remastered. The included DVD, produced by Bestor Cram and Michael Streissguth, featured pictures and interviews relevant to the concert. Pitchfork Media lauded the collection, claiming that it had "the force of empathic endeavors, as if he were doing penance for his notorious bad habits."^[39] Christian Hoard wrote for Rolling Stone that the Legacy edition "makes for an excellent historical document, highlighting Cash's rapport with prison folk."^[40]

Track listing

Original release (1968)

• Side 1
  1. "Folsom Prison Blues" (Cash)
  2. "Dark as a Dungeon" (Merle Travis)
  3. "I Still Miss Someone" (Johnny Cash, Roy Cash, Jr.)
  4. "Cocaine Blues" (T. J. Arnall)
  5. "25 Minutes to Go" (Shel Silverstein)
  6. "Orange Blossom Special" (Ervin T. Rouse)
  7. "The Long Black Veil" (Marijohn Wilkin, Danny Dill)
• Side 2
  1. "Send a Picture of Mother" (Cash)
  2. "The Wall" (Harlan Howard)
  3. "Dirty Old Egg-Suckin' Dog" (Jack H. Clement)
  4. "Flushed From The Bathroom of Your Heart" (Jack H. Clement)
  5. "Jackson" (with June Carter; Billy Edd Wheeler, J. Lieber)
  6. "Give My Love to Rose" (with June Carter; Cash)
  7. "I Got Stripes" (Cash, Charlie Williams)
  8. "Green Green Grass of Home" (Curly Putman)
  9. "Greystone Chapel" (Glen Sherley)

Re-release (1999)

1. "Folsom Prison Blues" – 2:42
2. "Busted" (Harlan Howard) – 1:25
3. "Dark as a Dungeon" – 3:04
4. "I Still Miss Someone" – 1:38
5. "Cocaine Blues" – 3:01
6. "25 Minutes to Go" – 3:31
7. "Orange Blossom Special" – 3:06
8. "The Long Black Veil" – 3:58
9. "Send a Picture of Mother" – 2:05
10. "The Wall" – 1:36
11. "Dirty Old Egg-Suckin' Dog" – 1:30
12. "Flushed from the Bathroom of Your Heart" – 2:05
13. "Joe Bean" (B. Freeman, L. Pober) – 3:05
14. "Jackson" (with June Carter) – 3:12
15. "Give My Love to Rose" (with June Carter) – 2:43
16. "I Got Stripes" – 1:52
17. "The Legend of John Henry's Hammer" (Johnny Cash, June Carter) – 7:08
18. "Green Green Grass of Home" – 2:13
19. "Greystone Chapel" – 6:02

Legacy Edition (2008)

Disc 1

1. Opening announcements from Hugh Cherry
2. "Blue Suede Shoes" (Carl Perkins)
3. "This Ole House" (The Statler Brothers)
4. Announcements and Johnny Cash intro from Hugh Cherry
5. "Folsom Prison Blues"
6. "Busted"
7. "Dark As A Dungeon"
8. "I Still Miss Someone"
9. "Cocaine Blues"
10. "25 Minutes To Go"
11. "I'm Here To Get My Baby Out Of Jail"
12. "Orange Blossom Special"
13. "The Long Black Veil"
14. "Send A Picture Of Mother"
15. "The Wall"
16. "Dirty Old Egg-Sucking Dog"
17. "Flushed From The Bathroom Of Your Heart"
18. "Joe Bean"
19. "Jackson" (with June Carter)
20. "I Got A Woman" (with June Carter)
21. "The Legend Of John Henry's Hammer"
22. "June's Poem"
23. "Green, Green Grass Of Home"
24. "Greystone Chapel"
25. Closing announcements

Disc 2

1. "The Old Spinning Wheel" (Carl Perkins)
2. Opening announcements from Hugh Cherry
3. "Matchbox" (Carl Perkins)
4. "Blue Suede Shoes" (Carl Perkins)
5. "You Can't Have Your Kate and Edith, Too" (The Statler Brothers)
6. "Flowers On The Wall" (The Statler Brothers)
7. "How Great Thou Art" (The Statler Brothers)
8. Announcements and Johnny Cash intro from Hugh Cherry
9. "Folsom Prison Blues"
10. "Busted"
11. "Dark As A Dungeon"
12. "Cocaine Blues"
13. "25 Minutes To Go"
14. "Orange Blossom Special"
15. "The Legend Of John Henry's Hammer"
16. "Give My Love To Rose" (with June Carter)
17. "Dirty Old Egg-Sucking Dog"
18. "Flushed From The Bathroom Of Your Heart"
19. "Joe Bean"
20. "Jackson" (with June Carter)
21. "Long-Legged Guitar Pickin' Man" (with June Carter)
22. "I Got Stripes"
23. "Green, Green Grass Of Home"
24. "Greystone Chapel"
25. "Greystone Chapel"
26. Hugh Cherry Introduces Johnny's father, Ray Cash, Associate Warden Walter E. Craven and Floyd Gressett, and closing announcements

Disc 3 (DVD)

• Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison documentary film (2 hours, 10 minutes)
• Interviews
  • Marty Stuart
  • Rosanne Cash
  • Marshall Grant
• Bob Irwin: "Remixing the Folsom Recording"
• Marty Stuart: Performance of "Hangman"
• Ronda Sherley: "Glen Sherley's My Last Day"
• Folsom Inmate Lefty: "Orange Blossom Special Harmonica"

Credits

• Johnny Cash – vocal, guitar, harmonica
• June Carter – vocal
• Marshall Grant – bass guitar
• W.S. Holland – drums
• Carl Perkins – electric guitar
• Luther Perkins – electric guitar
• The Statler Brothers (Lew DeWitt, Don Reid, Harold Reid, Phil Balsley) – vocals
• Bob Johnston – producer
• Bob Breault, Bill Britain – engineers
• Jim Marshall – photography

Credited on 1999 re-issue

• Bob Irwin – producer
• Steven Berkowitz – producer, A&R
• Vic Aneseni – mixing
• Howard Fritzson – art direction
• Darcy Proper – mastering
• John Henry Jackson – product manager
• Randall Martin – packaging manager
• Darren Salmieri, Tim Smith – A&R
• Nick Shaffran – consultant

Charts

Notes

References

• Cash, Johnny (1976), Man in Black (1st ed.), New York, NY: Warner Books, ISBN 0-446-89086-3 
• Cash, Johnny; Carr, Patrick (1997), Cash: The Autobiography (1st ed.), New York, NY: Harper San Francisco, ISBN 0-060-72753-5 
• Govoni, Albert (1970), A Boy Named Cash: The Johnny Cash Story (1st ed.), New York, NY: Lancer Books 
• Levy, Joe (2005), The 500 Greatest Albums of All Times (1st ed.), New York, NY: Wenner Books, ISBN 1-932-95861-4 
• Streissguth, Michael (2004), Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: The Making of a Masterpiece (1st ed.), Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, ISBN 0-306-81453-6