Johnny Cash Live at Folsom -1968 HQ VBRkbps -High Quality Variable Bit Rate
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Personal Thoughts From The Uploader:


Johnny Cash is now a LEGEND. Even Heavy Metal fans often like and/or hold much respect for 

Johnny's life's work. Johnny spent much of his life on "both sides of the track" and some 

of his best music never came out until after 2000! 

Johnny Died only a few years ago, but not before recording his own version of The Nine Inch 

Nail's song: "HURT". Johnny then "owned" HURT, as he inserted his own meaning behind a song 

about drug abuse and made it come off as his final hit/video which explained his pain and 

thoughts of living the short few days until both his wife June Carter, and next Johnny BOTH 

soon died. To this day many can not listen to HURT because Johnny did such a master-job of 

expressing his pain and agony of dying. Yet once again Johnny proved to us how he was 

capable of writing his own songs, OR recording other artists's songs and come off with many 

fans believing Johnny actually wrote so re-recorded songs sometimes written by others.

But Johnny's REAL talent was found with his ability to write his own great hits which often 

went high up the music charts.

Although Johnny often showed his rough and rowdy side as he did in this free concert for 

prisoners (there is some mild swearing in it), Cash was truly a Christian at heart who 

attended Church often, especially in the decades prior to his death. Thats part of what 

made Johnny special, he could get along with criminals fine and yet still keep his faith in 

God and go to church many Sundays. It seemed everyone enjoyed his music and he got along 

fine with almost everyone.
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Personal Thoughts About This CD:


Many of us were not yet born in 1968, but the music on this recording is timeless. This 

recording is known as one of the single best performances that Johnny ever did. Johnny 

married June Carter a few weeks after this record was made. He is on top of his game in 

this recording and it shows how easily he could get along with any crowd. Also it contains 

the best version of Folsom Prison Blues ever recorded, as the live single tore the country 

charts up in 1968 and was played all over the world (as my sources advise me).

I firmly believe Live at Folsom Prison is one of Johnny's Best Recordings he ever made. Be 

advised the recording does contain a few mild swear words in it, but nothing too strong for 

the kiddies- imho.

If you enjoy this recording stay tuned for more recent recordings from Johnny that never 

got the airplay they truly deserved (post 2000) in the near future.

Personal Thoughts Over. ;)


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Edited from source located at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_Folsom_Prison
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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 had been interested 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, whom he married later that year; Carl Perkins 

and the Tennessee Three, Cash performed two shows at Folsom State Prison in California on 

January 13, 1968. The resulting album consisted of 15 tracks from the first show and two 

tracks 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 the ensuing popularity revitalized Cash's career, leading to the 

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
Photo of walls and guard towers of a prison.
The album was recorded at Folsom State Prison in Folsom, California.

On January 10, 1968, Cash and June Carter checked into the El Rancho Motel in Sacramento, 

California. They were later accompanied by the Tennessee Three, Carl Perkins, The Statler 

Brothers, Johnny's father Ray Cash and producer Johnston. The performers rehearsed for two 

days, an uncommon occurrence for them. sometimes with two or more songs being rehearsed 

concurrently by various combinations of the musicians.[9]. A fashion show taking place in 

an adjacent ballroom provided an unneeded distraction, and during the rehearsal sessions on 

January 12, California governor Ronald Reagan, who was at the hotel for an after-dinner 

speech, 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 on to Rev. Floyd Gressett, a Ventura, CA pastor who 

regularly visited inmates at Folsom, via the prison's 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 three 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 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 chartGGé¼GÇ¥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. Al 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] Sun Records 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 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 of Northern Light Productions, 

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]

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Track listing


Original release (1968) Vinyl Record:

    Side 1

       1 "Folsom Prison Blues" (Cash)
       2 "Dark as a Dungeon" (Merle Travis)
       3 "I Still Miss Someone" (Johnny Cash, Roy Cash)
       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

       8 "Send a Picture of Mother" (Cash)
       9 "The Wall" (Harlan Howard)
      10 "Dirty Old Egg-Suckin' Dog" (Jack H. Clement)
      11 "Flushed From The Bathroom of Your Heart" (Jack H. Clement)
      12 "Jackson" (with June Carter; Billy Edd Wheeler, J. Lieber)
      13 "Give My Love to Rose" (with June Carter; Cash)
      14 "I Got Stripes" (Cash, Charlie Williams)
      15 "Green, Green Grass of Home" (Curly Putman)
      16 "Greystone Chapel" (Glen Sherley)
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Re-release (1999) - Compact Disc:

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

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Note: A Legacy Edition (2008) CD based on this performance came out in 2008 with 51 songs 

on it. This CD remains VERY RARE.
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Video: A 3 DVD video set of this performance AND MORE was released also.

    The DVDs contained a Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison documentary film (2 hours, 10 

minutes)

Also included were interviews with popular Country stars about their impressions of what an 

influence Jphnny Cash made on Country music within his lifetime.


     Such Interviews included:

        Marty Stuart

        Rosanne Cash

        Marshall Grant
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Ending Credits:

    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"
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