F
olsom State Prison was opened in California in 1880. It is the second oldest prison in California, after San Quentin. It was built as part of a deal with a power company that gave land and funds for the prison in exchange for the convict labor to help build a dam on the American River. Folsom is a maximum security prison and it has been known for the harshness of both its inmates and its guards throughout much of its history. Killings, rapes, and beatings were a part of the everyday life for inmates within the gang ruled walls of Folsom Prison. On January 13th, 1968 Johnny Cash played a show in the dining hall, and Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison would become one of the early defining moments of his career. Johnny Cash spent three years in Germany in service for the US Air Force, decoding messages in Morse code before he was promoted. It was in Germany that he saw the documentary Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison
and the hard lives of those living inside of it. Johnny Cash always described himself as a compassionate man because as he said, “Anyone who has suffered a lot of pain, as I have done, has a lot of compassion.” Cash recorded “Folsom Prison Blues” in 1955, a year after he was discharged. The song heavily borrowed from “Crescent City Blues” by Gordon Jenkins, in both lyrics and composition. Cash’s version became a hit though, and he eventually had to pay Jenkins for its rights. He first visited and played in Folsom Prison in 1966. The show was held in the prison yard and was a welcome break and treat for the inmates. Years of drug abuse are no secret when it comes to Johnny Cash and they had caught up to him before the Folsom concert. He was in need of a comeback of sorts and the man in black certainly found it at Folsom. The idea of recording an album in a prison required a producer as ambitious as Cash. That man was Bob Dylan’s producer Bob Johnston, and the wild duo refused to take no
Johnny Cash plays Folsom Prison Blues at Folsom Prison.
Photo courtesy of johnnycashfilm.wordpress.com
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• March 4, 2012 •