International Law

Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison: making of a masterpiece

By John Hirst

The album 'Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison' has sold three million copies and counting, but its recording in 1968 happened against the odds.

During his 71 years, Johnny Cash made many comebacks. The biggest, however, was undoubtedly the 1968 live album 'Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison.' Recorded in front of an audience of nearly 2000 convicted criminals in a high security prison, it cemented his outlaw reputation and status as champion of the downtrodden. Containing definitive versions of many Cash classics, it's a masterpiece that's sold consistently ever since, regularly cropping up on 'all time greatest' lists and passing the three million sales mark, and is now about to get another lease of life with the release of a new edition complete with DVD that tells the fascinating story behind the making of this landmark album.

Full post as published by prisonlawinsideout on January 15, 2009 (boomark / email).