If you’re a country music fan, you’ve heard the song “Folsom Prison Blues” at some point in your life. There’s just no way around it. And if you haven’t, your country music fandom might have to be revoked until we can remedy that.
Written by a young Johnny Cash while overseas in the military back in 1953, it brought together both the elements of a train song and a prison song, two of the more popular themes in country/folk songwriting at the time. And while the song was recorded and released in 1955, it really became the iconic hit that it is today in 1968.
53 years ago today, Johnny Cash performed his legendary concert at Folsom Prison which, was of course was recorded and released as his live At Folsom Prison record, arguably the most popular album of his entire career. Released in May of that year, and it ended up going multi-platinum.
To this day, it is still considered one of the best albums of all-time and one of the greatest country records to ever grace this earth.
There doesn’t seem to be much live footage of the concert readily available, but in the 2005 movie, Walk The Line, Joaquin Phoenix does his best to recreate the iconic performance.
“Greystone Chapel”
The Set:
“Folsom Prison Blues”
“Dark as the Dungeon”
“I Still Miss Someone”
“Cocaine Blues”
“25 Minutes to Go”
“Orange Blossom Special”
“The Long Black Veil”
“Send A Picture of Mother”
“The Wall”
“Dirt 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”
“Greystone Chapel”
