On This Date: Johnny Cash Was Sitting At Number One With “Folsom Prison Blues” Back In 1968

Johnny Cash country music
Johnny Cash

I think I would’ve done anything to have a chance to sit in the crowd at one of Johnny Cash’s early concerts, sippin’ on a fifth, kicking back and have a time and a half.

After watching the 2005 Johnny Cash movie, Walk The Line, and watching a number of his live performance videos from the ’60s, it’s easy to see that even back then, the man had a cult like following that was spreading across the country music scene like a wildfire.

Needless to say, you’d just have to be there to truly experience and understand how big the guy was, and he remained that popular ’til the day he died in 2003.

We all know how The Man In Black was known for his iconic prison performances at places like Folsom Prison, and San Quentin Prison, recording two of his most popular live albums there.

It was a true testament of how Cash was the man of the people back in the day, and both of those albums will stand the test of time forever.

With that being said, the man himself was sitting at number one on the US Hot Country Songs chart with his live version of “Folsom Prison Blues” on this date back in 1968.

Although the song was originally released on his 1955 debut studio album, Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar!, it didn’t see a ton of mainstream success until he had officially become a household name by ’68 and recorded the song live at Folsom Prison, and “Folsom Prison Blues” has since been one of his most recognizable songs do date.

Since that iconic recording, “Folsom Prison Blues” became the song Cash opened with at nearly every show for the rest of his career.

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