“Folsom Prison Blues” was inspired (quite substantially) by Gordon Jenkins’ 1953 song “Crescent City Blues,” which Cash had heard while serving in the Air Force. Cash would later explain:

Everything was right, but only after Cash had paid Jenkins a reported $75,000 settlement.

The prison theme was inspired by the 1951 movie “Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison.” The decision to merge the themes of prisons and trains was a clever one, as the singer is hit by the contrast between the isolation and claustrophobia of a prison cell (“I ain’t seen the sunshine/Since, I don’t know when”) and the freedoms enjoyed by those passing by on the train (“I bet there’s rich folks eatin’/In a fancy dining car/They’re probably drink’ coffee/And smokin’ big cigars”).

The song is also a classic example of Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two’s use of their trademark “boom-chicka-boom” two-beat rhythm, which was well suited to the train lyric.

Billboard gave the “Folsom Prison Blues” single a positive review in their January 7, 1956 issue:

Cash would re-record “Folsom Prison Blues” for his 1964 album “I Walk the Line,” which featured re-recordings of a number of his early Sun tracks. He also sang what would become a very popular live version of the song in front of the inmates of Folsom prison in 1968. This rendition featured on the album “Johnny Cash Live At Folsom” and was also released on single in April 1968, backed with “The Folk Singer.” The famous moment where a convict whoops after Cash sings “I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die” was added in post production.

The 1968 live version of “Folsom Prison Blues” was a hit single and would earn Cash a Grammy award in the “Best Country Solo Vocal, Male” category.

Johnny Cash – “Folsom Prison Blues” (live, 1968)

Authorship

“Folsom Prison Blues” was written by Johnny Cash and, as noted above, adapted from a Gordon Jenkins composition.

Recording date/location

The original “Folsom Prison Blues” single was recorded on July 30, 1955 at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. The hit live version was recorded on January 13, 1968 at Folsom Prison, California.

Musicians

The following musicians played on the 1955 recording of “Folsom Prison Blues”:

• Johnny Cash – vocals and guitar
• Marshall Grant – bass
• Luther Perkins – electric guitar.

Cash was introduced to Grant and Perkins in 1954 by his brother Roy Cash, Sr, who worked with them at the Automobile Sales Company in Memphis. The three got their break after auditioning for Sam Phillips at Sun Records. Grant and Perkins would soon become known as the Tennessee Two.

By the time of the 1968 live version of “Folsom Prison Blues,” the Tennessee Two had become the Tennessee Three with the addition of drummer W. S. “Fluke” Holland. Holland had also got his start at Sun, playing on Carl Perkins (no relation to Luther) records, including the classic “Blue Suede Shoes.” Carl Perkins was also a member of Johnny Cash’s band in 1968.

Chart performance

The original “Folsom Prison Blues” Sun single was a Top 10 country hit in early summer 1956, but it was with the 1968 live single that Cash would have the biggest success. This topped Billboard’s country chart for four weeks and peaked at number 32 on the Hot 100.

Covers

“Folsom Prison Blues” became a country standard so, not surprisingly, many of the classic country artists had a crack at it, including Conway Twitty, Merle Haggard, Ferlin Husky, Waylon Jennings, Charley Pride and Porter Wagoner. Here’s two memorable covers.

Jerry Reed – “Folsom Prison Blues”

The great Jerry Reed recorded a country rock version of “Folsom Prison Blues” for his 1973 album “Lord, Mr Ford.” The funky arrangement and Reed’s distinctive guitar style make this an interesting cover that is quite a departure from the original.

Carl Perkins – “Folsom Prison Blues”

Carl Perkins was very familiar with the song as he often played in Johnny Cash’s band, but his solo version from the 1969 album “Carl Perkins Greatest Hits” takes it in a slightly different direction, with more of a rockabilly rhythm and a higher key (from E up to A) to help drive the song along. The rockabilly legend does a great job.

There will be a new Song of the Week on January 23.

Johnny Cash’s original Sun version of “Folsom Prison Blues” is available on various compilations, including the 3-CD set “Cash – Complete Sun Masters.”

The 1968 live version of “Folsom Prison Blues” is available on the 2 CD/DVD Legacy Edition of “Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison.” This includes the entire unedited 65-minute first show on disc one, with seven previously unissued tracks, and the entire 75-minute second show on disc two, with 24 previously unissued tracks. There is also a documentary with footage from the day and interviews with those involved.

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Cash’s fascinating recollections, combined with a large number of unpublished photographs and documents, provide an intimate insight into the public and private life of Johnny Cash, from his childhood in Arkansas, through to his final days.

John Carter Cash told ABC’s Good Morning America:

John Carter Cash is a Grammy Award-winning music producer who worked with Rick Rubin as associate producer on the Johnny Cash “American III: Solitary Man” and “American IV: The Man Comes Around” albums.

“House of Cash” is available now from:

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Dave Marsh writes in the liner notes of the set:

“Johnny Cash: Bootleg Vol 3 – Live Around the World” track list:

CD 1:

Big “D” Jamboree, Dallas, Texas, 1956:
1. So Doggone Lonesome
2. I Walk The Line
3. Get Rhythm
New River Ranch, Rising Sun, Maryland, 1962:
4. Country Boy
5. I Still Miss Someone
6. Cotton Fields
7. I Walk The Line
8. Luther’s Boogie
9. Impersonations
10. Rock Island Line
11. The Rebel – Johnny Yuma
Newport Folk Festival, Newport, Rhode Island, July 26, 1964:
12. Introduction – Pete Seeger
13. Big River
14. Folsom Prison Blues
15. I Still Miss Someone
16. Rock Island Line
17. Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright
18. I Walk The Line
19. Ballad Of Ira Hayes
20. Keep On The Sunny Side
Annex 14 NCO Club, Long Binh, Vietnam, January 1969:
21. Big River
22. Wreck Of The Old ’97
23. Tennessee Flat Top Box
24. Remember The Alamo
25. Cocaine Blues
26. Jackson – duet with June Carter Cash
27. Long-Legged Guitar Pickin’ Man – duet with June Carter Cash
28. Ring Of Fire
29. Daddy Sang Bass.

CD 2:

The White House, Washington, D.C., April 17, 1970:
1. Introduction – President Richard M. Nixon
2. A Boy Named Sue
3. Five Feet High And Rising
4. Pickin’ Time
5. Wreck Of The Old ’97
6. Lumberjack
7. Jesus Was A Carpenter
8. What Is Truth
9. (There’ll Be) Peace In The Valley (For Me)
10. He Turned The Water Into Wine
11. Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord)
12. Daddy Sang Bass
13. The Old Account
Osteraker Prison, Sweden, October 3, 1972:
14. Sunday Morning Comin’ Down
15. The Prisoner’s Song
16. That Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine
CBS Records Convention, Nashville, Tennessee, 1973:
17. City Of New Orleans
The Carter Fold, Hiltons, Virginia, 1976:
18. Ragged Old Flag
19. One Piece At A Time
Wheeling Jamboree, Wheeling, West Virginia, October 2, 1976:
20. Hey Porter
21. There You Go
22. Give My Love To Rose
Exit Inn, Nashville, Tennessee, December 10, 1979:
23. (Ghost) Riders In The Sky
24. I’m Just An Old Chunk Of Coal.

The only tracks that have been released before are 12-20 on CD 1, and 8, 14, 15 and 16 on CD 2.

“Johnny Cash: Bootleg Vol 3 – Live Around the World” is available on September 27 in the US and October 11 in the UK and Canada. It can be pre-ordered now from:

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Grant was born in 1928 in Bessemer City, North Carolina, and moved to Memphis, Tennessee with his wife in 1947. He was introduced to Johnny Cash in 1954 by Johnny’s brother Roy, who he worked with at Automobile Sales Company, along with Luther Perkins. Johnny Cash, Grant and Perkins put a band together and began performing local gigs, along with steel guitarist Red Kernodle. As both Cash and Perkins were guitarists, Grant switched from guitar to upright bass.

The four had an unsuccessful audition for Sun Records in late 1954, but things went better when they tried again the following year, this time without Kernodle. Sun Records boss, Sam Phillips, signed the three as Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two and they soon had a moderate hit with “Cry, Cry, Cry.”

Left to right: Luther Perkins, Johnny Cash and Marshall Grant

Like Elvis Presley before them, Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two toured extensively in the South and became regulars on the Louisiana Hayride radio show in December 1955, before progressing to the Grand Ole Opry in the summer of 1956 in the wake of their million-selling single “I Walk the Line.”

Johnny Cash – “I Walk the Line”

Grant would play bass for Johnny Cash in the studio and on stage until 1980 when he moved into management, representing the Statler Brothers until their retirement in 2002. The pair remained good friends and were back on stage together in April 1999 for the “All-Star Tribute to Johnny Cash,” which featured performances from artists such as Sheryl Crow, Chris Isaak, Willie Nelson, June Carter-Cash, Kris Kristofferson and many more.

The Tennessee Two were inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee in 2007. Here’s the video that accompanied the induction, with Marshall Grant’s recollections on how the band got started:

Grant’s autobiography, “I Was There When It Happened: My Life with Johnny Cash,” was published in 2006.

Johnny Cash’s daughter, Rosanne, has told how Grant was due to play at the Johnny Cash Festival in Jonesboro, Arkansas on Thursday, but fell ill. She was with him for his final two days and has paid tribute to her “back-up dad” on her Twitter page:

Johnny Cash – “Ring of Fire”

Between 1955 and 1960, deejay Tommy Edwards photographed some of the biggest names in popular music as they passed through Cleveland to play shows and promote their latest musical offerings.

The recently published “1950s Radio in Color: The Lost Photographs of Deejay Tommy Edwards” brings together over 200 of the best photographs from this collection for the first time, with many of the biggest and brightest stars of the rock ‘n’ roll era represented, including Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Roy Orbison, Bill Haley, the Everly Brothers, Johnny Cash and Connie Francis.

The collection has been compiled by writer and musician, Chris Kennedy, who told Classic Pop Icons:

One of the most important of these photographs features a handshake between established hitmaker Bill Haley and the soon to be international superstar Elvis Presley. The pair were captured backstage at Brooklyn High School on October 20, 1955. Elvis had been booked by Edwards to play at the Circle Theater in Cleveland the previous night and was now taking part in a movie short about Edwards’ colleague and fellow deejay, Bill Randle. This “Pied Piper of Cleveland” film has never surfaced, but is reported to contain on-stage footage of Elvis, Bill Haley, Pat Boone and the Four Lads. Author, Chris Kennedy, was in fact researching the movie when he discovered the haul of Edwards’ photographs.

Another Sun Records legend, Johnny Cash, was captured by Edwards’ lens in January 1958 when the star dropped by the studio to promote his single “Ballad of a Teenage Queen.”

In 1981, Edwards told Goldmine editor, Rick Whitesell:

For fans of the early days of rock ‘n’ roll, these photographs retain the appeal that Edwards describes. His work in chronicling this revolutionary period didn’t stop there though. From 1953 to 1960, Edwards self-published a weekly newsletter titled “T.E. Newsletter” which included Cleveland radio and record news for music business insiders. In 2009, Kennedy located the only surviving collection of these newsletters and so has included text from these vintage publications in the book, along with his own modern commentary. A nice touch.

“1950s Radio in Color: The Lost Photographs of Deejay Tommy Edwards” is available now from:

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See if you can identify these stars before they were famous. Click on the images to enlarge and scroll down for the answers.

1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24

Leave a comment below to tell us how many you guessed correctly.

“Million Dollar Quartet” is based on the day in December 1956 when Elvis Presley dropped by Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee and jammed with Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash.

Those who are sticklers for historical accuracy might be disappointed by the musical, as it is very much a fictionalised account of what happened that day. A recording of the real event was thankfully made, but it does not feature Johnny Cash at all (although he was certainly at least there for the photo call), and there is more emphasis on gospel music than rock ‘n’ roll. The opposite is true of the musical, which features almost exclusively rock ‘n’ roll performances, including “Blue Suede Shoes”, “That’s All Right”, “Great Balls of Fire”, “Hound Dog” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.” None of those were really sung during the jam and the Jerry Lee numbers weren’t even recorded by him until the following year. Elvis’ girlfriend in the musical, Dyanne, who sing’s Peggy Lee’s “Fever” in the show, is also fictional. The real girlfriend was Marilyn Evans and she didn’t sing. So yes, you won’t get a history lesson if you watch this show, but that’s not the intention of course. It is designed to entertain through high energy rock ‘n’ roll performances and the positive reviews of the US version suggest it does achieve that.

“Million Dollar Quartet” stars Michael Malarkey as Elvis Presley, Ben Goddard as Jerry Lee Lewis, Derek Hagen as Johnny Cash, Robert Britton Lyons as Carl Perkins, Bill Ward as Sun Records boss Sam Phillips, and Francesca Jackson as Dyanne. Lyons starred in the original Broadway production.

Million Dollar Quartet opens at London’s Noël Coward Theatre (0844 482 5141) on February 28, 2011, with reduced price previews from February 8, 2011. Click here for Million Dollar Quartet ticket information.

A North American tour of “Million Dollar Quartet” is planned for October 2011.

The first CD covers the period 1954 to 1957, commencing with a radio broadcast hosted by Cash in Memphis and also including 11 demos and 7 outtakes from sessions at Sun Records. The second CD features non-album singles, B-sides and outtakes recorded in Los Angeles for Columbia from 1958 to 1969.

“Bootleg 2: From Memphis to Hollywood” will be released on February 22 and is available for pre-order now:

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Cash wore the jumpsuit during the rehearsal for a concert at San Quentin State Prison in 1969. He reportedly “gave the finger” in response to photographer Jim Marshall’s request for a “shot for the warden.”

This was one of many Johnny Cash items in the three-day sale held by Beverly Hills-based Julien’s Auctions. Lots ranged in price from a lowly $62 for a commemorative thimble right up to $50,000 for the jumpsuit. The same total was reached for a Martin guitar which featured on the cover of “The Survivors” album and was used on stage by Cash in the 1980s. Other high value lots included a bicentennial shirt by Nudie’s which Cash wore at events and on stage ($25,000), a pair of leather knee-high boots made by Lucchese Boot Company ($22,400), and a passport used by Johnny from 1968 to 1973 ($21,875).

Cash fans can still buy Peter Lewry’s excellent e-book “Johnny Cash – I’ve Been Everywhere” at half price by visiting www.johnnycashfanzine.com/e-book.html. The offer expires at the end of the month.

The re-release of the four-CD “Johnny Cash: The Legend” will also be of interest to UK Cash fans who are looking for a bargain. Originally issued in 2005, this is one of several popular sets from legendary artists to receive a budget re-release last month, including “The Soul of Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Roy Orbison and “From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential 1960s Masters” by Elvis Presley.

Johnny Cash – I’ve Been Everywhere

“Johnny Cash – I’ve Been Everywhere” is the definitive diary of America’s greatest country performer and my attempt to list chronologically all the facts relating to the career of the Man in Black, Johnny Cash. I cannot hope to have listed every event in what has been a remarkable career covering over fifty years although I do feel that his career has been covered accurately and in greater depth than ever before. I apologise in advance and take full responsibility for any errors or omissions within the pages of this book.

My aim when researching and compiling this book was to deal only with Johnny Cash’s professional life and I have endeavoured to include details on every concert date, TV appearance, filming schedule, record release as well as reviews and interviews. For various reasons during Cash’s career, certain concert dates were cancelled and/or re-scheduled. Johnny Cash spent many months a year on the road and it was not always possible to find out which, if any, shows in a particular year were cancelled, but if the information was available it is included.

The chart positions listed in the book relate to the US Billboard Country Charts although there are a few exceptions when the US Billboard Pop Charts and the UK charts are included. Where this applies it is noted accordingly. I have also listed many of the important recording sessions, but for a more comprehensive look at his recording sessions I would point you in the direction of the excellent series of discographies compiled and written by John L. Smith, and listed in the acknowledgements.

My inspiration for researching and writing this book has been my respect and admiration for Johnny Cash and his music, which started back in 1970 when I was given a copy of “Johnny Cash At San Quentin.” Since 1994 I have edited the fanzine “Johnny Cash – The Man in Black” and was fortunate enough to meet John backstage at the Royal Albert Hall in London in April 1997.

Peter Lewry Biography

Peter Lewry is a British-born author with several books to his credit, including the prize-nominated “Johnny Cash Chronicle: I’ve Been Everywhere.” A leading authority on the country music legend, he first heard Johnny Cash’s music back in the late sixties. He bought his first Cash album, “Johnny Cash At San Quentin”, in 1970 and has followed his career closely ever since. He started the Johnny Cash fanzine back in 1994 and in March 2007 celebrated it’s fiftieth issue.

The Man in Black website, set up to complement the fanzine, won the music lover category at the ntl: Best Of British Broadband Awards in 2004. Peter received his award from radio and television presenter Neil Fox at a prestigious awards dinner at the renowned celebrity haunt The Ivy in London. The website was reviewed in MOJO magazine in 2009 who wrote, “Peter Lewry, who is to Johnny Cash what Mark Lewisohn is to The Beatles, runs an award-winning website dedicated to the Man in Black at www.johnnycashfanzine.com. A well-constructed, information-led affair, it acts as an online supplement to Lewry’s fanzine. For anyone seriously getting involved in a Cash project, it’s definitely the place to start.”

Lewry has also worked on a number of Cash projects including CD compilations (the recently released Readers Digest set The Great Seventies Recordings and Bear Family Records Johnny Cash: The Outtakes), liner notes, various magazine articles and also worked with the Los Angeles-based web design company on the Twentieth Century Fox official Walk The Line website. He was a special guest at the UK launch of the “Walk The Line” DVD at HMV in Oxford Street, London. His knowledge on Johnny Cash has led to him being called to assist on the research on a number of magazine articles and radio specials. He has been interviewed on local and national radio stations across the UK and has been interviewed by Cash’s long-time friend, singer and DJ Johnny Western on his radio show broadcast from Wichita, Kansas.

His passion for music spreads far wider than just country music and he has written many articles including in-depth studies on both Linda Ronstadt, Gram Parsons and French singer/actress Vanessa Paradis for the UK music magazine Record Collector. Peter is also a regular contributor to the Essential Elvis magazine and recent articles have included in-depth studies of Elvis’ 1969 Memphis Recordings and his 1973 Stax Sessions. He has recently published his first biography “Linda Ronstadt – A Life In Music” as an e-book (Kindle edition available from Amazon UK and Amazon US) and also published an updated edition of “Johnny Cash – I’ve Been Everywhere” in e-book format.

“Johnny Cash – I’ve Been Everywhere” (e-book) is available at the special offer price of £7.50 (normally £14.99) until Dec. 31 2010. You can purchase a copy at www.johnnycashfanzine.com/e-book.html.