Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison represents a watershed moment in both music history and social advocacy. The live At Folsom Prison, released in 1968, not only reinvigorated Johnny Cash's career but established him as a powerful voice for prison reform and social justice. The performance demonstrated how music could transcend social barriers and bring humanity to marginalized populations. The genesis of Cash's connection to Folsom Prison is particularly fascinating. During his service in the U.S. Air Force's Security Service division in Germany (1951-1954), Cash encountered the film Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison. This inspiration led to the creation of Read more on Last.fm.
Someone once said if God had an audible voice, it would be Cash’s. If you said that to him, he’d of shrugged and probably said, “who me?”. Johnny was a different kind of cat. He sang with the damned, not to them. He modestly humbled himself, admitting to being no better than any man, and, in essence, became the archetype for a rebel generation of young men fed up with hypocrasy, the government and the treatment of the downtrodden. He also helped fuel the idea that Christians weren’t bound to a bunch of rules.
Folsom Prison is Cash’s greatest moment, his deep wail as haunting and full of grit as usual. He sings to the prisoners like they’re his closest friends, pitying them when others judge. It’s a live album from hell, literally. The setlist is a powerful combination of the sacred and the profane. He kills his wife in “Cocaine Blues” and comes to Jesus in “Graystone Chapel”. He laments his own execution in 25 Minutes To Go”.
If you want a glimpse into the heart of darkness, salted with a little light….this is your ticket.