On this day in 1968, Johnny Cash successfully enlisted the aid of 2000+ inmates interred at California's Folsom State Prison to help market his comeback. The resulting LP, 'At Folsom Prison' (Columbia), was released in May 1968 and climbed to the top of the country charts.
Singing to felons turned out to be a such a profitable endeavor for The Man in Black, he followed up 'Folsom' with 'At San Quentin' (Columbia) the very next year. Who says crime doesn't pay?
No doubt 'At Folsom Prison' was groundbreaking and historic, it ranks as one of the best country albums of all time. Though I wonder if Cash hadn't employed the gimmick of staging a live performance inside a federal prison during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, would this album be quite so 'important?'
I'm just sayin'.
Folsom Prison Blues
25 Minutes To Go
Jackson (w/ June Carter)
Johnny Cash- Folsom Prison Blues (San Quentin Prison, 1969)
Trailer for the legacy edition of Johnny Cash At Folsom (2008)
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