"Folsom Prison Blues" is a song by American singer-songwriter

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his c ...

. Written in 1953, it was first recorded in 1955 for his debut studio album '' Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar!'' (1957), appearing as the album's eleventh track. The song combines elements from two popular folk styles, the train song and the

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...

song, both of which Cash continued to use for the rest of his career. It was one of Cash's

signature song A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. The writer of a ...

s. Additionally, this recording was included on the compilation album '' All Aboard the Blue Train'' (1962). In June 2014, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' ranked it No. 51 on its list of the 100 greatest country songs of all time. Cash performed the song live to a crowd of inmates at

Folsom State Prison Folsom State Prison (FSP) is a California State Prison in Folsom, California, U.S., approximately northeast of the state capital of Sacramento. It is one of 34 adult institutions operated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehab ...

in 1968 for his live album '' At Folsom Prison'' (1968), released through

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...

. This version became a No. 1 hit on the country music charts and reached No. 32 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the same year. This version also won the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male, at the

11th Annual Grammy Awards The 11th Annual Grammy Awards were held on March 12, 1969. They recognized accomplishments of musicians for the year 1968. Award winners *Record of the Year **Paul Simon & Roy Halee (producers) & Simon & Garfunkel for "Mrs. Robinson" * Album of t ...

in 1969.

Original recording, 1955

Cash was inspired to write this song after seeing the movie '' Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison'' (1951) while serving in

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...

in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

at Landsberg, Bavaria (itself the location of a famous prison). Cash recounted how he came up with the line "But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die": "I sat with my pen in my hand, trying to think up the worst reason a person could have for killing another person, and that's what came to mind." Cash took the melody for the song and many of the lyrics from

Gordon Jenkins Gordon Hill Jenkins (May 12, 1910 – May 1, 1984) was an American arranger, composer, and pianist who was influential in popular music in the 1940s and 1950s. Jenkins worked with The Andrews Sisters, Johnny Cash, The Weavers, Frank Sinatra, Lo ...

's 1953 ''Seven Dreams''

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Some ...

, specifically the song " Crescent City Blues". Jenkins was not credited on the original record, which was issued by

Sun Records Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee in February 1952. Sun was the first label to record Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny ...

. In the early 1970s, after the song became popular, Cash paid Jenkins a settlement of approximately US$75,000 following a lawsuit. "Folsom Prison Blues" was recorded at the Sun Studio in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mo ...

on July 30, 1955. The producer was Sam Phillips, and the musicians were Cash (vocals, guitar), Luther Perkins (guitar), and

Marshall Grant Marshall Garnett Grant (May 5, 1928 – August 7, 2011) was the upright bassist and electric bassist of singer Johnny Cash's original backing duo, the Tennessee Two, in which Grant and electric guitarist Luther Perkins played. The group became kno ...

(bass). PragueFrank's Country Music Discography: Johnny Cash, Part 1A
Retrieved 25 August 2015 Like other songs recorded during his early Sun Records sessions, Cash had no drummer in the studio, but replicated the

snare drum The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used ...

sound by inserting a piece of paper (like a dollar bill) under the guitar strings and strumming the snare rhythm on his guitar. The song's sound has been described as

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and b ...

, and

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm ...

. The song was released as a single with another song recorded at the same session, " So Doggone Lonesome". Early in 1956, both sides reached No. 4 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' C&W Best Sellers chart.Joel Whitburn, ''Top Country Singles 1944-1993'', Record Research Inc., 1994, p.62 When photographer Jim Marshall asked Cash why the song's main character was serving time in California's Folsom Prison after shooting a man in

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is th ...

, he responded, "That's called poetic license."

Live recording, 1968

Cash opened almost all of his concerts with "Folsom Prison Blues," after greeting the audience with his trademark introduction, "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash," for decades. Cash performed the song at Folsom Prison itself on January 13, 1968, which was recorded and later released as a

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

titled '' At Folsom Prison''. That opening version of the song is more up-tempo than the original Sun recording. According to Michael Streissguth, the cheering from the audience following the line "But I shot a man in Reno / just to watch him die" was added in post-production. According to a special feature on the DVD release of the 2005 biopic ''

Walk the Line ''Walk the Line'' is a 2005 American biographical musical romantic drama film directed by James Mangold. The screenplay, written by Mangold and Gill Dennis, is based on two autobiographies authored by singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, 1975's '' M ...

'', the prisoners avoided cheering at any of Cash's comments about the prison itself, fearing reprisal from guards. The performance again featured Cash, Perkins and Grant, as on the original recording, together with

W.S. Holland W. S. "Fluke" Holland (April 22, 1935 – September 23, 2020) was an American drummer who played with Carl Perkins, and later for Johnny Cash in the bands The Tennessee Three, The Great Eighties Eight, and The Johnny Cash Show Band. Holland wa ...

(drums). Released as a single, the live version reached number 1 on the country singles chart, and number 32 on the Hot 100, in 1968.

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

placed this live version at number 8 on its list of "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s." The live performance of the song won Cash the

for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male, the first of four he won in his career, at the 1969 Grammy Awards.

Chart performance

Original version Live version

Certifications

In popular culture

* Cold Case used the song in Season 2, Episode 4, as part of the case. * James Gunn used the song in his film '' The Suicide Squad'' (2021), during its opening sequence.

Other versions

Gram Parsons Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973) who was known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist who recorded as a solo artist and with the International Submarine Band, ...

and the

International Submarine Band The International Submarine Band (ISB) was a country-rock band formed by Gram Parsons in 1965, while a theology student at Harvard University and John Nuese, a guitar player for local rock group, The Trolls. Nuese is credited with having persu ...

recorded the track in 1967 and it was released on their 1968 album Safe At Home. * Blues musician Slim Harpo released a version as a single in 1968. *Country legend

Ernest Tubb Ernest Dale Tubb (February 9, 1914 – September 6, 1984), nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, "Walking the Floor Over You" (1941), ...

included the song on his 1969 album, Saturday Satan Sunday Saint. * Organist Lenny Dee includes an instrumental version on his 1969

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. ...

release, ''Turn Around, Look At Me.'' It was also released as a promotional 45 RPM single with the title track. *

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis mad ...

included the song on his 1981 album, ''Killer Country'' * South African singer

Ray Dylan Jacobus Frederick Jersich better known by his stage name Ray Dylan (born in Odendaalsrus, South Africa, on 15 August 1978) is a South African singer who sings in Afrikaans and English. Dylan recorded his debut album ''New Kid In Town'' in 2002, ...

included the song on his album ''Goeie Ou Country - Op Aanvraag''. * Artist

Everlast Erik Francis Schrody (born August 18, 1969), known by his stage name Everlast, is an American musician, singer, rapper, and songwriter, who was the frontman for hip hop group House of Pain. He was also part of the hip hop supergroup La Coka N ...

included the song on his album '' Love, War and the Ghost of Whitey Ford'' *

Jerry Reed Jerry Reed Hubbard (March 20, 1937 – September 1, 2008) was an American singer, guitarist, composer, and songwriter as well as an actor who appeared in more than a dozen films. His signature songs included " Guitar Man", "U.S. Male", " A Thi ...

covered and included the song in his 1973 album: ''Lord, Mr. Ford'' * The Reverend Horton Heat included the song on their 1999 release ''Holy Roller.'' *

recorded another version of the song in 1988 and it is on his Classic Cash: Hall of Fame Series album. * German EBM band Accessory featured this track on their 2007 album Underbeat. * British band

Blyth Power Blyth Power are a British rock band formed in 1983 by singer and drummer Joseph Porter, formerly of anarcho-punk bands Zounds and The Mob. The band's music shows strong influences from punk rock and folk music and Porter's lyrics often centr ...

released a cover as the B-side of their 1987 single, "Ixion". * American mashup artist

Neil Cicierega Neil Stephen Cicierega ( ; born August 23, 1986) is an American comedian, actor, filmmaker, singer, YouTuber, musician, songwriter, puppeteer, artist, and animator. He is known as the creator of a genre of Flash animation he termed " Animutatio ...

mashed this song up with Baby and The Reason on his album

Mouth Dreams ''Mouth Dreams'' is the fourth mashup album by American musician and comedian Neil Cicierega. It was released on September 30, 2020. Like his three previous mashup albums ('' Mouth Sounds'', ''Mouth Silence'', and '' Mouth Moods''), its source m ...

* American Reggae band Stick Figure covered the song on their 2009 album Smoke Stack * American Metal Core band Wage War covered the song on their 2022 album The Stripped Sessions

Notes

References

* Streissguth, Michael. ''Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: The Making of a Masterpiece'', Da Capo Press (2004). .

External links

Lyrics of this song
at

Genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabili ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Folsom Prison Blues 1955 singles 1968 singles Songs written by Johnny Cash Johnny Cash songs Billboard Hot Country Songs number-one singles of the year Song recordings produced by Sam Phillips Songs about California Songs about trains Songs about prison Songs involved in plagiarism controversies Works subject to a lawsuit Sun Records singles Columbia Records singles 1955 songs American rock-and-roll songs Rockabilly songs