Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison is the first live album by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records on May 6, 1968. After his 1955 song "Folsom Prison Blues", Cash had been interested in recording a performance at a prison. His idea was put on hold until 1967, when personnel changes at Columbia Records put Bob Johnston in charge of producing Cash's material. Cash had recently controlled his drug abuse problems, and was looking to turn his career around after several years of limited commercial success. Backed by June Carter, Carl Perkins, and the Tennessee Three, Cash performed two shows at Folsom State Prison in California on January 13, 1968. The album consists of 15 songs from the first show and two from the second.
Despite little initial investment by Columbia, Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison was a hit in the United States, reaching number one on the country charts and the top 15 of the national album chart. The lead single, a live version of "Folsom Prison Blues", was a top 40 hit, Cash's first since 1964's "Understand Your Man". At Folsom Prison received positive reviews and revitalized Cash's career, becoming the first in a series of live albums recorded at prisons that includes At San Quentin (1969), På Österåker (1973), and A Concert Behind Prison Walls (1976). The album was rereleased with additional tracks in 1999, a three-disc set in 2008, and a five LP box set with bonus rehearsals in 2018 for Record Store Day. It was certified triple platinum in 2003 for US sales exceeding 3.4 million.
I guess I mistakenly thought I knew Johnny Cash, mostly through the radio and general consciousness, and I was not prepared for how incredible and just fuckin metal this album is. This dude is up there singing about murdering dudes to applause from murderers.
if your black metal isn't this black, go the fuck home.
One of the few live albums I've heard where the audience is just as much a part of the performance. The songs are great, Johnny's performance is charmingly flawed, but it's all about the atmosphere created by the little details: the inmate's reactions, Johnny's asides, and the warden's announcements.
"This show is being recorded for an album release on Columbia Records, and you can't say 'hell' or 'shit' or anything like that."
"How does that grab you, Bob?"
Look: even if the music wasn't great (which it is), the man sang about taking cocaine and shooting a bad bitch down to a group of cheering convicts, so this may as well get five mics on principle. The concept alone is novel and raw as hell, but once you throw in Cash's devil-may-care stage presence, the atmosphere set by the wardens' announcements over the PA and the more-than-receptive crowd (I'll spare you a line about a "captive audience" because I'm sure plenty of rock critics thought they were the first to come up with that gem), plus the impeccable choice in songs, you end up with one of the most entertaining records I've ever heard.
Key Tracks: Cocaine Blues, Flushed from the Bathroom of Your Heart, Greystone Chapel
Amazing album! Amazing that it was performed live and the flaws and asides and prison chatter add to the overall vibe, rather than detract. I'm normally not as much a fan of live music, but this was great all the way through.
(Listened to Before) One of the most genuine and authentic albums I’ve ever heard. I love it when he breaks mid-song to tell a joke or a laugh slips, especially when it’s in contrast to some soul-crushingly melancholy lyrics. I don’t really think there’s a bad track in the bunch. I love this album and the special place it takes me to every time I revisit it.
Favorite Tracks: 25 Minutes to Go, Orange Blossom Special, The Long Black Veil, Dirty Old Egg-Suckin’ Dog, Jackson, Greystone Chapel
Least Favorite Tracks: I Still Miss Someone
I don't know anyone who doesn't like Johnny Cash, and this is him at his best. I love how it's a live album but he sounds about the same as in the studio, it's authentic as. 5/5.
Never listened to the album before though know a good few of the songs. It's bloody good. The context - what he's singing about IN A PRISON - is just great, really adds something
We've had the greatest live album ever from Nirvana but this is bang there with it.
Cash is at his best live. And when he combines that with doing this sorta outlaw country stuff he's peerless.
Its fucking brilliant and I'm gonna have to bring out the 5 again.
A superstar at the top of his game.
5/5
I feel like I’m sitting right there in the prison with the guys watching the show—the most heartfelt, candid show I’ve ever heard. Not only is Cash an unparalleled storyteller, he’s really got a heart for the prisoners he’s playing for. I really like how the guys applaud, letting me know exactly what lyrics or licks best tickle the imprisoned listeners. The music rollicks along, but there are quite chilling moments, too, like when the voice announces normal prison business over the PA. Whenever I finish listening to this album, I have mixed feelings: I go on with my life, but those guys all go back to their cells.
I loved this. The music, the banter, the announcements with inmate numbers, the laughing mid track, the lyrics, just all of it. I’ve somehow never listened to this despite always liking Johnny Cash, and it is such a great record.
The recording it incredibly good for being recorded in what I assume is a prison cafeteria or auditorium. The singing comes through beautifully but none of the instruments are overshadowed.
I rest can’t think of a bad thing about this. Really great.
i don't believe there's much to be said here. it's johnny fucking cash at folsom fucking prison, with june fucking carter. to whom, if my chronology isn't way off, he was not yet married - so we witnessed it all, very raw, and very real. i also particularly loved that they didn't cut out the warden's(?) announcements, and what i believe was them slapping johnny in cuffs at the end.
Cash proves he is every measure the legend on this record. Even though the vast majority is covers, his crowd work is great and you can hear a pin drop on The Long Black Veil. Jackson is a cool duet. booing the warden on the last track is great
10/10
If you’re not into Country music and don’t understand the subject matter and setting of this record, it may be easy to misunderstand it as being exploitative or just not care about the mythos of this record in general. But let it be known, you need to listen to this album if you want to be knowledgeable at all about American music.
America loves its damned, even if they deny it, even if they’re hypocritical in their love, even if we severely punish them in denial. The “Anti-Hero” is the fundamental archetype to American folklore, from the six shooters in the old west, to the New Hollywood vigilantes, to the Gangsta Rap icons of today, we have an innate addiction to morally complex characters, more so than we do morally righteous ones. We watch these characters through their Odysseys, we don’t necessarily yearn for them to win, but you can’t help but feel good about their victories, and hurt when we see these characters fall victim to the punishments that they likely warranted. We understand these moral complexities, we understand their mistakes, their horrible environments, their upbringings, their dilemmas, their irrationalities, and we seek a sort of redemption for them in spite of their wrongdoings. That is, until we talk about real life, one under a growing reactionary worldview, where we legally recognize slavery if it’s under incarceration, where we beg for harsher sentences, severe penalties for minor crimes, more law enforcement on the streets, and capital punishment.
At Folsom Prison is our cling to humanity, for decades Johnny Cash would perform at many different prisons over the country unpaid because of a mere letter from inmates, he would campaign for prison reform, and would continue to write music that fought against this authority. The live album itself is a collection of songs about the very inmates he was performing to, he was telling their stories, these same stories that made Johnny Cash and several hundreds of songwriters, storytellers, and artists who they are.
“My mama always told me, son always be a good boy, but I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die.”
As soon as Cash sings these words with his striking and deep brassy vocal cords, his wonderful guitar playing and phenomenal performances from the backing band bouncing off lifeless concrete walls, we hear the inmates whistle and cheer loudly. How do you feel knowing these same stories you love are being cheered on by men who have possibly committed these same heinous acts? Do you feel reprehensible? Hypocritical? Or do you view yourself in being in the same position as them? Its these prison walls that echo these complications gloriously, you’re subject to listening to some of the best Country songs ever written and performed, and in the audience made up of any subject matter of a Johnny Cash song, or a Scorsese movie, or any number of tall tales.
https://youtu.be/6v1qNVZmofI?si=gpQ5lM_4fnFHdPNX
listening to convicted criminals giggle over a song about killing your wife under cocaine is an amazing experience. liked not so much the album as the reactions of the prisoners, little Johny Cashs' inserts...literally and indescribable atmosphere
This was a great listen. I've been aware of this album for a long time and it's place in legend and lore. What little I know about Johnny Cash (nope, haven't seen the well-known documentaries or the super-famous biopic, but I would like to one day), I really like him as a person.
As a musician, his appeal is easy to see. He makes it seem all so familiar and casual, but with his own signature sound, style, and of course, voice. I have heard his music in various settings over the years and I like it. It's not something I gravitate strongly towards on a regular basis. I have a feeling if I had ever seen him play live, I'd have been a lifelong huge fan. Seems like that kind of performer and person.
Really entertaining - one of the best live album atmospheres I've heard captured on record. Started off thinking it might make a interesting listen but nothing more, and ended up being the fastest I've bought an album from this list. Great stuff
[edit: "Hot Rats" currently holds the instant classic title, but this is still 2nd]
Solid live album, especially considering the location and difficulties to make it happen. Some great gems throughout the set list, although there are a few songs that just kind of pass into the background. Clearly groundbreaking, but not quite a 5-star for me.
Like “At San Quentin”, I appreciate the concept of this record, but musically I find it kind of boring. The songs all kind of sound the same and they’re repetitive in a very uninteresting way for me.
I don’t really get the appeal of his music and I know I’m outside of the mainstream with that opinion.
However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the song “Flushed From the Bathroom of Your Heart”, which, had it not been written by Cash, would’ve made a perfect pastiche song for Weird Al to take on Cash’s style with.
Hear the cheers of prisoners as Cash emulates their plight. It is beautiful and soul-crushing to hear that last note ring out before it’s back to prison business. Still, Cash left his mark with one of the greatest albums to ever be recorded.
An astonishing album. The fact that it was even made amazes me. I'd be surprised if anything like this is ever done again. Added that it's one of the all-time heroes of music, this is a 5-star album.
Johnny Cash Live at Folsom Prison is a classic album. For those new to country music or seeking to delve deeper into the genre, this album serves as an excellent introduction. Its cultural impact was profound, as performing for inmates was unheard of at the time.
just perfect. Johnny Cash did more for incarcerated rights than any celebrity has, and he did it by seeing them as people who deserved to hear some live music. it’s not a revolutionary idea, but still feels monumental. this album is so silly and goofy and funny but also heartbreaking and deeply sad. Johnny Cash always blended those two moods together so well, and for it to come across in this live recording.. art!
Johnny Cash is so badass. Dude had just come off of a hard fought battle with addiction and is looking to return to the music industry. Mind you, he had been out of the limelight for years. So he does the sensible thing and… makes a live album? From a prison? Hell yes. The audience noise and commentary makes you feel like you’re actually at the show. He’s singing about doing cocaine and shooting people and the crowd is loving it. Amazing record.
Möglicherweise das Beste Live-Album als Live-Album. Die Interaktion zwischen Cash und den Insassen, der Jubel bei »just to watch him die«, die währenddessen ununterbrochenen Abläufe des Gefängnisses – einfach unglaublich.
I mean Johnny fucking nails this performance for a number of reasons, but to me one of the standout moments is with June on Jackson, as she surprises me with her power and what it adds to the record. Instant classic.
So this album is great. Obviously. And, taken by itself, it's a masterpiece live album against which other live albums should be measured which is why it's earned a 5-star review from me. That said, I'm unclear as to why this list contains both "At Folsom Prison" and "At San Quentin" since they're essentially the same album. The amount of deja vu that I experienced listening to this after having listened to the other was uncomfortable. Sure the tracks (barring one, "Folsom Prison Blues", which is on both albums) are all different but the banter, lyrical content, and delivery is so similar that you'd be hard pressed, if the tracks were mixed up, to tell which song went on which album.
If you think about it, Johnny Cash is like the Original Gangster. He's just casually singing arguably the most depressing and off-putting prison songs to a literal bunch of prisoners in a prison. Stuff like cocaine and killing people, he's doing this shit before rap, he was just casually telling life stories like that, and yknow, that's insanely respectful, he's just that guy, yknow? 8/10
A fun listen to an artist that captured a snapshot of a time and place. They don’t make musicians like this anymore and they certainly don’t have concerts like this anymore.
I suppose my detailed comments on the San Quentin review apply here. I have loads of respect for Johnny doing these prison shows. Giving something to people who have nothing deserves our respect. As was the case at San Quentin, he performs a song written by a prisoner in the audience and gives him credit and a piece of the royalties. The song is Greystone Chapel which is a bible thumpin song. Normally not my thing but Johnny used religion to help him get off drugs and booze so it's understandable that this made him a tad evangelical about his religion. I'll leave my different opinion on religion at the door.
Highlights from the first 5 songs (I stopped the list after that):
Folsum Prison Blues( one of his best songs ever)
Cocaine BLues,
25 Min to go
Since I gave San Quentin a 5 I can't give another 5 to Johnny.
I loved the last song, dude just got his dream come true. However I'm not amused by the countless whistling while mentioning random violent crimes against women.
In the 2000s, visiting friends who had emigrated to London from Northern Ireland meant learning that my jokes didn’t travel. In Belfast, you could trade black jokes about bombings and kneecappings across the Protestant–Catholic divide and find yourself, oddly enough, closer to your opposite number. In London, the onlookers would respond to our ironic exchanges with polite horror. What was to us the hiss of air escaping from a pressure cooker sounded to them like we were tapping the cooker with a hammer. Gallows humour is a form of intimacy, and intimacy can be terrifying to the uninitiated.
That, for me, is the shock of Johnny Cash’s At Folsom Prison. The songs land with the jarring force of jokes overheard at the wrong table. 25 Minutes to Go turns the countdown to the gallows into a comedy routine. The Wall leaves its protagonist in a heap of suicide and barbed wire, with applause in its wake. Cocaine Blues is less a morality tale than a barfly’s boast, like something an oul fella might roll out at the Felons, knowing he’ll be indulged. What we hear is not a series of moral lessons, but the jokes prisoners tell each other about the things they’ve already seen, already done, or already survived. And when I listen in, I don’t know whether to laugh, flinch, or call a meeting. There is certainly some gross about it.
The effect is not unlike the “Ooh Ah Up the Ra!” chorus at the Féile an Phobail. Politicians clutch their pearls, commentators scribble furiously, but the singers are not holding a seminar on constitutional politics. They’re singing a song they half-mean and half-don’t, and the power lies in the ambiguity. Cash’s prison record anticipates the same dynamic that later scandalised America with gangsta rap: the pantomime of menace, grotesque bluff dressed as authenticity. The audience knows it isn’t entirely sincere, but neither is it entirely insincere. That’s the point. It’s not sociology; it’s supposed to be a good time. For someone, anyway.
Of course, not everything fits neatly under the banner of gallows humour. When Cash drops the word “bitch”, it doesn’t sound like black comedy at all. It sounds like my Uncle Francie, who unfailingly referred to his ex-wife as “The Bitch” and meant it with the sort of commitment you could only envy if you were in a particularly bad marriage yourself. There’s nothing survivalist about it, no wink of complicity - just plain nastiness. I didn’t like it when he was alive and I don’t much care for it now. The performance of nastiness easily becomes the performing of nasty acts: the tit-for-tat murders of the East Coast/West Coast feud are testament to that.
One suspects, though, that the in-group, whether prisoners in Folsom, festival-goers in the Falls Park, or gang members in Compton, aren’t terribly bothered about the out-group’s opinion. They’ve already seen enough to treat disapproval as background noise. That leaves the listener - or me at least - adrift. How do I engage with the problematic elements of the performance? One way is to treat them as pantomime, to recognise the performance as performance, bounded by humour, held within the magic space of art.
So, is Johnny Cash, then, exploiting his audience - the authentic prison response - to heighten his outlaw persona? Or is he humanising those men, letting us hear their laughter and their recognition? Perhaps both.
By singing Greystone Chapel, a song written by an inmate, he cedes the microphone for a moment, allowing that inner world to speak. Yet, at this remove, far from California in 1967, and – for me – far, too, from God, the song’s appeal to redemption can sound unconvincing.
And yet, for all the gallows gags and criminal boasts, the loudest cheer on the album comes not for the blood or the bluster but for Jackson, the hit duet. Maybe that’s wishful listening on my part, but I swear I can hear it. Marital squabbles, thwarted egos, love that doubles as war… suddenly the private jokes of prisoners become the shared joke of everyone: not universal, perhaps, but less insular, less bound to the survival rituals of a closed world. In that moment, the salt circle opens up (yet will be unbroken). Everyone knows what it is to argue, to boast, to love.
Indeed, for my money, Cash gets better as he gets older and ages away from the outlaw Man in Black performance and becomes the husband and widower of June. A kinder partner than my Uncle Francie. Perhaps he achieved the redemption of Greystone Chapel himself. 2
Prisons are like holiday camps these days. Books, paints, games consoles. We need another Johnny Cash to step up and remind these crims that it’s a punishment.
1/5
Iconic 1968 live album, well recorded for the time. A really novel idea which spawned three more albums in prisons. The man in black was a true man of the people. Great song choices, the response from the crowd of ne’er do wells to the fourth lines of verses is priceless.
"Hello, I’m Johnny Cash." It is a brilliant, yet simple introduction to a wonderful, five-star live album.
The performance is superbly delivered by Cash and his then-partner (and soon-to-be wife), June Carter. They are backed by a formidable band that, for this recording, also includes the great Carl Perkins. Aside from the vocalists, the Tennessee Three deserve a special mention for providing that iconic "boom-chicka-boom" sound: Marshall Grant on double bass, W.S. Holland on drums, and the legendary Luther Perkins on lead guitar.
The production is remarkably clear and the mix is excellent. While some studio trickery was deployed - mainly to enhance crowd reactions, such as the famous roar following the "shot a man in Reno" line - it only serves to heighten the album’s rebellious atmosphere.
For me, this record contains the definitive versions of "Folsom Prison Blues", "Give My Love to Rose", "Cocaine Blues" and "Jackson". Furthermore, the chemistry on "Jackson" is absolutely electric, perfectly capturing the spark between Cash and Carter just weeks before their marriage.
Lastly, if you enjoy this album and wish to explore Johnny Cash further, "At San Quentin" is equally essential. It is also worth seeking out the various "Legacy" editions of "At Folsom Prison"; these include additional tracks performed on the day that were originally omitted, on the original release, due to the time constraints of a single vinyl LP.
Side one
1 "Folsom Prison Blues" (5/5)
2 "Dark as the Dungeon" (5/5)
3 "I Still Miss Someone" (5/5)
4 "Cocaine Blues" (5/5)
5 "25 Minutes to Go" (5/5)
6 "Orange Blossom Special" (5/5)
7 "The Long Black Veil" (5/5)
Side two
1 "Send a Picture of Mother" (4/5)
2 "The Wall" (4/5)
3 "Dirty Old Egg-Suckin' Dog" (4/5)
4 "Flushed from the Bathroom of Your Heart" (4/5)
5 "Jackson" (with June Carter) (5/5)
6 "Give My Love to Rose" (5/5)
7 "I Got Stripes" (5/5)
8 "Green, Green Grass of Home" (5/5)
9 "Greystone Chapel" (5/5)
Total - 76
Average - 4.75
252/1001
138/252 albums reviewed were new to me
Johnny Cash. 60's style kind of icon of country, folk, soft rock... not too typical of my go to genres. ... This is one of the greatest albums ever made in the history of music. Not going to mince words. That this was recorded and played for prisoners in a real-life shithole does affect the whole idea of it, but it does NOT change the fact that this will stand the test of time of being one of the best albums ever produced.
Why? Because this is as real as it gets. It is hope, joy in a joyless place, it gave to those thrown away. It does not lie and shrink away from the idea that some of these guys did bad things, but that it does not sum up their whole lives either. And you see that here. Gem. An absolute gem!
My bias here feels off the chart. I love his voice, his guitar playing; this guy is just legendary and loveable.
"Folsom Prison Blues" is fun in such a weird way, considering the lyrics. The hooting and hollering from the inmates makes it even more fun. I suspect their reactions are going to continue throughout this album and boost the feelings in each song through pure atmosphere.
"Dark as the Dungeon" was a real 180 on the vibe, but the inmates react all the same; with total reverence for this guy. His little speech about the recording at the end tells me why I am going to love the rest of the album: Cash just oozes charisma from every cell in his body.
Loved "Cocaine Blues", "25 Minutes to Go", "Long Black Veil", "The Wall", "Flushed from the Bathroom of your Heart", "I got Stripes", "Green, Green Grass Home" and "Greystone Chapel".
This album was both emotional and fun; Cash makes me smile that stupid smile you get when you're just happy.
wild to me that johnny cash was on the downswing before this. because this album is incredible.
the interlude of prison announcements & him telling them they can't swear (censored). folsom prison blues is a classic for a reason
25 minutes to go--woah. musically well balanced. woah.
orange blossom special--
the long black veil--damn.
these interludes are cracking me up.
it's not exactly a cheery album.
they had garbage disposals in 1968?? i guess so
give my love to rose--amazing
green green grass of home--the nostalgia
greystone chapel--love singing a song by a prisoner
did they just boo the warden??? love it. are they giving him tin cups? something
imagine being a prisoner and johnny cash comes in and is like "here's a concert for y'all. also recording for an album for the free world."
anyway 5/5 perfect artist perfect album.
What a masterpiece of a live album. Iconic album cover of Cash and was nice to hear more songs other than the title track. Noticeable covers too. Liked the live banter.
One of the all time greatest artists. His voice and demeanor on stage are classic. This live recording just adds more to what he already has and to anyone knowing his history, playing live at this place is even greater.
I think I will listen through this a few more times today.
Had to break from working on my reviews one by one when I saw this come up. A better full package than his San Quentin album and maybe my favorite live album of all time.
Johnny is very entertaining between tracks and the balance between his humourous and more showtuney tracks and the more serious and somber tracks is much better here.
Goes to prison and sings about doing cocaine, murder, and being on death row. And all in front of prisoners who are totally enraptured. This album is ballsy.
EASY FIVE
It's amazing how much mileage Cash can get out of the same plunkin' thunkin' bassline while at the same time making each song feel fresh and fun. I'm admittedly partial to Johnny's smooth baritone. From the lively and upbeat hoedowners to the slower and more sentimental tracks, there's truly no voice better suited to this type of music than his.
It's worth mentioning that the novelty of this album being performed at Folsom Prison is very present, and you can tell that both Johnny and the prisoners are having fun. I also loved June making an appearance as well. It's hard for me to listen to this without a smile on my face.
5/5 a hoot and a holler all the way through
¿Hay alguien que escuche la voz de Johnny Cash y no caiga hipnotizado al instante? Es que solo con ese don que tiene en las cuerdas vocales no necesita de buenas canciones. De hecho, su éxito se basa más en cómo canta que en lo que canta. Es más, puede hacer buena una mala canción. En este concierto en la prisión se ve al Johnny más genuino, sin las construcciones de los estudios que tanto odiaba. Se le nota disfrutón y bromista con la audiencia, conecta en lo más humano con la misma y sale airoso del reto. Un disco inigualable de un artista inigualable.
This album is the total Cash experience in microcosm. The banter is a huge part of it as is the prisoners shouting "Whooo!" at the line "I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die." A great collection of rabble rousers and murder ballads. June Carter Cash comes in and steals the show on "Jackson." Love all the prison songs and Johnny writing a song just the night before. Lean, mean, and some of his best story songs. Struck by a song like "Cocaine Blues" and how it's as R rated as any rap lyric. The man was a legend at his best on this one.
Johnny Cash had the only trait that really should matter for devout Christians like himself, empathy, and he had it in spades. Going into Folsom after just kicking his serious drug habit, getting down with the guys considered the lowest of the low by 'respectable' society. Call it the birth of outlaw country, I'd even call it proto punk. I love the banter, taunting the guards and joking with the inmates. This is one of the finest collection of songs he ever recorded from start to finish, his powers as a storyteller shine
10/10 - what an album, to have the courage to record in Folsom prison and with bangin lyrics, the bassist is so good on this. Shout out to Joaquin Phoenix for nailing the voice in walk the line too
I love live albums, and this is one of the greatest. Brilliant sound and a truly incredible concert experience. Really torn on whether it gets a 4 or a 5.
It's a critical piece of music history and really is an album you should hear before you die, so I'll go 5.
When Cash walks out and announces his presence, that's aura.