At Folsom Prison (1968)

At Folsom Prison is the first live album by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, released by Columbia Records on May 6, 1968. It was recorded at Folsom State Prison, California, on January 13, 1968.

After his 1955 song "Folsom Prison Blues", Cash had been interested in recording a performance at a prison. His idea was delayed until 1967, when personnel changes at Columbia Records saw Bob Johnston placed in charge of producing Cash's material. Cash had controlled his drug-abuse problems and was seeking to resuscitate his career after several years of limited success. Backed by June Carter, Carl Perkins and the Tennessee Three, Cash performed two shows at Folsom State Prison.

Despite little initial promotion by Columbia, At Folsom Prison reached number one on the Top Country Charts and the top 15 of the national album chart. The lead single, a performance of "Folsom Prison Blues", was Cash's first top-40 hit since 1964's "Understand Your Man". At Folsom Prison received positive reviews and revitalized Cash's career. At the 11th Annual Grammy Awards in 1969, it won for Best Album Notes, and "Folsom Prison Blues" won for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male.

Cash recorded three more live albums in prisons: At San Quentin (1969), På Österåker (1973) and A Concert Behind Prison Walls (1976). At Folsom Prison was rereleased with additional tracks in 1999, and again in 2018 for Record Store Day. It was certified triple platinum in 2003 for American sales exceeding 3.4 million. It has been cited by numerous critics as one of the greatest albums and was included in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Background

Johnny Cash became interested in Folsom State Prison, California, while serving in the United States Air Force Security Service. In 1953, his unit watched Crane Wilbur's 1951 film Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison. The film inspired Cash to write a song that reflected his perception of prison life. The result was "Folsom Prison Blues", Cash's second single on Sun Records. The song became popular among inmates, who would write to Cash, requesting him to perform at their prisons. Cash's first prison performance was at Huntsville State Prison in 1957. Satisfied by the favorable reception, he performed at several other prisons in the years leading up to the Folsom performance in 1968.

A few years after attaining commercial success from songs such as "I Walk the Line", "Understand Your Man", and "Ring of Fire", Cash's popularity began to wane, due in part to his increasing dependence on drugs. In 1967, Cash sought help for his escalating drug problems and by the end of the year, began turning his career around. At this time, the country music division of Columbia Records underwent major personnel changes. Cash's previous producers Frank Jones and Don Law were ousted in favor of Bob Johnston, who was known for his erratic behavior and willingness to disagree with studio executives. Cash saw this as an opportunity to pitch his idea of recording a live album at a prison, which Johnston enthusiastically supported. Johnston contacted San Quentin State Prison and Folsom, with Folsom being the first to respond.

Recording

On January 10, 1968, Cash and his future wife, singer June Carter, registered at the El Rancho Motel in Sacramento, California. They were later accompanied by the Tennessee Three, Carl Perkins, the Statler Brothers, Johnny's father Ray Cash, Reverend Floyd Gressett, pastor of Avenue Community Church in Ventura, California (where Cash often attended services), who counseled inmates at Folsom and helped facilitate the concert and producer Johnston. The performers rehearsed for two days, an uncommon occurrence for them, sometimes with two or more songs rehearsed concurrently by various combinations of musicians.

One focus of the sessions was to learn "Greystone Chapel", a song written by inmate Glen Sherley. Sherley had previously recorded a version of the song that he sent to Rev. Gressett via the prison's recreation director. During the rehearsals on January 12, California governor Ronald Reagan, who was at the hotel for an after-dinner speech, visited the band and offered his encouragement. On January 13, the group traveled to Folsom, meeting Los Angeles Times writer Robert Hilburn and Columbia photographer Jim Marshall, who were hired to document the album for the liner notes.