On January 13, 1968, Johnny Cash (1932-2000) took the stage at Folsom Prison in Folsom, California. The event and the album, Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, propelled him to worldwide superstardom with his definitive renderings of "I Still Miss Someone," "The Long Black Veil," and, of course, "Folsom Prison Blues." He reached new audiences, ignited tremendous growth in the country music industry, and connected with fans in a way no other artist has before or since.
Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison is an engrossing, riveting account of that day, what led to it, and what came after. Michael Streissguth skillfully places the album and the concert in the larger context of Cash's artistic development, the era's poplular music, and California's prison system, uncovering new angles and exploding a few myths along the way. Scrupulously recorded, richly informed by the author's unprecedented access to Folsom Prison and Columbia Records' archives, and fully illustrated with over 100 photos — many never before published — by legendary photogrpaher Jim Marshall, Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison shows how Johnny Cash forever became a champion of the downtrodden, as well as one of the most enduring forces of American music.
