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Johnny Cash’s seminal 1968 concert at Folsom Prison is one of the masterpieces of contemporary music and social commentary. One of the greatest albums of hte late sixties counter culture/protest movement, it still holds up very well today as an example of compassion, understanding, and great artistry.
 A wonderful new book has recently been published that documents the story behind this historic event, Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison: The Making of a Masterpiece, by Michael Streissguth. I found it fascinating, both as the story of how a great recording was made under difficult circumstances, and also because of the honest way Johnny Cash is portrayed. If you’re not familiar with his life and career (and even if you think you are), this is an informative read. Most of the biographies I’ve read either gloss over the rough edges, or try to portray him as an outlaw; he was much more complex than most people realize. He was true to his image, and was also a slave to it.
Like most great artists, he was difficult to pigeonhole. Columbia promoted him as a country artist, but he was more in the tradition of folk troubadours, chronicling the ordinary person’s lives, joys, and adversities. He was also one of the great early rock and rollers, having cut a series of rockabilly classics at Sun in the mid-fifties. As a child, I always found him fascinating and more than a little bit spooky. He seemed like an old testament prophet who’d seen a bit more of the truth than most men, and was there to warn more than preach.
Check out this book, it is quite a story. Cash was one of the few country artists (or pop artists in general) of the period who was able to take over creative control of his recordings. Buit Columbia didn’t realize what they had on their hands, and nearly dropped the ball marketing it. It snuck in through the back door of underground radio, and eventually became one of the best selling albums of all time. There are some great stories about how the album was remarketed, and the amount of editing involved to create a distinctive image for it (much of the live ambience was carefully added in the studio).
A masterpiece of recording, and a masterpiece of a book. Five stars.
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