While Johnny Cash was already a towering figure in country music, At Folsom Prison sees his metamorphosis into the notorious Man in Black. Recorded live at Folsom prison in front of a rowdy assemblage of California’s hardest inmates, the material Cash selects is very much in line with his working man reputation. From the amphetamine fulled Cocaine Blues and the rowdy Folsom Prison Blues to the melancholy of ballads like the Long Black Veil, At Folsom Prison underlines Johnny’s gift for storytelling. Sometimes bawdy, sometimes funny, sometimes tender, this is that rare live album where an artist truly bonds with an audience. As an interesting side note, Cash was arrested several times over the years but never actually served any hard time. The fact that a bunch of hardened prisoners so readily buy into his romantic outlaw myth-making is truly a testament to Cash’s easy charisma and his velvety drawl, cementing At Folsom Prison as milestone in Cash’s career, as well as one of the most moving live albums ever cut to wax.
Pete Whelan 