What Was Folsom Prison Blues Music Taken From?
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Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” is one of the most iconic songs in country music history. But where did the Man in Black get the idea for the song?
Folsom Prison Blues
In 1955, country musician Johnny Cash was touring the United States with his band, The Tennessee Three. During a stop in Memphis, Tennessee, Cash went to Sun Records to meet with owner Sam Phillips. Phillips was not interested in signing Cash, but he did agree to record a demo of one of his songs, “Folsom Prison Blues.”
Phillips liked the song and offered to release it as a single, but Cash was not happy with the recordings and decided not to release them. However, Phillips continued to play the song on the radio and it eventually became a hit. In 1968, Cash recorded a live version of “Folsom Prison Blues” at Folsom State Prison. The performance was released as an album and became one of Cash’s most famous recordings.
The Music of Folsom Prison Blues
Folsom Prison Blues music was taken from a song called “Cocaine Blues.” The original song was about a man who was addicted to cocaine and ended up killing a man while under the influence. The music for Folsom Prison Blues was adapted from the original song to be about a man who is incarcerated in Folsom Prison.
The Lyrics of Folsom Prison Blues
“Folsom Prison Blues” is a song written and recorded in 1955 by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash. The song was one of Cash’s signature songs. It was the first single from his LP With His Hot and Blue Guitar and became a hit later that year, reaching number four on the country charts. It was also included (in live version) on At Folsom Prison, a posthumous album released in May 1968, nearly four months after Cash’s death. Parts of the song allude to earlier hit songs, most notably Harold Arlen’s “Blues Stay Away from Me”, Merle Travis’ “Sixteen Tons”, and Al Dexter’s “Pistol Packin’ Mama”.
The Music of Folsom Prison Blues
Folsom Prison Blues is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Johnny Cash. The song was first recorded on July 30, 1955, and was included on Cash’s first album with Sun Records, With His Hot and Blue Guitar.
The song tells the story of a man who is incarcerated in Folsom Prison and longing for freedom. The lyrics were inspired by Cash’s own experiences with the prison, as well as those of other inmates he had met. The music is based on the folk song “Cocaine Bill”, which Cash had heard while working on a farm in Dyess, Arkansas.
Folsom Prison Blues has been covered by many artists, including Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, Neil Young, and Willie Nelson. It has also been featured in films such as The Shawshank Redemption and Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
The Influence of Folsom Prison Blues
Folsom Prison Blues is a song written and recorded in 1955 by Johnny Cash. The song was inspired by the 1951 film, Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison. The film depicts the everyday lives of the inmates inside the prison. The song became one of Cash’s signature songs and helped to launch his career.
The Lyrics of Folsom Prison Blues
Folsom Prison Blues is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash. The song was first recorded on July 5, 1955, and was released as a single on Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar, his debut album, which was released on October 11 of that year. The song was inspired by Cash’s time spent in Folsom State Prison. It is one of the most famous songs about prison, and has been covered by many artists.
The lyrics of Folsom Prison Blues are based on the true story of a man who killed two policemen in Folkston, Georgia. The man, Frank Graham, was sentenced to death row in Folsom Prison. He wrote a letter to his girlfriend from prison, which was published in the newspapers. The letter begins: “I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die.”
The first verse of the song is taken directly from the letter. The rest of the song is Cash’s own imagining of what life would be like for the killer in prison. In the second verse, he sings about how the killer would be treated by other prisoners: “You better quit kickin’ my dog around / Or you ain’t gonna live much longer.”
The chorus imagines the killer’s girlfriend hearing the news on the radio: “I hear that train a-comin’ / It’s rollin’ round the bend / And I ain’t seen no sunshine since I don’t know when.”
The final verse is a statement of hope from the killer himself: “But I know I had it comin’ / I know I can’t be free / But those chains are gettin’ rusty / And they’re fallin’ off of me.”
Folsom Prison Blues has been covered by many artists, including Bruce Springsteen, Pat Boone, Roy Orbison, and Emmylou Harris.
The Music of Folsom Prison Blues
The music of Folsom Prison Blues has been taken from a variety of sources, including folk, blues, country, and rock. This eclecticism is one of the things that makes the song so popular, as it appeals to a wide range of listeners. The lyrics of the song are also based on the true story of a man who was wrongfully imprisoned, which gives the song an added sense of urgency and pathos.
