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1814
1815

Johnny Cash performing for prisoners at Folsom Prison - Jan. 13th 1968 [1,078×1,600] (i.imgur.com)

submitted ago by knock_blocks

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[–]Superfluity10k 89 points90 points ago

Hello... I'm Johnny Cash.

[–]randy9876 27 points28 points ago

DAR DAR DAR DAR DAR DO DO. (Carl Perkins guitar lick)

[–]Superfluity10k 5 points6 points ago

I sang your dars and dos out loud. They fit perfectly with Folsom prison blues!

[–]Travis_T_OJustice 9 points10 points ago

doh dikka dow dikka doh dikka dow dikka doh.... hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[–]rhave132 8 points9 points ago

I hear the train a coming....

[–]OldOrder 6 points7 points ago

It's rollin round the bend

[–]surlycanon 5 points6 points ago

And I ain't seen the sunshine since, I don't know when...

[–]pitlord713 -2 points-1 points ago

ooooOOOO im stuck in folsom prison and time keeeeeps draaaaaagin byyyy

[–]bwalsh1 3 points4 points ago

You know you're a badass when you can make an entire prison full of rapists, serial killers and other awful miscreants act like girls at a Beiber concert.

source: youtube comments

[–]untaken-username 43 points44 points ago

"I just wanted to tell you that this show is being recorded for an album released on Columbia Records, so you can't say 'hell' or 'shit' or anything like that."

[–]Rizzpooch 41 points42 points ago

Lay off that whiskey and let that cocaine be!

[–]gasundtieht 0 points1 point ago

Lay off that liquor and let that transfusion be! Cash did Transfusion Blues, George Thorogood did Cocaine Blues.

[–]Rizzpooch 13 points14 points ago

Cash did it at this concert

[–]gasundtieht 5 points6 points ago

My Johnny Cash playlist is incomplete I guess. Thank you for the clarification.

[–]Rizzpooch 3 points4 points ago

You've got it. I love his version of it, and on the original track you get an announcement from the prison and him giving a bit of talk-back

[–]CountNoAccount 6 points7 points ago

"The following men have reception..."

[–]bandersnatchpop -1 points0 points ago

heh, I doubt that

[–]Diegotron9000 13 points14 points ago

Kinda surprising that he appears to be referring to some form of sheet music (lyrics or chord changes?). The songs weren't that complicated, and I'm have thought Mr. Cash knew them by heart. Very cool photo. No reason a man shouldn't have some notation on stage to help him out, it's interesting that I've never noticed it in photos of other popular musicians from this era.

[–]haypenny 12 points13 points ago

I remember hearing him refer to his 'idiot sheet' in one of his recordings. I think that's the usual name for the set list for a concert.

[–]Diegotron9000 0 points1 point ago

Oh, cool! That makes sense.

[–]buyobuyo 3 points4 points ago

Could be singing requests for songs by other artists that he doesn't know by heart.

[–]alcflea 1 point2 points ago

He might be "A Boy Named Sue" because, according to my Cash obsessed brother at least, the first time he played that it was his first time reading the song.

[–]EdmondHonda 1 point2 points ago

Assuming this photo is in fact from Folsom, your theory could well be correct. Don't recall where I read it, but he said that concert was the first time he felt comfortable performing it for a crowd, and he didn't have all the words memorized yet, requiring him to use the sheet music.

Edit: I am wrong - this was on the San Quentin album, not Folsom. Needing the sheet music is correct, though, Wikipedia cites his 1997 autobiography as the source.

[–]helimx 11 points12 points ago

My great uncle was at this show... he also went on to become a very successful business man after paying his debt to society.

[–]zombiebarbie 7 points8 points ago

What did he do to get sent to prison?

[–]DrascaL 19 points20 points ago

He shot a man in Reno...

[–]Taphophile 11 points12 points ago

Just to watch him die.

[–]helimx 7 points8 points ago

Not 100% sure... my grandmother never really said. But we all knew uncle Frank had one heckuva temper. I only met him a few times, and have fond memories of his model trains in his den. He was in the railroad business. But, Folsom wasn't known for housing "white collar" criminals, so I'd guess it was for losing his temper in some shape of form.

[–]DuckDuckShrimp 17 points18 points ago

I didn't realize the SM57 was that old...fantastic picture!

[–]youracat 3 points4 points ago

thats the first thing i noticed in the picture too.

[–]AshamedGorilla 1 point2 points ago

Also the first things I noticed. I believe the 57 (as we know it) came out in the mid 60s. The mic on his guitar looks like it might be silver in color and may be a 545. Which is more or less the model directly before the 57.

I believe the mics between the two 57s and in front of the stage are model 55s.

One thing throwing me off is the clip/connector integration which was common on mics back them but I didn't thing was ever on the 57.

[–]DuckDuckShrimp 0 points1 point ago

I noticed that too...what confuzzles me is the fact that it doesn't look like there's anything at all coming out of where the XLR pins are...ghost output connection apparently

[–]AshamedGorilla 0 points1 point ago

It wasn't uncommon with older mics of that day to have the clip threads/connector all one thing. The idea of a separate mic clip wasn't very prevalent. My curiosity was the fact that I didn't think the 57 was ever that way.

Example - The Shure 55. Notice how the XLR connector and threads for the stand are all part of the mic body.

[–]CountNoAccount 9 points10 points ago

"Can I have a drink of water? Last time I was here I had a drink of water and I don't know what the hell it run off of, I think it must have run off of Luther's boots or something...."

[–]__________________- 7 points8 points ago

Neat doc about the show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBDKWHTeYkY&playnext=1&list=PLBEFA7ED68AEE0D48&feature=results_video

[–]jvnk 13 points14 points ago

What a powerful scene.

[–]obamaisabuddhist 4 points5 points ago

The aspect ratio makes it look like it was taken with a cell phone. Kind of surreal.

[–]mugsnj 1 point2 points ago

We had vertical photos before cell phones, just not vertical videos.

[–]obamaisabuddhist 0 points1 point ago

I'm aware. I was just remarking that the aspect ratio was reminiscent of a modern cell phone picture.

[–]FoodBeerBikesMusic 1 point2 points ago

Time travel? Yeah, there's an app for that....

[–]munimula 11 points12 points ago

I have the same guitar strap. The company I got it from bought the original roll of fabric that they used to make these in the 60's. It's the same strap that Hendrix used at Woodstock.

[–]Sloppy_Twat 0 points1 point ago

ohhh ahhh

[–]margotten 6 points7 points ago

I said to myself "man, I would love to have been there", until I realized that meant I would have been in jail.

Still might be worth it though.

[–]JagrsMullet 5 points6 points ago

The picture in the background looks like Alien from Alien.

[–]mugsnj 1 point2 points ago

I thought it look like an AT-AT falling down

[–]SkinnyHusky 1 point2 points ago

I thought the exact same thing. What the hell is it supposed to be?

[–]themailmanC 0 points1 point ago

TIL They have? had paintings in prisons.

[–]XDSebXD 4 points5 points ago

Wow. Seeing this picture really makes me realize why they casted Phoenix to play the part!

[–]Hyperphenylalafiend 4 points5 points ago

I like that painting in the background. Lone Cypress, anyone?

[–]lessobvious 2 points3 points ago

I mistook a microphone for a leg and it looked like a robo-t-rex walking along a bay.

[–]Crizix 4 points5 points ago

Some Of those prisoners are dressed better than most men of our day

[–]Fluffiebunnie 0 points1 point ago

Go back to 1900 and everyone wore a suit and a hat.

[–]The3rdWorld 0 points1 point ago

Is Mearl Haggard in the front row, or was that San Quentin?

[–]GirIsKing 1 point2 points ago

awesome picture and everything is awesome about this!!!

[–]mrs_mojo_risin 0 points1 point ago

one of my favorite musicians, ever. thank you for posting. this is beautiful!

[–]GMofOLC 0 points1 point ago

Why are there so many microphones that aren't even near him?

[–]MrBurd 0 points1 point ago

Because he's not the only one playing that evening. There's a band behind him and his wife sings as well.

[–]Napolenyan 0 points1 point ago

what a coincidence, I was just looking at a performance of him in a prison yesterday (might've been this one, i don't know).

His voice really has character.

[–]Drutarg 0 points1 point ago

Great, now I'm going to have Johnny Cash songs stuck in my head.

[–]zombiebarbie 2 points3 points ago

Why are there only white prisoners?

[–]applesauce_lover 0 points1 point ago

I live right across the street from this prison. Since no one knows anything about Folsom, I always ask if they've heard his song about Folsom prison. They always say yes and we continue to live our lives.

He put us on the map. What a character...

[–]inthebreeze711 -1 points0 points ago

where's his macbook

[–]boxingdude 0 points1 point ago

That dude was just totally bad ass.

[–]mtme 0 points1 point ago

Still his best show IMHO

[–]thiss 1 point2 points ago

Do artists even perform at prisons anymore?

[–]Beatle_Matt 0 points1 point ago

Easily one of the best live albums ever IMO.

[–]ElBasham 2 points3 points ago

Really kind of looks like Joaquin Phoenix in this pic. Or Phoenix looks like him. Anyway, good choice to play him in the movie.

[–]theCLEsteamer 0 points1 point ago

his "middle finger" photo was always my favorite http://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2009/08/22/johnny-cashs-finger/

[–]bobsagetfullhouse 0 points1 point ago

He looks like he belongs to another era

[–]flyingcarsnow 0 points1 point ago

what's that part when he says something about knowing what they think about some things and not caring what they think about other things?

[–]prettybitchin 0 points1 point ago

I spy, with my little eye... Skrillex.

[–]MrBurd 0 points1 point ago

Johhny Cash performed a song written by Glen Sherley who was an inmate by then.

He was on the front line of the audience and didn't know his song was going to be played.

[–]bathroomstalin 0 points1 point ago

Sure am glad I shot all those people back in '65!

[–]roydawgg 2 points3 points ago

"I'm just letting you know that this album is being recorded by Columbia Records, so you can't say hell, shit, or anything like that."

[–]Thrasher1493 -4 points-3 points ago

Is that skrillex in the corner?

[–]IamNotRayJ 0 points1 point ago

take all of my upvotes

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