In the early 1970s, after the song became popular, Cash paid Jenkins a settlement of approximately US$75,000 following a lawsuit. Jenkins was not credited on the original record, which was issued by Sun Records. Cash recounted how he came up with the line 'But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die': 'I sat with my pen in my hand, trying to think up the worst reason a person could have for killing another person, and that's what came to mind.' įurther information: List of songs that have been the subject of plagiarism disputesĬash took the melody for the song and many of the lyrics from Gordon Jenkins's 1953 Seven Dreams concept album, specifically the song ' Crescent City Blues'. This version also won the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male, at the 11th Annual Grammy Awards in 1969.Ĭash was inspired to write this song after seeing the movie Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison (1951) while serving in West Germany in the United States Air Force at Landsberg, Bavaria (itself the location of a famous prison). 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the same year. 1 hit on the country music charts and reached No. Ĭash performed the song live to a crowd of inmates at Folsom State Prison in 1968 for his live album At Folsom Prison (1968), released through Columbia Records. 51 on its list of the 100 greatest country songs of all time. In June 2014, Rolling Stone ranked it No. Additionally, this recording was included on the compilation album All Aboard the Blue Train (1962).

Borrowing liberally from Gordon Jenkins' 1953 song, 'Crescent City Blues', the song combines elements from two popular folk styles, the train song and the prison song, both of which Cash continued to use for the rest of his career. Written in 1953, it was first recorded and released as a single in 1955, and later included on his debut studio album Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar! (1957), as the album's eleventh track. ' Folsom Prison Blues' is a song by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash. Song by Johnny Cash 'Folsom Prison Blues'įrom the album Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar!

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