Eventually, Cash performed the song at Folsom Prison on January 13, 1968.
On this Day in History: July 30, 1955
The legendary country music artist, Johnny Cash, recorded the very first version of "Folsom Prison Blues" at the Sun Recording Studio in Memphis, Tennessee.
Cash was inspired to write the song after seeing the movie Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison (1951). At the time, he was serving in the United States Air Force over in West Germany at Landsberg, Bavaria — which is also a location of a famous prison.
For decades, he opened almost all of his concerts with "Folsom Prison Blues," after greeting the audience with his trademark introduction, "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash." Eventually, Cash performed the song at Folsom Prison on January 13, 1968, which was recorded and later released as a live album.
Cash talked about how he came up with the line "But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die" and why he chose to write it. Here's what he said:
"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."
Reporters and music critics would often ask him the meanings behind other parts of the song. One photographer, Jim Marshall, asked him why the song's main character was serving time in California's Folsom Prison after shooting a man in Reno, Nevada. He responded:
"That's called poetic license."
Love Mr. CASH! 😎