Skip to main content

Johnny Cash—A Concert Behind Prison Walls

Email share
Johnny Cash—A Concert Behind Prison Walls

Saturday, Aug. 22, at 6 p.m.

JOHNNY CASH–A CONCERT BEHIND PRISON WALLS features the legendary Man in Black performing some of his greatest hits alongside sets from singer Linda Ronstadt and country guitarist and singer Roy Clark (Hee Haw).

Known for his “outlaw” concert performances at Folsom Prison and San Quentin, Cash also recorded this lesser-known concert for inmates at the Tennessee State Prison. Recorded in 1974 for network television, this slightly more subdued prison concert is only one of two prison concerts Cash ever shot for broadcast.

Cash opens the show with a rousing and fitting “Folsom Prison Blues,” then follows it up with the Kris Kristofferson-penned “Sunday Morning Coming Down.” He completes his first set with a song about prison brutality, “Jacob Green,” before Clark wows the audience with the rollicking "Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms" and Ronstadt offers some come classics of her own, including a cover of The Eagles’ “Desperado” and the 1975 Billboard-topping “You’re No Good.” Additional highlights include a rare, live performance of Cash’s “Hey Porter” and the humorous country classic “A Boy Named Sue.”

Featuring Cash’s stellar musicianship and trademark baritone, Clark’s impressive banjo-picking, and Ronstadt’s versatile and powerful voice, this program is an entertaining look back at three musical powerhouses, and is especially satisfying for fans of Cash’s prison concerts.