THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

428-Johnny Cash-San Quentin.

1969-It has never been released as a single in the UK.

Best Bit-At 1.46. Johnny Cash playing to a captive audience.

Johnny Cash (see also best songs 857 and 199) was born J. R. Cash on February 26th, 1932, in Kingsland, Arkansas, United States, he died on September 12th, 2003, at the age of 71, of complications from diabetes. Cash suffered from drug addiction for long periods in his life, which led to him being arrested on occasions for possession, although he never spent more than one night in prison, (on at least seven occasions) he had great empathy with the conditions that long term inmates had to endure during their custodial sentences.

Johnny Cash is one of the worlds best selling artists, with sales in excess of 90 million records, he wrote over 1000 songs, and there have been a total of 97 Albums issued since 1957. Among the Albums released include 15 live recordings, of which four were recorded in prisons. Cash first performed at San Quentin (also his first ever prison performance) on January 1st, 1959. San Quentin State Prison is in California, United States, and first opened in July 1852. In the audience that day was an inmate by the name of Merle Haggard, (1937-2016) who at the age of 18 had been sentenced to 15 years in San Quentin for burglary. Seeing Cash perform turned Haggard’s life around, and he went on to become one of Country Music’s most successful acts with 38 Number 1 songs on Billboard’s Country Music chart. In 1969 when appearing on the ‘Johnny Cash Show’ Haggard told Cash that the first time he had ever seen him perform was at San Quentin, to which Cash replied ‘I don’t remember you being in that show Merle,’ to which Haggard responded, ‘I was in the audience Johnny.’

San Quentin’ is the opening track on side 2 on the original first issue of the Album ‘Johnny Cash at San Quentin,’ from June 1969, the song also appears in a shorter version as track 2 on side 2, with the Album notes stating ‘performed a second time at the audience’s request.’ ‘Johnny Cash at San Quentin’ was the 31st overall Album release by Johnny Cash, it was recorded on February 24th, 1969. The song ‘San Quentin’ was written by Johnny Cash, who also provided lead vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica, with the production being by Bob Johnston. (1932-2015.) Also appearing on the track, and it’s parent Album were June Carter Cash, (1929-2003) (vocals) the Carter Family, (vocals, autoharp, acoustic guitar) Marshall Grant, (1928-2011) (bass guitar) W.S. Holland, (1935-2020) (drums) Carl Perkins, (1932-1998) (see also best songs 664) (rhythm guitar, lead guitar, vocals) Bob Wootton, (1942-2017) (lead guitar) and The Statler Brothers (vocals.) The Album which has sold in excess of three million copies in the United States has been re-issued on Compact Disc in 2000, where it was expanded to 18 tracks, and in 2006 as the ‘Legacy Edition,’ which now carried 31 tracks, and a bonus ‘DVD.’ Johnny Cash’s first recorded for release concert prison Album had been the previous year, the ‘Folsom Prison,’ Album, which had also been met with critical acclaim. There would be two more ‘prison albums,’ ‘Pa Osteraker’ recorded in 1972, in Sweden, and ‘A Concert Behind Prison Walls,’ recorded in 1974, at Tennessee State Prison, but not released until 11 days after Cash’s death, on September 23rd, 2003.

‘San Quentin,’ and it’s parent Album ‘Johnny Cash at San Quentin,’ were produced by Bob Johnston, (see also best songs 529 and 96) who was born Donald William Johnston, on May 14th, 1932, in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, he died on August 14th, 2015, in a memory facility and a hospice, at the age of 83. As well as being a music producer Bob Johnston was also a songwriter, co-writing several songs for Elvis Presley’s (1935-1977) films between 1964-1968. In 1964 Johnston moved into production, and began working for ‘Columbia Records’ in New York, where in 1965 he was successful in gaining the assignment to produce Bob Dylan, followed by Simon & Garfunkel, Johnny Cash, Flatt & Scruggs, and then Leonard Cohen (1934-2016.)

The concert at San Quinton in 1969 was filmed by the English television company ‘Granada’ as part of a documentary about prison life. Two songs from the concert were both being performed for the very first time. ‘San Quentin,’ and the Shel Silverstein (1930-1999) (see also best songs 242) cover of ‘A Boy Named Sue.’ In a 2000 review of the Compact Disc edition, Phil Sutcliffe wrote in the American music magazine ‘Blender, ‘Cash, just 25, sings as old as the hills, and looks oddly Volcanic. Prisoners ‘have their hearts torn out,’ Cash reckoned. It sounds as if he did too, wild-eyed and shuddering at the oppression of the walls. The crowd is a 1,000-strong caged animal.

‘San Quentin I hate every inch of you. You’ve cut me and scarred me through and through, and I’ll walk out a wiser weaker man, Mister Congressman you can’t understand.’