"Johnny Cash - Live at Folsom Prison" Premium Unisex T-Shirt

January 13, 1968. Folsom State Prison. 2,000 Inmates. No Safety Net.

Johnny Cash had been lobbying to play Folsom Prison for years. The warden finally said yes. Cash walked out in black, opened with "Folsom Prison Blues" — the song he'd written sixteen years earlier about a man who shot someone just to watch him die — and the place erupted.

The album they recorded that day was not supposed to be a career-defining moment. Cash was in the middle of one of the lowest periods of his life — pill addiction, erratic behavior, a marriage falling apart. Columbia Records wasn't sure the prison concept would even work. What they got instead was one of the best-selling live albums in country music history and the record that pulled Cash back from the edge.

The inmates understood every word. That was the point. Cash had always written about people the rest of America preferred not to think about — the poor, the imprisoned, the forgotten. He wore black, he said, for them. Not as a costume. As a statement.

He went back to San Quentin the following year. That album went to #1.

This tee is for the people who know what happened at Folsom on January 13, 1968.

More American music history: Explore our Music collection for more tees that tell the story.

Premium Quality

• Bella + Canvas 3001 — Premium unisex tee, true to size
• Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton — Exceptionally soft from the first wear
• Classic unisex fit — Relaxed, versatile, works for everyone
• Tear-away label — Clean comfort, all day

Made to Order

For environmental and quality reasons, this tee is made specifically for you after you order. Please allow approximately one week for production. Tracking information will be sent as soon as it ships.