Get Out Of Jail Free – Today In Country Music History [VIDEO]
January 13th, 1968
Johnny Cash records the live album Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison in California, remaking "Folsom Prison Blues" in the process. Cash employs his usual entourage, including June Carter, The Carter Family, Carl Perkins, The Tennessee Three and The Statler Brothers.
Cash performed two shows at Folsom State Prison in Folsom, CA, a town located about 30 minutes east of the state capital, Sacramento. The resulting album consisted of fifteen tracks from the first show and two tracks from the second.
Despite little initial investment by Cash's label, Columbia Records, the album was a hit, reaching number one on the country charts and the top 15 of the national album chart. At Folsom Prison received good reviews upon its release and the ensuing popularity revitalized Cash's career, leading to the release of a second prison album, At San Quentin.
The performers rehearsed for two days, an uncommon occurrence for them, sometimes with two or more songs being rehearsed concurrently by various combinations of the musicians. One of the foci of the sessions was to learn "Greystone Chapel", a song written by inmate Glen Sherley. Sherley recorded a version of the song, which he passed on to Rev. Floyd Gressett, a Ventura, CA pastor who regularly visited inmates at Folsom, via the prison's recreation director.
Cash decided to hold two performances on January 13, one at 9:40 AM and one at 12:40 PM, in case the first performance was unsatisfactory. Carl Perkins first took the stage to perform "Blue Suede Shoes" and was followed by the Statler Brothers who performed "Flowers on the Wall" and "This Old House." After MC Hugh Cherry returned to the stage, asking inmates not to cheer for Cash until he introduced himself, Cash opened both shows with "Folsom Prison Blues" following many songs about prison life and despair and closing both shows with Sherley's tune.
The album release of At Folsom Prison was prepared in four months. Despite the recent success of "Rosanna's Going Wild", a Cash single released just before the Folsom concerts that reached number two on the country charts, Columbia initially invested little in the album or its single "Folsom Prison Blues". This was due partially to Columbia's efforts to promote pop stars instead of country artists.
Nevertheless, the single charted on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 25, 1968; it also hit the country charts a week later.The single suffered a setback, however, when Sirhan Sirhan assassinated Senator Robert F. Kennedy on June 5, 1968. Radio stations ceased playing the single due to the macabre line: "I shot a man in Reno/Just to watch him die".
Reeling in the success prior to the assassination, Columbia demanded that Johnston remix the single with the line removed. Despite protests from Cash, the single was edited and re-released. The new version became a success, hitting number one on the country charts and the top forty on the national charts.
The album was re-released with three additional tracks in 1999 and as a two cd, one dvd set in 2008. This so-called "Legacy Edition" contained both concerts uncut and remastered. The original release was certified three times Platinum on March 27, 2003 by the Recording Industry Association of America for US sales exceeding three million.
2006
Big & Rich's Comin' To Your City album is certified gold and platinum. The album featured three singles: "Comin' to Your City" (#21), "Never Mind Me" (#34) and "8th of November" (#18).
1996
Martina McBride makes her first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry since becoming a member in November. Terri Clark makes her Opry debut the same evening.
1995
George Strait’s album Lead On was certified gold and platinum. The album featured the singles "The Big One" (#1), "You Can't Make a Heart Love Somebody" (#1), "Lead On" (#7) and "Adalida" (#3).
Joe Diffie’s album Third Rock From The Sun was certified platinum. The album's first five tracks were all released as singles: "Pickup Man" (#1), "Third Rock from the Sun" (#1), "So Help Me Girl" (#2), "I'm in Love with a Capital 'U'" (#21) and "That Road Not Taken" (#40).
1994
Clint Black’s album No Time To Kill was certified gold and platinum. 5 singles were released from the album: the title track (#3), "A Bad Goodbye" (#2 – duet with Wynonna Judd), "State of Mind" (#2), "A Good Run of Bad Luck" (#1 - featured in the 1994 film Maverick) and "Half the Man" (#4). "Tuckered Out" also reached #74 based on unsolicited airplay.
No Time to Kill was Black's fourth consecutive album to be certified at platinum by the RIAA.
1992
George Strait’s album Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind was certified platinum. The album featured three singles: “The Cowboy Rides Away” (#5), “The Fireman” (#5) and the title track (#1).
1981
Country movie music scores big at the Grammys, as "Urban Cowboy" tracks net four nominations, "Roadie" songs get three, and "Honeysuckle Rose" picks up two.
Sissy Spacek gets a nomination for her performance of "Coal Miner's Daughter"
1979
Charlie Daniels hosted his first Volunteer Jam. The concert included performances from Dobie Gray, the Henry Paul Band, Carl Perkins, members of the Marshall Tucker Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd, appearing for the first time since the plane crash that took the lives of three of the band’s members.
#1 On This Date
SINGLES
2007 – Brad Paisley – “She’s Everything”
2001 – Tim McGraw – “My Next Thirty Years”
1996 – Faith Hill – “It Matters To Me”
1990 – Keith Whitley – “It Ain’t Nothin’”
1979 – John Conlee – “Lady Lay Down”
1973 – Ray Price – “She’s Got To Be A Saint”
1968 – Bill Anderson & Jan Howard – “For Loving You”
1958 – Jerry Lee Lewis – “Great Balls Of Fire”
1951 – Hank Snow – “I’m Movin’ On”
1945 – Tex Ritter – “I’m Wastin’ My Tears On You”
ALBUMS
2007 – Carrie Underwood – Some Hearts
2001 – Tim McGraw – Greatest Hits
1996 – Garth Brooks – Fresh Horses
1990 – Randy Travis – No Holdin’ Back
1979 – Willie Nelson – Willie and Family Live
1973 – Freddie Hart – Got The All Overs For You
1968 – Eddy Arnold – Turn The World Around
Birthdays
Singer Trace Adkins is 53