Johnny saw prisoners as people that made mistakes, not necessarily bad people. He performed Folsom Prison Blues at Folsom Prison. They told him he wasn't allowed to do that song. In pure Johnny Cash fashion, he did it anyway.

For what it’s worth, I like it when you do research. There are a million people doing reaction videos but that’s one thing that sets you apart and why I like watching you is that I get to see you learn about this stuff. Bottom line, it may cost you some viewers but the ones that that don’t leave will rock with you way harder and be more loyal because they appreciate what you put into it.

He recorded 2 albums in prisons. After a fight with his record company. They said Noone would buy an album recorded with prisoners. They were wrong. Country music is known for it's story telling. It use to be a way of passing down family stories.

You can't get big artists to sing at a prison anymore! They have this ego that they're above it! Johnny never cared about an ego; he was more of a down to earth type of person! Johnny had his trials in life he wasn't perfect but always believed in the Lord! He was a country music outlaw!

The Highwayman by The Highwaymen is one of his best storytelling songs with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Waylin Jennings and When Johnny Cash comes in, it’s super ecstatic. Great 4 part storytelling song with a common incredible theme. ♥️♥️♥️

Great reaction, Mob..I'm Canadian but He does a great song called "Ragged Old Flag" that I think if I was an American i could not be prouder of it when I listen to this song. It will make you feel great to be a proud American.

Johnny was the ultimate story teller. I think that's why he is so loved.

Most of Johnny's songs were serious, even dark, but he had a sense of humor, too. Walk the Line, Ring of Fire, he had dozens of country and gospel hits.

He's a ballad singer of sorts. A ballad is a form of verse, a narrative set to music. Like a conversation set to music. He's so good at it too. Great reaction video I enjoyed it very much.

He did that because he had actually been an inmate at San Quentin before, and he knew how bad they needed something like that.

It was probably one of the best times some of those guys ever had, in or out of prison ❤️☮️👵🏼

"One Piece at a Time", "Ghost Riders in The Sky", and "Sunday Morning Coming Down" are some very good story songs by Johnny Cash.

OG GOAT and prison reform advocate ❤️❤️❤️ RIP Johnny Cash

Songs I recommend: I walk the line, ring of fire, gods going to burn you down, Folsom prison blues. Definitely watch walk the line movie.

Fantastic song by a truly gifted individual much missed. Keep up your reactions love watching them

Johnny Cash is a great storyteller. Not all of his songs have that "conversational tone", but a lot do. If you want to hear another funny Johnny Cash song, listen to "One "Piece At A Time". Also, "I've Been Everywhere" shows off his vocal abilities. You won't be disappointed no matter how deep you go down the Johnny Cash "rabbit hole".

Johnny was the man. The Man In Black, and really just the man. I agree about people taking the time to think about their children’s names. It’s a detail that can set more of a tone than a lot of people seem to realize. Some of the ones you read about, kids of famous stars, make me scratch my head or hope that it doesn’t cause problems. Which it very well could. Nice reaction, and that Ice Cube song is a real classic.

Shel Silverstein had some great works. One I used to recite to my daughter when she was little was. Sarah Sylvia Stout Would Not Take The Garbage Out. He was a good poet. I think he may be the author of Freakin' At The Freaker's Ball too.

Another artist I'd think you'd love(if you haven't already) is Jim Croce. Big Bad Leroy Time In A Bottle You Don't Mess Around With Jim I Got A Name.

All good songs tell a story. Most stories are conversational. It's great when a singer can make that connection that leaves you feeling like they're talking directly to you.

Merle Haggard was one of the prisoners that heard Johnny Cash. That inspired him to take up music. What a gift to music.

My Mum used to play old Johnny Cash songs to me as a baby to get me to sleep - '(Ghost) Riders In The Sky' worked best - still love it! R.I.P. JC You gotta react to some Dolly Parton - one of the best storytellers with the voice of an angel. She's written over 3,000 songs - She wrote 'Jolene' & 'I Will Always Love You' in the same day!🤯 YES - Dolly wrote 'I Will Always Love You' in the 70's and got it to No.1 THREE times before Whitney covered it. Her song 'Coat of Many Colours' is about her dirt poor upbringing, yet she remains humble & kind to this day. Amazing lyricist, beautiful voice, super talented (even acts), great sense of humour, blessed with beauty & brains! She's an astute business & always gives back to the poor; she started her 'Imagination Library' charity to donate millions of books to kids worldwide because her own Dad couldn't read. She's a Global Treasure!💖

Cash was a masterful storyteller and wrote about things that everyone could relate to. By the way, the type of hairstyle is called a Pompadour and it was all the rage for men in the last 50s and early 60s.

Johnny Cash intoned his songs, more than singing them. Almost all his songs feel like he's directly talking to you and telling you a story that you NEED to hear. He is one of the best of all time, in the country genre and overall.

The hairstyle is in between an executive contour and pompadour. Men used to put grease in their hair to make it shiny and controllable. Yes, Johnny is one of those singers who has a limited range and half-speaks his lyrics sometimes, the singer from Cake is similar. Dave Mustaine from Megadeth isn't very melodious either.

Johnny Cash is a great story teller. Most of his songs have that story telling feeling. Not all. But most. Its his style.

I am a 6'5 man, my first name is Anne. In one province of the Netherlands it's a boys name, in the rest of the country and the world it is a girls name. I wasn't born in that province 🤣 I was named after my grandfather, who hated that first name so much that my grandmother thought his name was Toon, until she visited his parents 🤣🤣🤣 Long story short.. I can relate, and this is one of my all time favorite songs by one of my two faysingers (Tom waits bring the other)

The hairstyle was called a Pompadour. My dad wore one for as long as he had hair, lol. 🙂

My wife says whatever name(s) you want to give your kids you need to use (before they're born) at restaurants etc. and listen to the people when they call the name and decide if you like how it sounds being called out.

If you want a funny Johnny Cash song, I recommend "One Peice at A Time". Also, the biggest song of his that gained him so many fans in prison is a must "Folsom Prison Blues".

HURT didn’t come out until about 6 months before his death a few years ago

He played at Folsom and San Quentin prison many times. Those shows were recorded live, very famous shows and some of the best sounding live shows of all time. My father was a huge Johnny Cash fan which made me one. Record labels use to tell John that Christians don’t want to see him singing to prisoners and John said, “ well they ain’t Christians then.” That is Elvis’s hairstyle and it was my dads too his whole life. My dad called it a “ducks ass or ducks peak.” Check out Cocaine Blues, Sunday Morning Coming Down, San Quentin, Folsom Prison Blues, Jackson. Johnny started and toured the south with Elvis and Jerry Lee Louis + June Carter. He also sang gospel. My parents saw Elvis and Cash shows, I wish I did.

A bigger than life legend for sure!

Johnny made two different prison albums Folsom Prison and At San Quinten

The hair style was called a DA I have photos of my dad and my mum from the 50's. Dad rocks the hair style. It was affectionately called a Ducks Arse due to the way the hair was laid around the back of the head

Yes, in my opinion, Johnny always tells a story. It was his strength as a singer/songwriter.

You absolutely warm every old heart out there. You're an old soul. Btw, research is power!!!

Most of his songs are about loss, and lessons. Usually in a story format

The story behind this song is interesting. Johnny, Shel Silverstein, Bob Dylan, Kris Kristopherson and a few others were having a writing/Jam session just before this show and when it ended Shel told Johnny to take the song and sing it for the prisoners. He thought they would get a kick out of it. Johnny said no but June convinced him to and Shel was right, they loved it. This is the only recording of it Johnny ever made.

He not only recorded an album live at San Quentin, but he also recorded an album at Folsom Prison, so he actually had TWO albums recorded live in prisons. Classic country music pretty much all told stories. Check out Loretta Lynn's Coal Miner's Daughter or Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors or Tom T. Hall's Watermelon Wine or Reba McEntyre's Fancy or Bobbie Gentry's Ode to Billy Joe, or Porter Wagoner's Carroll County Accident, or Bobby Bare's Detroit City, or George Jones' He Stopped Loving Her Today or Tanya Tucker's Delta Dawn or Kenny Rogers' Lucille or Johnny Cash's One Piece at a Time or Ray Stevens' Mississippi Squirrel Revival. He probably was able to perform in prisons because in his heyday of every five records that were sold in this country, ONE was a record by Johnny Cash. I imagine one call was all it took to get it okayed for him to perform at San Quentin and at Folsom. PLEASE don't analyze this song to death. It's just meant to be funny. I have heard other people also try too hard to analyze it. In fact, I heard one person ask if this was a true story. Well, his name is JOHNNY Cash not SUE Cash and he is not missing a piece of his ear so that should answer their question.

Cash's music was very much oriented around stories he lived or made up. He had lots of "plain songs" as well, but he was one hellava story teller!

Some time in the future you should check out some Merle Haggard songs. He was actually in San Quentin prison the first time he saw Johnny Cash perform and it inspired him to get himself together and pursue a singing career after he got out of prison. He and Johnny later became good friends. If you do decide to check out some of his songs, I’d like to suggest these favorites of mine-Mama Tried, Are The Good Times Really Over & My Favorite Memory ❤

Merl Haggard was in SanQuinton in the audience watching Johnny cash. That concert changed merl.

Funny. I was a boy named Lynn. The story behind this a song written by humorist and poet Shel Silverstein. I also suffered ridicule like the one in the song.

You sir are a brilliant thinker! Mad love and respect brother!💯🤘🔥

One of the greatest live albums ever recorded still to this day. Merle Haggard was an inmate at the time, another great country music star. He was supposedly high as a kite when he went and did this show.

Merle Haggard was inspired by as a convict when he saw Cash perform. He ended up being an absolute legend in country music. "Mama Tried" by Merle Haggard is a good starting point. For storytelling, I suggest Tom T Hall. "The Year Clayton Delaney Died" "A Week In A Country Jail" "The Ballad Of Forty Dollars" "Faster Horses" ""Old Dogs, Children And Watermelon Wine" A million others. His stuff was all either from personal experience or told to him directly. He also did a good number of songs for children.

jonnny was a genious lol, he was like geoge calin , but sang, rip johnny, you are a legend-47 albums lol, thats crazy, half the songs u hear , he aint even singing, he was just a really great storyteller

The one thing that gets me about this song is that the boy apparently had no name until he was three. The haircut is called a 'pompadour,' which is French for 'duck's ass.' Always happy to help.

he recorded the album LIVE in the prison,which would be why there are no women in the crowd

Shel Silverstein wrote many books and Where the Sidewalk Ends and The Missing Piece are amazing children's books - go read them if you haven't

You must listen to Ring of Fire! That song really is awesome 😎 In live performances he did a lot of the “talking monotone” that you spoke of. Ring of Fire 🔥 is a must. Do the research and see the songs he did with his wife June Carter Cash 💵🥰👍❤️

He wore his hair in a style called a " pompadour". Not all of his songs were sad sounding. "One Piece at a Time" and "A Wednesday Car" are pretty whimsical.

If you want to follow up on more songs by Shel Silverstien, see if you can find a copy of Freakin' at the Freakers' Ball - the WHOLE album is a feast of great music & lyrics!

If like talking story telling music , I highly recommend Dolly Parton. She was one of the greatest talking singer story tellers ever and she also happens to be a Country Music icon just like Johnny!!!! Start out with her tune “Coat Of Many Colors” and you will see what I mean!!!!! So says Austin Tx!!!!! 😎🍸

My nephew and his wife are having a boy in February and going to name him Indio. My brother said he refused to call his grandson Indio,lol

This is such a fun number always makes me laugh.

The hairstyle you are enquiring about is called a pompadour. It was popular for male Rock and Blues music stars and fans in the 1950s. Johnny Cash had his pompadour combed down more than most people who had them, most likely not to offend his Gospel music fans. who had more conservative dress codes at that time. I own a CD copy of Muddy Waters’ 1968 album, “Electric Mud”. In the liner notes booklet, there is a series of photos of Mr. Waters at a barber shop, getting his hair made up into a stylish pompadour.

Storytelling is a staple in folk music. Johnny Cash is country/folk, but folk nonetheless. Jim Croce is another incredible folk musician.

Speaking as someone who had to grow up with the name Ragg for all his life, this song is a mood.

Merle Haggard was there and said after seeing him he said when I get out that's what I'll do and he did

Yes most of his songs are conversational.

I tried to edit my post but I am so far out in the country that occasionally my posts fail. I wanted to answer your question. The hairstyle is called a "Duck's Tail". Everyone from the Everly brothers, to James Dean, to Chuck Berry, to Elvis wore that hairstyle!

The captioning verbiage on the video screen is hilarious!!! "This old guitar empty bottle of food..." • "Before he left he wasn't blamed me Sue." • "I grew up meme my fist got hard my whis got Keen..." • "I made me evolved to the moon and stars I had certain bars..." • "I thought I'd stop and help myself approved wait real quick y'all again..." • "such a dirty mean she told me Sue okay..." • "Kicking and a couching and emerging the blood in the berry..." • And here's one of my favorites: "I'm sorry I had an old Saloon on the street of mud..." LOL! Next time I sing this song at an open mic I'm gonna use these lyrics!

I'm glad you research songs. So many reactors don't bother and get information all wrong. They get genres wrong. They get record labels wrong. They get the decade wrong. I can understand wanting to hear/see a song blindly with no specific expections but after a person has listened to a song, there's no reason they can't look up the info afterwards instead thinking all music from the late 60s is Motown.

Young Bob Dylan did quite a few "Talking Blues" songs. Nice reaction.

There's a large wreck room in persons for exercise for when weather wouldn't allow them to be outside the concert was held in this room there are guards positioned in the upper floor balcony and some in the crowd they were trusted prisoners just allowed to attend, only problem cam from the warden not liking some songs about prison and John Roberts him for it and plays what he wants to, country singer Meryl haggart was in the audience as a prisoner

First time watching you react. Great reaction, Johnny Cash is a legend, member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Gospel Music Hall of Fame. He has many great songs. He also preformed and recorded at Folsom Prison. Another great story song by him is One Piece at a Time.

Love the reviews, I enjoy how you dive into the lyrics and what they mean with the artist. Definitely deserve more subscribers 👊

Walk the Line about Johnny. Reese Witherspoon won an Oscar for her portrayal of Johnny's wife, June Carter.

San Quentin is a hard core prison just north of San Francisco. Charles Manson spent his last years there

B.B. King also did prison concerts.

thank you. I was around for the original release, but never knew this was a cover. So I did research and now have a new poet to add to my read more list. I can't find the original lyrics but based on his timeline I would not be surprised if it was written just this way, and yes he did write childrens books

Later on in his career, Johnny Cash hosted his own variety television show. On one in particular from 1971 he had on Derek & The Dominos/Eric Clapton. They performed an almost country-rock version of "It's Too Late" (written by Chuck Willis) and then they brought on legend Carl Perkins and along with Cash performed a cover of "Matchbox". What impresses me the most is how good the band was, and how fluid and clean Clapton's solos were. You can also clearly see Eric's admiration for Perkins. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/f71hdamlvLbGiGg.html

On the San Quentin album there is a song titled San Quentin that he wrote for the prisoners.

I think his dad was being slick and talking his way out of death. I'd say that record was on the jukebox in every tavern.

Keep doing the research man... some of us like and respect that shit

Ragged Old flag is a great song by Johnny

Perfect combination: Shel Silverstein and Johnny Cash. ❤️

"talking Blues"? Yes! Thank you MMBxMOB I learned something tonight while enjoying music by an artist I usually pass over 🙂

Live at San Quinton is considered by many to be the best Country Music Album ever made. Johnny Cash was a big advocate for prison reform. Johnny loved doing songs with a story and a very conversational and relatable style. Life was violent and tough in places like Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia back in the 40s 50s, and 60s - the weak did not survive. People of all backgrounds and races loved Johnny Cash. Ray Charles was influenced by Johnny Cash as well as other Country Music and made is own Country Music Album entitled Modern Sounds in Country and Western music, a phenomenal album. Ray Charles loved the storytelling and honesty of Country Music.

The Prisioners loved him

Johnny tells a story.. just like most country music does . .but Johnny speaks more than sing

You're reactions are always wonderful to experience.

The hairstyle is a pompadour very popular in the 40s 50s 60s

I made a playlist of almost 200 obscure Johnny cash songs that never got airplay. it's locked but maybe I'll unlock it for you so you can hear them. he was a genius.

He began performing in prisons, including a 1959 show at San Quentin which found inmate and well known singer Merle Haggard in the front row. He also visited Folsum Prison about a year before that and sang the iconic "Folsum Prison Blues". If you like stoytellers check out Jim Croce with "Bad Bad Leroy Brown"

Sunday Morning Coming Down...

Not for nothing the man was a storyteller. So even though he could sing and did also have a deep baritone voice, he had this innate ability to talk in his songs, like he was speaking to you directly. And it’s because he was telling you a story.

Johnny's hair style was a Pompadour, adopted mostly by the black leather-jacketed rockers & bikers of the mid to late fifties and early sixties. Pompadours began to fall out of favor with popular culture soon after the British Invasion began, with Cash & Elvis perhaps being the last holdouts.

I believe that hair is called a DA (, duck's ass!) My dad wore his hair like that until 1971😂

I meant straighten. Sorry about that. As I have mentioned before, the uneven pics in the background make my OCD crazy! Anyhoo, love your reactions!

Just found your channel and saw A BOY NAMED SUE so I listened. Love this song. Just subscribed. I'd like to suggest you listen to KENNY ROGERS if you like storytelling music. Kenny has a beautiful voice and is a fantastic storyteller. Listen to the songs .. 1) THE GAMBLER 2) COWARD OF THE COUNTY 3) LUCILLE 4) RUBY, DON'T TAKE YOUR LOVE TO TOWN 5) LADY ( beautiful song but make sure you watch the live in concert version where he is dressed all in white) **They are all storytelling songs***

When Johnny performed at San Quentin Merle Haggard was a prisoner and that performance made him decide to become a musician.

Thanks for your reacting to a boy named Sue, Jackson is a good that's done by him and wife June Carter, another one by them is If I were a Carpenter. Check them out when you get a chance.

Shel Silverstein wrote children's books.

The name of the hair style is called a pompadour very popular for men in the 1950s :)

Ragged Ole flag was a great one he sang...

Yes and that’s real country music and thank you from real country music fans. You’re right about the hair, it’s the Elvis look, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley started out together they were friends.

oh right, I forgot it was written by Shel Silverstein, that makes sense. Yes, I'd say most of Johnny Cash's songs are conversational. So, on the subject of Shel Silverstein, he wrote a song called Slyvia's Mother. It is sung by Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show. The band performed it on Shel Silverstein's houseboat. Give it a listen. Also the whole performance at San Quentin is amazing, you should def listen to the whole album. My favorite pic for a Johnny Cash song is Cotton Fields (Back Home)