Do you see Cash in a new light after writing the book?

Mostly I see the album in a new light.  In retrospect, it ranks with Pet Sounds and Sgt. Pepper's as one of the most important albums of the 1960s.

You interviewed ex-inmates who attended the show...tell me about that.

They remember a man who appeared to understand their plight, confirming what the album illustrates: that on January 13, 1968 there was rowdy camaraderie between Cash and his audience.

What did Cash himself think about the album?

From early in his career, he wanted to record in front of an audience.  He realized a dream.  Later, he said it was a major stepping stone of international fame. 

What role did the album play in Cash's career?

Cash was a top country music singer before the album exploded.  In its wake, he was an international star, a giant among audiences of all stripes.

Did the album fuel Cash's rebel image?

Yes.  Cash's association with prisons and those who dwell in society's dark corners grew primarily from the album Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison.   He didn't mind people thinking that he had done time in a pit like Folsom, an impression that many got after listening to the album.

Is there a link between the album and his acclaimed American Recordings of the 1990s?

Rick Rubin, Cash's producer at American, tapped the dark figure of Folsom Prison to sell Cash to 1990s audiences, when, in fact, Cash had largely disassociated himself from his lawless image in the 1970s and 1980s.  Folsom gave Rubin and Cash an image to resurrect.

Just how did the album become so popular?

Columbia Records took the album to the underground audience, an emerging demographic group who shunned Top 40 and sought new sounds and voices in its music.  In an age of protest and rebellion, nothing could be more in step with the times than a singer performing for the fringes of society.  The underground audience caught that vibe, igniting sales and interest across the pop music realm.