Cash was inspired to write this song after viewing Crane Wilbur’s film Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison which documents the lives and poor treatment of inmates at Folsom State Prison. Following the release of “Folsom Prison Blues” the song became a massive hit, and was wildly popular among inmates. The success of this song led to Cash receiving countless letters from inmates requesting that he come perform at their prison.

Cash was a fan of the idea, but decided to take it a step further and made the decision to record a live album inside of Folsom State Prison. On January 13, 1968 Johnny Cash, accompanied by June Carter, the Statler brothers and the Tennessee Three, visited Folsom prison for the first time. He performed two shows for the inmates that day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Live recordings of various songs from both of these performances were used to create his first live album At Folsom Prison.

This Folsom State Prison visit wasn’t Cash’s first prison performance. His San Quentin State performance on January 1, 1959 was the start of a long line of shows for inmates throughout his career. Merle Haggard, who was serving time for burglary, was in the audience that day at San Quentin State. He recalls “[Cash] had the right attitude. He chewed gum, looked arrogant and flipped the bird to the guards — he did everything the prisoners wanted to do. He was a mean mother from the South who was there because he loved us. When he walked away, everyone in that place had become a Johnny Cash fan.”

Haggard was correct, Johnny Cash did love them. That’s why Cash’s support of the inmates did not stop at his free performances. At this time in history prisons were facing massive issues. Many prisons offered minimal to no recovery programs to their

inmates, instead they turned to means of violence and torture to ‘control’ the inmates. Cash, like many others, were shocked by the treatment these inmates received. They believed that prisons should be offering treatment programs to these inmates so that upon their release, they are better equipped to become productive members of society. Cash became a huge advocate for the rights of prisoners and worked tirelessly to ensure that they received fair treatment. Cash who was known for his rough outlaw image, was evident in having a soft spot for the underdog.

Looking back on Johnny Cash’s career he is considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century and one of the best selling music artists of all time. With that much influence and fame, Cash was able to spread his concern with prison reform to hundreds of thousands of people. While the United State’s prison system is still no where near perfect, we can thank Cash for using his status to shed light on an issue that many often overlook.

For aspiring musicians, Cash’s legacy serves as a beacon of inspiration and a testament to the power of authenticity in music. At LVL Music Academy, where aspiring artists hone their craft, Cash’s fearless approach to blending genres and pushing boundaries serves as a guiding principle. Students learn not only the technical aspects of music but also the importance of storytelling, emotion, and connection with their audience.

Music and Muse is a column used primarily as a platform to discuss all aspects of music and the music industry. The column will also delve into other topics like photography, fashion, travel and whatever else happens to spark my interest.

The post Music and Muse: Lessons in Music History #2 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Jason Sole came to Iowa City on Friday to present From Prison to PhD: A Journey of Pain, Promise, and Protest. He started his presentation asking for energy and an emotional connection from the audience, asking people “to follow what I am saying with your hearts, not just your minds.”

As Jason explained how his turbulent childhood in Chicago lead to gang membership, drug dealing, and three prison sentences, he reminded listeners that “not everyone is lucky enough to get to share their story, most people don’t make it out.” This, he explained, is because when children grow up in violent or otherwise stressful communities they are not in an emotional state that allows them to succeed.

One key reason that Jason points to to further explain why children in violent communities become vulnerable to gang membership is fatherlessness. The experience of growing up without a father creates a sense of isolation and emotional tension that are too much to bear for many children, especially when combined with early exposure to violence, drug trade, and systematic poverty.

After Jason served a long prison sentence he felt that he needed a drastic change to prevent himself from getting caught up in the everything he was doing that got him into prison. He said that “out of desperation I went to college.” After excelling in his undergraduate studies, he perused graduate and postgraduate education in criminal justice studies.

Now, Jason is a professor at Hamline University in Minnesota teaching criminal justice studies. He conducts research and has recently written a book. However, Jason is deeply involved with his local community and stressed the importance of not just being an academic. Jason is the president of the Minneapolis NAACP and is on the front lines of many Black Lives Matter events.

For the second half of his presentation, Jason explained the history of the Black Lives Matter movement and reflected on questions like “what does it mean to be black at this point in history?” He also included a lot of information about the Civil Rights Movement in the mid 20th century, and drew helpful comparisons between what was happening then and what is happening now

.

Throughout, he explained how white culture criminalizes black people and their responses to institutionalized racism. Indeed, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested many times and painted as a criminal by media and government officials. Explaining the connection between the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Lives Matter movement is crucial because now people are quick to tell black people protesting injustice that they should be more like MLK, when in actuality white people didn’t like MLK back then either.

After he was done presenting, already 15 minutes over time, he promised to take every audience question and gave extended, profound answers. It was clear how passionate he is about making sure people truly understand what he is saying. Overall, this was an amazing event.

If you’re interested in learning more about modern incarceration tactics, check out 13th on Netflix — Ava DuVernay‘s brilliant documentary about the history of prisons and the modern implications of Reagan-era bullshit.

The post Witching Hour: Jason Sole @ ICPL 11/4/2016 appeared first on KRUI Radio.