Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash
One of the bestselling artists of all time, Cash’s sound transcended the typical boundaries of musical genre, with various Cash classics incorporating elements of rock and roll, rockabilly, folk, country, and more. Folson Prison Blues is a great example, and it’s one of the star’s best-ever songs; he even used to start most of his concerts with it.
Source: pitchfork.com
A genuine ‘prisoner’s anthem’ in every sense of the word, Cash recorded this song in 1955, but he actually performed it at Folsom in ’68, to the rapturous applause of real prisoners. This particular recording won Cash his first Grammy and really got the outlaw country movement rolling.