The all encompassing 28-track 2LP-set The Essential Johnny explores the breadth of Cash's brilliant career milestones from "Ring of Fire" and"Folsom Prison Blues" and "I Walk The Line" through to catalog classics.
To put the performance on Johnny Cash at San Quentin in a bit of perspective: Johnny Cash's key partner in the Tennessee Two, guitarist Luther Perkins, died in August 1968, just seven months before this set was recorded in February 1969.
The Man in Black solidified his legend as outlaw country pioneer with his spirited live show as performed for 2,000 prisoners and armed guards in one of California's most notorious penitentiaries.
Johnny Cash recorded an album's worth of self-penned songs in 1993. Shortly thereafter, he released the American Recordings albums and re-established himself as one of the world's greatest songwriters, introducing him to a new generation of fans