1968: A Folsom RedemptionTalk with Journalist Gene Beley

September 29, 2022 | 7 pm
Birthplace of Country Music Museum
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TICKETS
Tickets: $15
Join us on Thursday, September 29, 7:00pm for an in-depth talk with journalist Gene Beley about his time with Johnny Cash at the Folsom Prison concerts and recordings!
It was early January 1968 when Gene Beley and Dan Poush, a writer-photographer team working for the Star-Free Press out of Ventura, California, were invited to go to Folsom Prison. In those days, before the At Folsom Prison album changed the singer’s life, our newspaper
tended to write only negative stories about Cash. His own infamy had begun to overshadow the musical accomplishments of his earlier years; in short, Cash’s career was truly on the skids at that time.
Though Johnny Cash was the star of the show and his visit to Folsom County was hugely impactful on his career, the concert was also the story of supporting players—from the connections laid by the Revered Floyd Gressett, to the adventurous nature of Columbia Records’ maverick A&R man Bob Johnston, to the calming influence of June Carter (not yet Cash), to the meaningful contributions of inmate Glen Sherley.
Gene Beley will share memories, photos, and stories from that fateful day, giving attendees behind-the-scenes access to Johnny Cash’s redemptive visit to Folsom State Prison on January 13, 1968.
This program is complementary programming for 1968: A Folsom Redemption, a special exhibit on display at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum from September 1 to October 20, 2022. Ticket-holders to the Gene Beley talk can tour the exhibit for free from 6:00 to 6:45pm before the program begins at 7:00pm.
1968: A Folsom Redemption is a Program of ExhibitsUSA, a national division of Mid-America Arts Alliance and The National Endowment for the Arts.