Second-Grader Performs ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ In Front Of A Live Audience

Jan 29, 2021 by apost team

A second-grader who is known as "Little John" is keeping Johnny Cash's music alive with his adorable rendition of "Folsom Prison Blues." His performance of the song in 2008 proved that his voice is eerily similar to the legendary musician.

Many people claim to have a voice that sounds like a certain celebrity, but for one little boy known as Little John, it’s actually true. Little John is in second grade, and during one of his performances, he left the audience speechless with his amazing vocal ability. Before he even began the song, the audience was already enamored with the little boy because of the charm he possesses.

His adorable little button-down blue outfit and guitar that seemed too big for his tiny hands made him an adorable sight. Although he chose a difficult song to perform, he knew he could perform it with grace and skill. No one was ready for the amazing show Little John was about to put on.

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Before beginning to sing, he introduced both himself and the tracks he was about to cover. Everyone was shocked when the young boy announced he was about to sing some Johnny Cash songs, but once he started singing it was clear that these songs were made to be sung by this little boy’s type of voice.

It looked to be so natural and graceful for the boy as he sang, and the audience was in awe with his hear talent. You could hear his voice radiating from every inch of the room, and it’s clear that he had been practicing for years even though his skill level far surpassed his age.

His tone was warm and comforting, and his voice had an eerie resemblance to Johnny Cash himself. But just when the audience believes that that’s all he had to offer, Little John pulled out an even bigger trick that he had waiting up his sleeve: Halfway through one of his songs, he decided to switch things up a bit and make the crowd go even crazier for his amazing talent.

People were in awe that such presence on stage and sheer vocal ability could come from someone so young, but Little John was there to prove that even young kids can be superstars.

In performing “Folsom Prison Blues,” this young singer has become part of the song’s fascinated and storied history. For those who don’t know, Cash first recorded “Folsom Prison Blues” back in 1955, and it was the 11th track on his debut album “With His Hot and Blue Guitar.”

While he was stationed in Germany as a member of the air force, Cash received inspiration for the popular track after seeing Crane Wilbur’s 1951 film “Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison,” which told the story of one warden’s harsh rule over Folsom Prison, a California state prison, during the 1920s.

To understand where the song’s dark and moody atmosphere comes from, you have to know about Folsom Prison, which is notorious for its violence, according to Songfacts. The prison, which has executed more than 90 inmates, saw multiple riots, for example.

It’s no wonder, then, where Cash got some of the track’s most memorable lyrics.

"I sat with my pen in my hand, trying to think up the worst reason a person could have for killing another person, and that's what came to mind,” Cash told Rolling Stone magazine regarding the song’s lyric, “But I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die,” according to Songfacts.

As for the song’s melody, which is a combination of the train song and the prison song, the story is no less interesting. According to Songfacts, much of the track’s melody was lifted from American composer Gordon Jenkins’ “Crescent City Blues,” which came out in 1955.

Despite the copyright claim and having to eventually pay $100,000 in a settlement, as Rolling Stone reports, Cash’s track propelled him to musical stardom.

Famously, the song also brought the world-renowned singer to Folsom Prison for a live performance in 1968. As part of what has become a legendary live album, “At Folsom Prison,” Cash sang to the inmates in 1968.

In an exclusive set of interviews published by Rolling Stone, eyewitnesses Marshall Grant, a member of Cash’s band, drummer W.S. “Fluke” Holland and rock 'n' roll photographer Jim Marshall spoke to the atmosphere at the prison that day and the legendary performance itself.

“When we got to Folsom, it was so quiet and so desolate and you could only see a few prisoners around,” Grant told the magazine. “Jim Marshall took pictures of John and June (Cash) on the bus and of them getting off of the bus and we were all in there and it was a rolling jail cell. And so even from the time we left the little motel, which was two or three miles away, it was a very somber atmosphere for everybody. It was hard to explain. There was just no joy here.”

With that said, the show itself was a more joyful affair, as Grant explains in the same interview.

“It just went real well,” Grant told Rolling Stone. “They did ‘Jackson,’ and they did another song or two and the prisoners just absolutely loved it. (June Cash) was a great asset on that show. At this period in John’s life he wanted her in his presence at all times. It didn’t make no difference. But I think he just wanted to make sure that she was along because he felt that with her along that he was going to handle his life all right.”

In the same interview, Marshall says that the live album “quadrupled” Cash’s fans, making the Arkansas native even more of a star. And today, it remains the late singer’s signature track, along with “I Walk The Line” and “Ring Of Fire.”

Little John’s performance below is a far cry from Cash’s 1968 concert at Folsom Prison. But that’s what makes Little John’s cover so fascinating. By covering Cash’s song, he, too, has become part of the song’s history — part of its afterlife as Cash fans from around the world continue to play this storied track.

What do you think about Little John's routine? Tell us in the comments below and be sure to send this to your friends or family so they can see the little Johnny Cash impersonator.