Song:A Boy Named Sue
Album:Johnny Cash at San Quentin
For everything that Johnny Cash recorded over the years, I bet most would be surprised that A Boy Named Sue was his only top five pop hit. Cash performed the song on Johnny Cash in San Quentin. I'm sure no one was more surprised than Cash that the song was a hit. The big thing about it is that it led to his TV variety show. The Johnny Cash Show has held up very well over the years. Cash had performed in prisons for years and he wanted to record a live album in a prison for a long time. When Columbia assigned Bob Dylan's producer Bob Johnston to Cash, he gave the green light to record in Folsom Prison. The album was so successful they decided to do a sequel at San Quentin. It was recorded Feb. 24, 1969 and filmed by British TV network Granada TV. This is available on DVD. Not surprisingly, the album was a hit. But the big surprise was when A Boy Named Sue became a hit single. It topped the country charts and reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. A Boy Named Sue was written by humorist Shel Silverstein, probably best known for the Doctor Hook hit Sylvia's Mother. Silverstein said A Boy Named Sue was a tribute to legendary humorist Jean Shepherd (A Christmas Story). I guess Jean is perceived as a girl's name. Silverstein gave the song to Cash at a Guitar Pull where they pass a guitar around and perform songs. His wife June Carter encouraged Cash to perform the song. San Quentin was the first performance of A Boy Named Sue. Cash didn't even know the words. You can see him in the video looking at a piece of paper on the music stand. The success of A Boy Named Sue led to ABC offering Cash his own TV show. The Johnny Cash Show was very successful. Johnny Cash at San Quentin is available as a budget CD. Here's Johnny Cash performing A Boy Named Sue in San Quentin Feb. 24, 1969. This video is not on Youtube.
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