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marriage was in ruins, hastened by his pursuit of June Carter. He was also drinking heavily and addicted to amphetamines and barbiturates, accoutrements de rigueur in the emerging "outlaw country" movement of which he was the primary poster child. In fact, given a string of high-profile drug issues, most people assume Cash did hard time. He did not; although he did his share of sleeping off misdemeanors in local jails. Nevertheless, public and press judgments were harsh, and despite the No. 1 single "Ring of Fire" in 1963, it didn't take long for many to turn their backs on Cash, especially after the socially conscious "Bitter Tears" (1964) and experimental double album, "Johnny Cash Sings the Ballads of the True West" (1965) held little of what traditionalist country fans were seeking. All these things only tightened Cash's embrace with society's outcasts and underdogs and they with him. He'd done prison shows dating to the 1950s, including a nonrecorded concert at Folsom in 1966. That performance planted the seed for a live prison album, an idea Cash sold to his record company. A relationship with a California preacher who did a regular prison ministry pointed him toward Folsom and the fateful Jan. 13 date that included his backing band the Tennessee Three, the Statler Brothers, June Carter and Carl Perkins. Also on hand for the landmark event, at the invitation of Cash's preacher pal, were journalist Gene Beley and photographer Dan Poush, two of only three press members on hand, who photographed the performer before, during and after the shows. The duo's collection of black-and-white and color photos are the definitive record of the event, about 30 images of which make up "1968: The Folsom Redemption." Beley, then 28, would in later interviews tell of being awestruck by being in Cash's presence, something that he quickly got over thanks to the JULY 31-AUGUST 6, 2022 WHAT'S UP! 9 FEATURE See Cash Page 37 Gene Beley, "With His Parents at the 'Johnny Cash Trailer Rancho,'" Jan. 11, 1968; digital scan from original negative. (Courtesy of the John R. Cash Revocable Trust, photographed by Gene Beley) Dan Poush, "In Anaheim," March 1, 1969; digital scan of original negative. (Courtesy of the John R. Cash Revocable Trust, photographed by Dan Poush) Dan Poush, "Johnny on Stage, Wide," Jan. 13, 1968; digital scan from original negative. (Courtesy of the John R. Cash Revocable Trust, photographed by Dan Poush)