HOLLYWOOD (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Forty years
to the day, longtime Johnny Cash drummer, WS "Fluke" Holland will lead his
band back to Folsom State Prison in Northern California to celebrate the 40th
anniversary of the recording of "Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison," widely
considered to be the best live record ever made.
Johnny Cash's performance on January 13, 1968, was a seminal moment in
music and pop culture history. Released by Columbia records in the summer of
1968, "Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison" made a 90-week assault on the country
music charts, peaking at Number 1 for three weeks in July and August. The
story was the same on the pop charts, where the album spent an incredible 122
weeks in the Top 200.
The "40th Anniversary of 'Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison'" is replete with
history and coincidence. The free concert will feature several members of
Cash's original group. Most notable is drummer WS "Fluke" Holland. A special
guest vocalist will be introduced at the show!
Mr. Holland, who joined Cash in 1960, kept the beat for the 1968 concert
at Folsom. Mr. Holland worked behind Cash for nearly 40 years.
"I'm just tickled pink about goin' back to Folsom after all these years
and doin' it all over again," said Mr. Holland from his home in Jackson,
Tennessee. "I think John would be tickled pink too," he added.
Coincidentally, Jonathan Holiff, son of the late Saul Holiff, the Canadian
entrepreneur who managed Cash from 1960 to 1973, will produce the 40th
anniversary event. "My father played an important role in the original show.
This anniversary celebration was a happy accident. I'm just honored to be part
of it," said Holiff.
The event is a labor of love for all concerned. Not a single dollar of
taxpayer money is being used to mount the show. A dozen vendors are
underwriting most of the production costs; most notably Prison Fellowship
Ministries, the world's largest outreach to prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their
families.
According to PFM's Joe Avila, "We see the Johnny Cash story as a story of
redemption. Johnny Cash overcame great obstacles and devoted much of his life
to working for his fellow man. And he was one of this country's strongest
advocates for prison inmates."
The "40th Anniversary of 'Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison,'" will be filmed
"live-to-tape," and "streamed" worldwide over the Internet at
www.iClips.net on Sunday, January 13, 2008.
Twenty per cent of all net proceeds will be donated to four participating
non-profit organizations, including the California Inmate Welfare Fund and
VOCAL Foundation/Justice for Murder Victims.
For more information about the concert, contact Mary Langford at The
Hollywood-Madison Group, (310) 956-1098.. –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
