Folsom Prison Blues Mystery Solved!

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Author Message lbpesq Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 5071 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 - 2:34 pm:    For many years I've wondered why the singer in "Folsom Prison Blues" was in jail in California when he "shot a man in Reno", which is in Nevada? Today the mystery was solved. I'm reading "Corn Flakes with John Lennon" by Robert Hilburn (former rock critic for the L.A. Times for 35 years). At one point he writes the following passage about Johnny Cash: "I listened to 'Folsom Prison Blues' for five decades before asking myself, if the guy in the song shot a man in Reno, what's he doing in prison in California? When I asked John about it, he burst out laughing. 'I never did get good grades in geography.'" So now we know! By the way, I strongly recommend this book. Bill, tgo davehouck Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 10563 Registered: 5-2002 Posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 - 5:10 pm:    It does look interesting. aquaman Member Username: aquaman Post Number: 81 Registered: 9-2006 Posted on Saturday, February 18, 2012 - 7:10 am:    Does anyone know what the exchange is between the jailhouse personnel and audience at the end of "Cocaine Blues"? edwin Senior Member Username: edwin Post Number: 1136 Registered: 5-2002 Posted on Monday, February 20, 2012 - 12:44 am:    Maybe they were both citizens of California, the guy didn't die and sued him in a California court (which applied the law of Nevada, of course, using vested rights theory). The victim won a judgment but Cash didn't pay up so the CA courts put him in jail for contempt. Or maybe he shot him in Reno, but the guy died much later in CA and the CA courts thought, for some reason, that that was when the actual crime was committed. Whaddaya think, counselor? 811952 Senior Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 2154 Registered: 10-2003 Posted on Monday, February 20, 2012 - 7:42 am:    If he shot the guy in Reno, perhaps he fled up the pass into California where they got him on firearms charges? *shrugs* ;) John cozmik_cowboy Senior Member Username: cozmik_cowboy Post Number: 1163 Registered: 10-2006 Posted on Monday, February 20, 2012 - 8:15 am:    Maybe it's short for Renoville or Reno Junction (both in CA)? Peter edwin Senior Member Username: edwin Post Number: 1137 Registered: 5-2002 Posted on Monday, February 20, 2012 - 8:33 am:    Or maybe Reno is a sideways reference to "renvoi", the process by which a court adopts the law of a foreign jurisdiction with respect to any conflict of laws that arise. That Cash guy is pretty deep!