Merle Haggard is one of the only country stars to be able to sing songs like “I’m a Lonesome Fugitive” and “Mama Tried” and sound truly believable. This is because he lived those songs, to an extent.

Johnny Cash, backed by an all-star ensemble of talent, stepped on stage at California State Prison in Folsom on this day in history, Jan. 13, 1968. It proved one of the most legendary concerts in ...

Ties with Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” as the best prison song ever. But this one offers a tenderness that the Cash classic can’t touch. And that has everything to do with “Mama.” ...