Music

Details revealed behind Johnny Cash 'flipping the bird' photo

by Ciaran Thompson

Of all the iconic photos of late country singer Johnny Cash, the image of the ‘man in black’ giving the camera the middle finger, shot at San Quentin State Prison in 1969, is probably the most widely known.

Speaking with the San Francisco Art Exchange about the picture, photographer Jim Marshall said, “This is probably the most ripped off photograph in the history of the world. There was a TV crew behind me and John was on the side of the stage. I said ‘John, let’s do a shot for the warden.'”

Marshall’s photos of Cash with quotes describing each one are part of a collection called Pocket Cash, now available on Amazon.