Why is there a mural of singer Johnny Cash in downtown Sacramento? Your question, answered

Coasting through L Street, near the Residence Inn by Marriott in downtown Sacramento, you’ll be greeted by a tall mural of Johnny Cash, splashed in bright orange, red and yellow hues.

The 15-story painting intrigued reader Joe Blair, who reached out to Bee Curious and asked: What is the history of the Johnny Cash mural on the building near 16th (and) L?

Bee Curious is a community-driven series where reporters answer reader questions about all things Sacramento.

To answer Blair’s question, we took a look into The Bee’s archives.

Art, music and prison reform

The mural is part of the 2018 Wide Open Walls Festival, a mural event that promotes bringing art to Sacramento buildings, according to Visit Sacramento.

Contemporary artist and activist Shepard Fairey, who is best known for his work on Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign with the famed “Hope” poster and his clothing line OBEY, brought the painting to life on the hotel building.

According to a Bee report from 2018, Cash’s gaze in the painting points toward Folsom State Prison, the site of one of the singer’s most famous performances when he came to the city in 1968. His visit was recorded and later released as an album, “Live at Folsom Prison.”

The mural pays tribute to Cash’s 50th anniversary of this record, which follows his single “Folsom Prison Blues” released in 1955 and featured in his debut album “With His Hot And Blue Guitar” in 1957.

Beyond this homage, the artwork also reflects both Cash and Fairey’s dedication to prison reform, The Bee reported.

15-story mural of Johnny Cash aims to bring attention to prison reform

According to the 2018 story, Fairey said in a news release that he hopes the mural will start a conversation around incarceration reform.

“Draconian drug laws, rampant institutional racism, and poverty have been significant driving factors in the skyrocketing growth of incarceration,” Fairey said. “Overzealous incarceration and for-profit prisons have become a predatory profiteering racket that costs taxpayers tens of billions of dollars annually while also dramatically increasing the likelihood of repeat offenders and putting overall society at greater risk.”

This is similar to the sentiment in Cash’s music and performances.

“At Folsom Prison‘s rebellious attitude and plea for compassion for the imprisoned (articulated in Cash’s original liner notes and the pouring out of his soul on stage) intersected with the spirit of 1968, finding a place next to figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy who urged Americans to reach out to the disenfranchised and next to young Americans taking to the streets to protest war and inequality,” according to Cash’s official website.

Looking closely at the mural, pieces of Cash’s activism are exhibited with an outline of Martin Luther King, Jr. and words “United Prisoners Union Bill of Rights” and “public enemy.”

The mural was voted 2018’s best music-themed mural by Music on Walls, a collective that supports music inspired visual arts.

Cash died in 2003.

Downtown Sacramento’s Johnny Cash mural voted 2018’s best music-inspired mural

Where can I find the mural?

The Johnny Cash mural is at the side of Residence Inn by Marriott at 1121 15th St. on the L Street side.