Cash tribute makes jailhouse rock

The band will perform Cash's greatest hits at Highpoint Prison

A Johnny Cash tribute band will recreate the singer's legendary Folsom Prison concert 40 years to the day.

The country star's performance in front of inmates at the US prison on 13 January 1968 won him critical acclaim.

Cashback will perform Cash's greatest hits during a free, hour-long gig at Suffolk's Highpoint Prison on Sunday.

A prison spokesman said Highpoint had agreed to allow the Cambridgeshire band to perform as "music has a positive impact on prisoners".

Cashback's lead singer Lee Gillett told BBC News: "We wrote to the prison but we were not expecting a reply, but we got one and they thought it was a good idea."

Highpoint aims to meet the needs of all it prisoners musical tastes

The Category C prison previously held Moors murderer Myra Hindley and farmer Tony Martin.

"We are only slightly apprehensive about the prisoners because they will be well supervised," said Mr Gillett, who will perform along with his brother Mick Gillett and John Drake.

"Johnny Cash played to over a 1,000 prisoners at Folsom but we will only be performing in front of about 100," he said.

Steve Phillips, head of reducing re-offending at Highpoint Prison, said: "We were intrigued by the link to Cashback performing in a custodial environment 40 years to the day of Johnny Cash's famous concert.

"From our point of view music has a positive impact on prisoners within our establishment and also within the National Offender Management Service Reducing Re-offending Agenda."