Writer and artist Shel Silverstein wrote this for Johnny.

He preformed this live at San Quinton Prison which was made into a double album. One of my favorite albums I had when I was a teenager.

Johnny Cash, didn't have to have a fancy range. He had an extremely strong presence and personality in his voice. A strong character comes from the vibe of his voice. Very definite, very honest. Incredible voice.

this was Johnny Cash performing live at San Quentin Prison in 1969!  All of his music was straight from the soul!  Please check out “The Man in Black” if your looking for another timeless epic classic,  thanks for the lovely reaction, as always!

I see that someone already clued you in that Johnny didn't write this one, but it doesn't matter.  Whether he wrote his music or not (and he wrote a lot of GREAT songs), once he performed it, it became a Johnny Cash song.
Always great to watch people discover him.  it will be a long and very rewarding journey for you.

My dad used to sing this to us when we were kids, we'd always yell "sing the boy named Sue song!", and at the end he'd always substitute our names for what Johnny said. Such a great song, shout out to my pops for introducing us to great music. Thank you for the reaction, absolutely loved it!

Cash recorded the song live in concert on February 24, 1969, at California's San Quentin State Prison for his At San Quentin album.  An inmate heard him, and caused him to turn his life around.  His name was Murle Haggard.  Haggard had became a famous and award winning artist.

Johnny Cash is an American treasure, a true icon.   1.o

He didn't write it but he sure sang the heck out of that song

He performed this in San Quinton. Merle Haggard was an inmate in the crowd and was planning on escaping within a few days. After seeing Johnny...well, the rest is history.

i love me some Johnny Cash!

Songwriter Shel Silverstein had a boyhood friend named Jean Shepherd, who was always teased about his name (Jean). This is what gave Shel the idea for writing "A Boy Named Sue". Shepherd became a renowned storyteller, humorist, radio and TV personality, writer, and actor. He's known for the film "A Christmas Story" (1983), which he narrated and co-scripted. This movie has become a traditional Christmas day marathon on television.

Always loved this song.  Im 64 and i grew up on it.  Still love all Johnny's songs.

Johnny Cash one of the greatest story tellers of his time.

My favorite song by Johnny is “1 piece at a time”!!!

This was live at San Quinton. Johnny had variety show in the early 70's with a lot of great performances from himself and others as well.

Best storyteller on the planet.

Poet/Writer Shel Silverstein wrote that song.
Shel's book, "Where The Sidewalk Ends," is one of my favorite books since I was a young boy.  I highly recommend it for parents everywhere.

One piece at a time is another lighthearted song from him!

He sang this song on his show, to announce the name of his on son on live tv