Long Beach country-rock artist Brandon Wayne has dropped a thunderous new cover of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” reimagined as “Folsom Prison (Fuck You Brandon Wayne).” It’s raw, rowdy, and unapologetically his own, a rebellious spin that channels the original’s outlaw soul while cranking the amps to eleven. Now streaming on all platforms, the track marks another step in Wayne’s rise as one of country rock’s fiercest new voices.
Straddling the line between homage and reinvention, Wayne’s version of “Folsom Prison” keeps the bones of Cash’s classic intact: the train beat, the lonesome dread, the regret-soaked lyrics, but injects it with a modern, punk-adjacent snarl. With bassist Andres Alzate, drummer Ian LeBlanc, and fiddle player Tobin Gomez backing him up, the sound veers from gritty Americana into full-on rock fury. “Fuck you Brandon Wayne,” shouted in the background, isn’t just a playful jab, it’s a self-aware mantra, embracing imperfection and burning the rulebook in the process.
“The original was the first Johnny Cash song I ever learned,” Wayne says. “But this version? It’s how it feels to live in your own head sometimes — loud, chaotic, and unfiltered. I think I paid homage to the great J.C., but gave it my own Brandon Wayne twist.”
That twist includes a commitment to raw production and live-session spirit. Co-produced with Alzate at Alzate Records, the track leans into its grit, avoiding overproduction in favor of something that feels lived-in, rough-edged, and emotionally immediate.
Wayne, a Long Beach native, has been building momentum in the genre-bending outlaw space, where country grit meets rock bravado. His last single “Bad Habits” drew acclaim from Wide Open Country, Keep It Rock, and Jammerzine, and his reputation as a live performer continues to grow. With one boot in tradition and the other kicking through the saloon doors, Brandon Wayne is proving he’s not here to play it safe, and that’s exactly the point.For fans of hard-edged country, southern-fried rock, and fearless reinventions, “Folsom Prison (Fuck You Brandon Wayne)” is not to be missed. Stream it now on all major platforms and follow Brandon Wayne on Instagram and TikTok for the latest updates.