who wrote johnny cash's song a boy named sue
A Boy Named Sue "A Boy Named Sue" is a song written by Shel Silverstein, made popular by Johnny Cash. He recorded the song live at California's San Quentin State Prison at a concert on February 24, 1969. Cash also performed the song (with comical variations on the original performance) in December 1969 at Madison Square Garden. The song became Cash's biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and his only top ten single there, spending three weeks at No. 2 in 1969, held out of the top spot by "Honky Tonk Women" by The Rolling Stones. The track also topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts that same year and was certified Gold on August 14, 1969, by the RIAA.