Johnny Cash’s iconic but gritty hit “Folsom Prison Blues” came out in 1956, launching him into the Top 5 that year. He scored a hit with it again a dozen years later when the song appeared on his album At Folsom Prison.

Cash actually performed the tune for inmates and large audiences alike in the late 50s.

With lyrics like:
But I shot a man in Reno
Just to watch him die
When I hear that whistle blowin’
I hang my head and cry
…it’s pretty strange to hear the song come out of the mouth of a 5-year-old boy!

While that’s an age at which kids seem to have interminably bad taste in music, there are always the “cool” ones listening to stuff well beyond their years. It’s usually because their parents are music fans, steering them away from “kiddie tunes” (and who can blame them?!).

Sometimes it’s their music teachers – if kids are lucky enough to have one – guiding them towards great music.

That said, we don’t know if young Wesley knew precisely what he was singing about at the 2009 Spring Coffee Shop Jam at The Columbia City Theater in Seattle, Washington. But we do know he knocked it out of the ballpark.

According to his music instructor Rob Hampton, “the Jam’s a chance for Heartwood Guitar Instruction students to showcase their talents.”

Hampton teaches guitar to people of all ages, and it appears from his YouTube upload history that Wesley has been his student since at least 2009 when he uploaded the young boy’s cover of the Johnny Cash favorite.

With his long, stylish – and already rock and roll – hair, his tiny guitar covered in hippy-style flowers, and his UK flag-style The Who shirt, it’s hard not to root for the kid who knows just a few chords but is already willing to perform them.

We don’t want to take anything away from how badass he is by calling him adorable…but he’s just flat-out adorable.

Then he opens his mouth and our hearts melted into a little puddle.

In place of The Man in Black’s somehow gravely-but-smooth deep bass-baritone voice, we hear….well, a little kid’s.

The opening line “I hear the train a-comin'” is now “I hear the TWAIN a-comin'” and we couldn’t help but let out an appreciative laugh.

It’s charming, sure, but it’s also so amazing to see a kid already becoming a musician. Even if the guitar remains a life-long hobby, and even if his voice never develops into a singing voice, musical skills are so rare these days it’s like we’ve lost appreciation for them entirely.

Music programs are now the first to get cut in schools – and while many of us don’t have the fondest memories of band or orchestra practice, it’s hard to argue that it instilled some discipline – and probably a good dose of humility – in us. It’s sad to think so many kids miss out on that now.

But Wesley didn’t miss out. At 5, he’s got his guitar, he’s confident enough to sit up on stage, and he’s already got a classic rock hit under his belt.

Oh, and he earned over 4 million views on his YouTube video in the last decade.

From the looks of his latest video – uploaded 4 months ago – he’s still rocking the long hair. And he’s certainly upgraded the guitar.

We’re so glad to see he’s still playing!

Cheers to Wesley and Rob Hampton at Heartwood Guitar Instruction.

Be sure to scroll down below to see what was likely his first performance.

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Source: Rob Hampton via YouTube, Rolling Stone, Heartwood Guitar Instruction