Melissa Etheridge, 63, shares the heartwarming reason she performs in prisons… and it has to do with the late singer Johnny Cash

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Melissa Etheridge wants to “make a big impact” like her country idol Johnny Cash.

The 63-year-old Breathe hitmaker, last seen on the red carpet, told People that she was inspired by the Ring Of Fire singer to give back to the community by performing in prisons, just like he did in the 1970s.

“Nobody in Kansas City saw him. I thought, ‘Wow, prisons must be a place of good entertainment.’ And that’s a goal. That’s what I want to be one day,” she recalled of her childhood.

Since then, the singer has performed at correctional facilities near her hometown of Leavenworth, most recently at the Topeka Correctional Facility, which is featured in her latest documentary series, “Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken.”

“I wasn’t afraid of prison or what went on there,” she noted.

“And so I always knew I wanted to come back and do this kind of Johnny Cash thing, performing for people who really need it, who probably haven’t had entertainment in months, years, decades, and how healing that can be,” she said.

“I had no idea what it would be like and it really exceeded my expectations,” explained the Kansas musician.

The singer of Folsom Prison Blues performed in various prisons and even played in Leavenworth Prison in front of 1,200 spectators in 1968.

According to KC, Cash recorded and released his live album “At Folsom Prison” yesterday after meeting prisoners and signing autographs for them.

Etheridge’s Paramount+ documentary series follows the country singer in the run-up to her performance at the facility and includes clips from her time on stage.

She sang her latest hit “I’m Not Broken,” which was written in honor of all incarcerated women.

“The whole prison was not what I expected. I left full of hope because of the people who run it and their attitude towards the women who were there,” the singer said.

“Once they walk through the door, they work to help them get back into society. It’s been a great experience and I’ve learned so much. I can’t wait for the world to see it,” she added.

The star also revealed that she had built close relationships with some incarcerated women through correspondence prior to the show.

In the documentary series, the women talked about the positive impact the correspondence had on their lives.

According to Etheridge, the prison warden allowed her to perform any song she wanted for as long as she wanted.

The hitmaker hopes the documentary series will encourage others to show grace and understand that “people can change and grow.”

She has released 17 studio albums so far.