"Jail Guitar Doors" is a song by The Clash

The Clash

The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...

, recorded during October and November 1977 and released on February 17, 1978 as the b-side

A-side and B-side

A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...

 of their fourth single "Clash City Rockers

Clash City Rockers

"Clash City Rockers" is a song and single by The Clash. First released in February 1978 with the b-side "Jail Guitar Doors," a re-worked version of a song from Joe Strummer's pub rock days, it was later included as the opening track of the belated US version of the band's eponymous debut album.The...

". The song is featured on the U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 release of their debut album, and on their 2006 compilations album the Singles Box

Singles Box

Singles Box is a compilation album by The Clash. Included within is all the singles that they released in the UK , with the single mixes and edits with the B-sides released, and also containing B-sides from different parts of the world.The discs are packaged in a sleeve which reproduces the...

.

"Jail Guitar Doors" was covered by the former Guns N' Roses

Guns N' Roses

Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...

 guitarist Gilby Clarke

Gilby Clarke

Gilbert "Gilby" Clarke is an American guitarist and record producer best known for a 3-year tenure as the rhythm guitarist of Guns N' Roses, replacing Izzy Stradlin in 1991 during the Use Your Illusion Tour...

, who recorded a version on his debut solo album

Album

An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

, Pawnshop Guitars

Pawnshop Guitars

Pawnshop Guitars is the debut solo album by the former Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke, released in 1994 via Virgin Records. Along with all the then current members of Guns N' Roses the album also features contributions from Pixies vocalist Frank Black and guitarist Ryan Roxie among others.-...

, with the contribution of the members of Guns N' Roses, Pixies vocalist Frank Black

Frank Black

Black Francis is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under the name Frank Black...

, guitarist Ryan Roxie

Ryan Roxie

Ryan Roxie Ryan Roxie Ryan Roxie (born in Sacramento, California, December 1, 1965 is an American guitarist/singer-songwriter currently residing in Stockholm, Sweden. He is the founding member of Roxie 77 and probably most well known for his guitar work with Alice Cooper, Slash, Casablanca, Dad's...

 and bassist Duff McKagan

Duff McKagan

Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan is an American musician and writer. He is best known for his twelve-year tenure as the bassist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s...

.

The song opens with the lines "Let me tell you 'bout Wayne and his deals of cocaine", which is a reference to the MC5

MC5

The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...

 guitarist Wayne Kramer

Wayne Kramer (guitarist)

Wayne Kramer is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and film and television scorer....

. And in the second verse line, "And I'll tell you 'bout Pete, didn't want no fame" refers to Peter Green

Peter Green (musician)

Peter Green is a British blues-rock guitarist and the founder of the band Fleetwood Mac...

.

Jail Guitar Doors initiative

Jail Guitar Doors is an independent initiative set up by Billy Bragg

Billy Bragg

Stephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...

 with the aim of providing musical equipment for the use of inmates serving time in prisons throughout the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. It takes its name from the b-side of the Clash’s 1978 single “Clash City Rockers”.