Organisers of a Johnny Cash tribute in the U.S. are determined the finished product will not be a Disneyland-style fun park.

The rock 'n' roll legend famously performed several times at Folsom State Prison in California in the 1960s to boost inmates' morale, and local officials are honouring the star with the Johnny Cash Trail and Overpass attraction.

A $3.8 million (£2.4 million) pedestrian and cycle route was unveiled in October (14) as part of the project, and organisers are now working towards installing artworks, a Ring of Fire amphitheatre, and a 40-foot (12-metre) tall statue of Cash in a nearby park as part of the tribute.

However, they are determined to keep the finished venture classy and avoid turning it into a money-spinning tourist hotspot.

Adan Romo, a California-based artist who is involved in the project, tells Uncut magazine, "There was a real danger of making it a Disney-type experiment. It's a sensitive subject as you've got the prison, the music, Johnny Cash's legacy, and various needs of the city. Ultimately, I whittled it to how empathetic he was and his ability to connect on a human level. That's what drew him to the prison. He went through this dark period and it seemed like his visit to Folsom was as much about his own redemption as it was for the inmates."

The venture is being overseen by Cash's daughter Cindy, who tells the publication, "Pulling up to the prison for the first time brought back a lot of memories... Dad had never been in prison as an inmate, but that concert made half the world believe he had been. It changed his life and gave him the bad boy image. But at the same time he kept that respect and dignity."