The Prisonaires
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The Prisonaires were an African American doo-wop group whose hit "Just Walkin' in the Rain" was released on Sun Records in 1953, while the group was incarcerated in the Tennessee State Penitentiary in Nashville. The group was led by Johnny Bragg, who had been a penitentiary inmate since 1943 when, at the age of 17, he was convicted of six charges of rape. The Prisonaires were formed when Bragg joined up with two prison gospel singers, Ed Thurman and William Stewart (each of whom was doing 99 years for murder), and two new penitentiary arrivals, John Drue Jr. (three years for larceny) and Marcell Sanders (one-to-five for involuntary manslaughter).
History
The group was discovered by the radio producer Joe Calloway, who heard them singing while preparing a news broadcast from the prison. He arranged for the group to perform on the radio, a performance which was eventually brought to the attention of Sam Phillips of Sun Records. He arranged for the group to be transported under armed guard to Memphis to record. A few weeks later, "Just Walkin' in the Rain" was released and quickly sold 50,000 copies.
The Prisonaires
ALBUMS
- Just Walkin' in the Rain released: 1994
Just Walkin' in the Rain
Released 1994- Just Walkin’ in the Rain
- Baby Please
- Dreaming of You
- That Chick’s Too Young to Fry
- Just Walkin’ in the Rain See
- Baby Please
- Softly and Tenderly
- My God Is Real
- Prisoner’s Prayer
- No More Tears
- I Know
- No More Tears
- If I Were King
- I Wish
- Don’t Say Tomorrow
- No More Tears
- What’ll You Do Next
- There Is Love in You
- What’ll You Do Next
- Two Strangers
- What About Frank Clement
- Friends Call Me a Fool
- Lucille, I Want You
- Surleen
- All Alone and Lonely
- Rockin’ Horse
