Just Walkin' in the Rain: The True Story of the Prisonaires

by Jay Warner

"The history of rock'n'roll and rhythm and blues is filled with inspiring characters. But no story in popular music is more poignant and more triumphant than that of Johnny Bragg and his all-convict singing group, the Prisonaires.". "As a teenager in the mid-1940s, Bragg was sentenced to six life terms in the Tennessee State Prison. His only pleasure, the only expressive outlet for his spirit, was singing. Then came a miracle. In 1953, a young, progressive governor of Tennessee, Frank Clement, heard Bragg's vocal quintet. He was deeply impressed with their talent, but even more, he recognized that these were good men who might be saved. And so for years he showcased Bragg and the Prisonaires at state events at the governor's mansion. There they met President Truman, Senator Lyndon Johnson, and countless celebrity entertainers." "Bragg's claim to glory, however, lies not in the twenty-two tracks he cut with his group, but in his authorship of the hit "Just Walkin' in the Rain," recorded