 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2014) |
The Prisonaires | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Tennessee, United States |
| Genres | Blues, gospel |
| Years active | 1953–1955 |
| Labels | Sun |
| Past members | Johnny Bragg John Drue Marcell Sanders William Stewart Ed Thurman |
The Prisonaires were an 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.[1] The group was led by Johnny Bragg (born February 26, 1925,[2])[3] who had been a penitentiary inmate since 1943. When at the age of 17, he was convicted of six charges of rape, which were later recanted or considered falsified. 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).
- ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. p. 343. ISBN 1-85227-937-0.
- ^ "Country Musings - Death of an unknown legend - Johnny Bragg, October 2004". Countrystandardtime.com. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- ^ "The Prisonaires". 706unionavenue.nl. Retrieved October 27, 2019.