The Prisonaires
The Prisonaires were an American doo-wop group formed in the Tennessee State
Penitentiary in Nashville. Led by Johnny Bragg, who had been incarcerated since
1943 at age 17 for charges later recanted or considered falsified. The group was
discovered by radio producer Joe Calloway in 1953, who arranged their recording
session with Sam Phillips at Sun Records. Their debut single "Just Walkin' in
the Rain" was released that year and sold 250,000 copies, allowing them day
passes for tours across Tennessee. The song's success led to a commutation of
Bragg's sentence in 1956.
