Just Walkin' in the Rain: The True Story of the Prisonaires: The Convict Pioneers of R & B and Rock & Roll

by Jay Warner

Book Overview

The cold steel slam of a cell door. The soul-crushing fate of a life in prison with no possibility of parole for a crime you didn't commit. Such were the prospects facing Johnny Bragg, a humble musician from rural Tennessee who led a life that reads like a novel. Johnny and his fellow inmates in the 1950's-era R&B music group the Prisonaires had four strikes against them. They were poor, uneducated, imprisoned, and Black. They were also largely innocent...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1580631401
• ISBN13: 9781580631402
• Release Date: February 2001
• Publisher: Renaissance Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Prisonaires:Just Walking In The Rain

Gave as a gift.My collector buddy flipped.He has lots of books in his collection,but wasn't aware of this one.Great book about Johnny Bragg & this group & what it took to tour from prison.Great story & a good read.Seller A+.Quick delivery.

AMAZING STORY OF JOHNNY BRAGG

Johnny Bragg was wrongly accused of rape.While in jail he was wrongly accused of 4 more rapes.The original charge was dropped, when girl admitted she lied.he was sentenced to 4 life sentences. Wound up in Tenn. State Prison.Thanks to the liberal polocies of GOV.Frank Clement, Johnny & his group ( The Prisonaires )were allowed to leave the prison to record at Sun Studios and perform at various shows. Johnny Bragg wrote and recorded " JUST WALKIN' IN THE RAIN. " Most people think that Johnny Ray was the first to record this song. Believe It or not, he was paroled twice.

A story of determination...

I picked this book up as an assignment for my Popular American Music class, but have found a tremendous amount of admiration for a man who made lemonade out of lemons. I have learned a lot about a man who led a group of men to great achievements despite their lack of freedom and limited resources. I definitely recommend this to anyone who appreciates learning about a musician who truly sang for his freedom.

The story of an amazing, graced life

"Just Walkin' In the Rain" - the story of an amazing, graced life Not often can a story about a rock and roll legend be called 'inspirational'. The tragedy of rock genius thrown into the propellers spans the decades from Johnny Act to Kurt Cobain.  But the story of Johnny Bragg is, indeed, one that offers hope for all, no matter where life has taken you.  And it's told wonderfully by rock historian Jay Warner in his new book, "Just Walkin' In The Rain", named after the Johnny Ray hit written by Bragg.With a false accusation of rape made by a girlfriend which led to convictions on six 99 year sentences, surviving to near middle age might have been more than he could have expected.  (Bragg was a poor Black man fighting the Tennessee Judicial System in the 50's.)  Instead, his musical ability brought him together with an inmate singing group which he would rename "The Prisonaires".  His talent brought a polish to the group's sound.  Their work led Governor Frank Clement ( a Southern liberal Democrat, of all things) to become the group's greatest advocate (and Bragg's personal patron saint) in order to prove that all men, regardless of their past, were capable of redemption.  And the Governor's effort to showcase the group at numerous state functions led to radio appearances and, ultimately, a career as hit recording artists...and encounters with everyone from Elvis to Margaret Truman...all while in prison.Bragg's story is a wild ride that Warner details with expertise and love. Everytime that it looks like Bragg has been dealt nothing but 3's and 8's, an ace or two always seems to wind up in his hand, so continually does a Divine hand appear to be intervening in his life.To be sure, the racial climate of the South at that time and Bragg's own worst tendencies keep this from having a Frank Capra ending.  Still, if you're looking for a story that shows how misfortune can often be the first sign of a miracle (or if you want to check out an essential part of rock's beginnings), this is it!  I

ANOTHER WINNER FROM WARNER

They were a short-lived '50s singing group made up of five jailbirds: a man in for larceny, a convicted rapist and three assorted killers. Although signed to a legendary label, Sun Records, they never scored once on the pop or R & B hit parades. And that despite the fact that they introduced "Just Walkin' In The Rain" -- a song that would later sell a million copies when recorded by Johnnie Ray, the over-the-top pop singer often billed as "The Prince Of Wails." On the surface, it would certainly appear that The Prisonaires never really amounted to much -- and were, at best, a mini-footnote in pop history. Enter master musicologist Jay Warner, one of the few in his field with the tenacity, drive and investigative skills needed to unravel the mystery of The Prisonaires' nearly 50-year old hidden story. Now, for the first time ever, the quintet's amazing, eye-opening saga has been revealed in painstaking detail in Warner's latest literary labor of love. To paraphrase Paul Harvey, just wait 'til you discover "the rest of the story." -- Gary Theroux, Music Editor, Reader's Digest