Baby Please / Just Walkin' In The Rain

Sound DNA

• Soul & Funk
• Doo-Wop

• warm
• nostalgic
• storytelling

About

One of Elvis’ favorite groups, The Prisonaires stood out on the Sun Records roster as purveyors of tight R&B harmonies at a time when the label was populated mostly by gritty blues and country acts. Songwriter and bandleader James Bragg formed The Prisonaires while incarcerated at Tennessee State Prison in the early '50s, and found an unlikely patron in Tennessee Governor Frank Clement, who was so impressed by their talents that he commuted their sentences. <i>Just Walkin’ in the Rain</i> collects the sides that The Prisonaires cut for Sam Phillips’ Sun Label in the mid-50s. Tunes like the exceptional “Walkin’ In The Rain”, “Friends Call Me a Fool” and the boogie inflected “All Alone and Lonely” blend the smooth harmony style of urban groups like The Orioles, The Ravens and The Inkspots with countrified rhythms that draw from both deep blues and hillbilly music. One can hear the onset of Rock and Roll in the bawdy, jumped up blues of “That Chick’s Too Young To Fry” and the beginnings of Doo Wop in the gospel influenced “No More Tears”. The Prisonaires’ work represents a vital chapter in the history of American popular music.

via Apple Music

Tracklist

Credits