Just Walkin' In The Rain.

Just Walkin' In The Rain by Jay Warner Renaissance Books, February 2001, $24.95, ISBN 1-580-63410-1

Take Tennessee in the 1950s, a relatively progressive governor and a group of convicts-turned-rhythm & blues singers, and you have the elements of a powerful story. Drawn from extensive interviews and research, lust Walkin' In The Rain is both a fascinating read and a unique snapshot in time, capturing the dawn of rock`n'roll and the birth of the Civil Rights Movement in one fell swoop.

Just Walkin' centers around two men whose lives become forever intertwined when they meet. The first is Johnny Bragg, a black teen from North Nashville who was sentenced to six life terms in Tennessee State Prison in the mid 40s. The second is Tennessee governor Frank Clement, a young upstart looking to establish himself on the national political landscape. Bragg's biggest passion had always been music and the vocal stylings of the Ink Spots had a particular influence on him. For Bragg, part of the orientation process in prison was to sing, eventually joining forces with other crooners to form a vocal quintet. In 1953, Clement hears this quintet, the Prisonaires, and recruits them to sing at the governor's mansion for special functions. Incredibly, the group is a huge hit with audiences, Clement sees an opportunity to put rehabilitation into his political platform, and the Prisonaires go on to regional and even national celebrity. The group is so renowned in the area that they are invited to record at Tennessee's Sun Records, where Bragg recalls a young man named Presley helping him with his vocals in a recording session. The Prisonaires actually had several hit records, including one for which the book is named. Considering most group members had long prison terms, in the segregated South no less, the achievements of Bragg and his group are inconceivable, yet true.

In an accessible and well-paced narrative, author Jay Warner skillfully depicts the North Nashville neighborhood where Bragg grew up, the grim existence he lived as a prisoner and the fierce jealousy that came from other prisoners toward the men who were escorted out to sing and record. The perspective of the ambitious Clement provides for a balanced look at this unique period in America. Warner spends considerable time pointing out Clement's benevolence regarding Bragg and the Prisonaires, which had to be far from typical in the governor's place and time. However, it is with reduced zeal that the author depicts the racism of the southern judicial system, by which Bragg was wrongly accused and jailed in two cases. Overall, lust Walkin' In The Rain is a compelling true story, combining glimpses of American music history, southern politics and the lives of two remarkable men in an amazing cultural journey.

Tracy Grant is a freelance journalist, the author of Hellified and the upcoming Chocolate Thai.