When Texas was fertile ground for prison bands

"[T]he most moving lyrics are about loneliness, heartache and how incarceration strains families."

โ€œThe musicians skated around problems. The officers treated us better. Every song you did on the albums, youโ€™d get $10 for writing it, and if you played at the rodeo, you got $5.โ€

https://www.keranews.org/arts-culture/2026-03-26/texas-prison-rodeo-music

#TexasPrisonRodeo #TheMarshallProject #RedemptionSongs #Music #DollyParton #WillieNelson #Jazz #BehindTheWalls #JohnnyCash #MauriceChammah #KERA

When Texas was fertile ground for prison bands

Until the 1980s, an annual prison rodeo offered a chance for men inside to perform and sell albums. Now The Marshall Project is making them available to you.

KERA