NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A local woman spent most of her childhood with no idea the role her father played in music history. She's now ready to share that story, and she's getting some help.
Misti Bragg's family has a wall of fame of certificates and honors. They're of her father, Johnny Bragg.
"How old were you when you found out that your dad had hit records?" I asked her.
"Oh gosh, I was maybe 15, 16-years-old," Misti answered, thinking back. "Other than that, he was just dad, just a regular dad."
He was a dad whose story caught the interest of Michael Gray at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
"The Johnny Bragg story just hasn't gotten the attention it deserves," he said.
In the early 1950s, Johnny was an inmate at the Tennessee State Prison. There, he rounded up four other inmates to form a doo-wop group called The Prisonaires.
"The lead singer was my dad," Misti said.
Something key is the governor of Tennessee at the time was Frank Clement.
"He was all about prison reform," Michael said. "He thought people deserved a second chance."
The governor began letting the Prisonaires perform at civic clubs, churches, and the governor's mansion. He even allowed them to travel the miles down to Memphis under the watch of guards to record for Sun Records. A Prisonaires song co-written by Johnny was released in 1953. It was called Just Walkin' in the Rain.
"The Prisonaires put Sun Records on the map," said Michael.
Today, there are artists who recorded for Sun Records so famous they're on murals everywhere. It's people like Johnny Cash.
"Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison," Michael listed. "It's hard to prove this exactly, but a lot of historians think Elvis may have come to Sun Records because of the Prisonaires hit."
"My dad knew him!" Misti smiled. "Elvis actually came [to a Prisonaires performance], and they all got together amongst themselves, playing the piano and having a good time at the governor's mansion."
Johnny Bragg died in 2004.
"A lot of his work, he did feel it went unnoticed," Misti said. "He did."
Today, the Johnny Bragg story's being told in a much bigger way than a home wall of fame.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has a Night Train To Nashville exhibit up now through September. On display are little reels of demos, live recordings, rehearsals, and more that Misti found in her father's closet. The recordings have also been organized onto a recent release.
"We put out an album called Let Me Dream On," Michael said of the newly released Johnny Bragg album. "Johnny Bragg played a big role in popular music history."
"He would be thrilled," Misti said about her father's story being shared. "He would probably be like, 'it's about time!' He would be happy. It's a good feeling."
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
Shred the gnar with Patrick - the snowboarding lawyer that will remind you not to take things too seriously! His cheeky, cheerful attitude is contagious. His only complaint? The lack of chairlifts at the Tennessee State Capitol of course. Watch his story for an instant pick-me-up on a frigid day.
-Rebecca Schleicher
