In support of the Museum’s exhibition “Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues Revisited,” a panel discusses the unique musical journey of Nashville R&B singer Johnny Bragg and his contributions to rhythm & blues and soul music. This program was recorded live on February 15, 2025, and moderated by the Museum’s Michael Gray.

Panelists Misti Bragg (daughter of Johnny Bragg), former U.S Representative Bob Clement (son of former Tennessee Governor Frank Clement), and noted music historian Colin Escott discuss Bragg’s early life and the Prisonaires, the R&B vocal group formed by Bragg while he was serving time at the Tennessee State Penitentiary. With the support of Governor Clement, who championed the act as part of his prison reform efforts, the Prisonaires routinely performed for dignitaries and celebrities at the Tennessee governor’s mansion.

The panelist also speak in depth about notable guests of the governor, including Elvis Presley and his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, and touch on Bragg’s history with Sam Phillips and Sun Records; his second group, the Marigolds, and their Top Ten R&B hit “Rolling Stone”; and Bragg’s solo records, including “They’re Talking About Me,” which has become a favorite among 1960s soul music aficionados. The program concludes with a performance from Nashville soul singer-songwriter Devon Gilfillian, who pays homage to Bragg with a rendition of “Just Walkin’ in the Rain” and performs an original composition, “Home.”

After Bragg died in 2004, his daughter, Misti, asked if Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum staff wanted to hear her father’s open-reel audiotapes, made in the 1960s and ’70s and long stored in the family garden shed. In November 2024, the Museum partnered with Misti and Org Music to release an album, “Let Me Dream On,” featuring highlights from that collection, including demos and rehearsals of previously unissued songs.

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