Rock and soul history is studded with examples of stars who did time, but in the annals of pop, only one band is known to have formed and actually made records behind bars – the Escorts.* And not just any bars: these ’70s soul men were incarcerated at New Jersey’s notorious Rahway State Prison, site of some of America’s worst jailhouse riots and the place where inmates terrified juvenile gangstas for the Oscar-winning 1978 documentary Scared Straight. Founded by Reginald Haynes, who had been convicted as a teenager of armed robbery, the Escorts were discovered at a prison talent show by noted soul producer George Kerr. Unprecedentedly, he convinced the authorities to let him record the seven-piece group inside Rahway, resulting in 1973′s All We Need Is Another Chance. With slow jams like “Look Over Your Shoulder” and “Ooh Baby Baby” and the simmering psychedelic soul of the title track, the record sold some 300,000 copies, according to a contemporary New York Times account, and led to a follow-up album and a sold-out show at Newark Symphony Hall.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 13:15:54 +0000
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