Life in a Texas penitentiary during the 1950s and 1960s

Life in a Texas Penitentiary During the 1950s and 1960s

by Jim Hauser Contact: jphauser2000 (at) yahoo.com

Bruce Cook, in a chapter about Texas blues in his book Listen to the Blues, wrote that "the music of the Texas jails and chain gangs--such songs as"Ain't No More Cane on This Brazos," "Another Man Done Gone," and "The Midnight Special," for example--were especially rich and were certainly the kind of music that deepened and helped extend the blues tradition in Texas." Terribly difficult circumstances and great suffering gave birth to these extraordinary songs, and anybody wishing to learn about life in the brutal Texas prison system should look into the story of a convict named Albert "Racehoss" Sample. You can find Sample's life story, including the story of his 17 years of incarceration in a Texas penitentiary during the 1950s and 1960s, in the book Racehoss: Big Emma's Boy. A link to a review of the book is below. Sample also tells of his time in prison in the powerful film documentary Racehoss: The Life of Albert Race Sample.

Review of the book Racehoss: Big Emma's Boy