Dougan’s Prisonaires book recognized by Scene

Congratulations to Recording Industry Professor John Dougan, whose book “The Mistakes of Yesterday, The Hopes of Tomorrow — The Story of the Prisonaires,” was recognized as “Best Music Book” in the Nashville Scene’s Best of Nashville 2013 survey. Dougan received the recognition at an October event.

Wrote the Scene about Dougan’s book: “This recounting of the saga of The Prisonaires goes down at the corner of the prison-industrial complex and classic R&B. It’s a compelling if cautionary tale about crime, punishment and redemption, and MTSU Professor John Dougan tells it with meticulous detail and narrative flair.”

The Prisonaires were five African-American male singers, inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary in Nashville in the 1950s. They were discovered by radio producer Joe Calloway, who was broadcasting from the prison. TLE