S.O.D. "The Prisoner's Song" by Vernon Dalhart

3/9/2016     

S.O.D. "The Prisoner's Song" by Vernon Dalhart.  There is no doubt that prison is an intriguing place. Maybe even more so in the 1920s when this song emerged under the 'hillbilly music' genre.   Within that genre you had country, Bluegrass, gospel, Appalachian music and Tin Pan Alley.  It became one of the biggest hits of the mid to late 20s and sold more than 1 million or more than 7 million copies.  No one seems to be sure what the true number is.  

     The A side to this tune was "The Wreck of the Old 97" or "The Wreck of the Southern Old 97" which was an older song that had been around for about eight months and did well with other labels.  With Dalhart on vocals, Carson Robison on guitar and Lou Raderman on viola, it became a classic and may have been inspired by Dalhart's cousin Robert Massey, who possibly heard it while serving time.