Inspired by the Group’s recent record album interpretation of Early Shaker Spirituals, actor Eric Berryman brought the LP Negro Folklore from Texas State Prisons to the Group’s attention. The album was recorded, edited, and annotated by Bruce Jackson and released in 1965.
It contains work songs, blues, spirituals, preaching, and toasts performed by the men of Texas’ segregated agricultural prison farm units. The songs are part of a tradition that ended when the prisons were integrated.
In the performance, Berryman channels the album (using an in-ear receiver), transmitting voices from the past into an electrically charged theatrical space. He is joined by Jasper McGruder and Philip Moore.
