Prison work songs speak to us of despair, misery and deprivation, possibly beyond most people's comprehension, these songs are surely a blues connection. When we first began to research these songs and their history we found not only a connection, but a cry from the past so prolific it became an obvious root of the blues not to be discarded.

Prisons were facilities where music was regularly created - and not only for the residents themselves, but for Southern society at large. Incarcerated people had these work songs, hollers, and chants to break up the monotony of their work, these songs were used certainly to create a rhythm for their work, but also as entertainment and in various forms, even worship. Songs varied depending on the kind of work: The music could be up-tempo if the work was of a faster speed or slower, if it was more difficult or intricate.

Beyond songs about work, there were also songs about prison itself. Probably the most iconic of these songs was Leadbelly's 'The Midnight Special'. Like many blues songs, it was pieced together from parts of other blues songs, with individual singers putting their own stamp on it over time. Sam Collins' version, which was recorded in 1927, introduces us to an insight into their misery from beyond prison itself, with a verse about a woman begging for her man's freedom.