The Prison Show

Gerald Bates
and
"The Prison Show with Ray"
Gerald Bates was an ordinary hardworking Houston musician with an exceptional heart and remarkable talent for songwriting. He was on his way to a late-night gig when the radio in the van began receiving the call-in part of The Prison Show.

To those of us who do the show it was an ordinary night of ethos, pathos and eros in the lives of those who love those in Texas prisons, but to Gerald it was the stuff of song writing. He sat in the parking lot of the venue and wrote the song we have used as a theme for many years.

The song tells two stories.

One of an early teenage boy talking to his brother using the somewhat awkward process of having his message broadcast on the radio where his brother can not respond. His message is to and about his brother and clearly exposes his love and that he misses him.

The other is a father trying to encourage his son in a faraway prison. The old man understands how the show works and speaks directly to his son in loving encouragement.

Gerald Bates caught the real magic of The Prison Show's second hour. Gerald's health began to fail soon after writing the song and his own struggle for life equals that of those whose voices he enshrined in his art. The Prison Show will be eternally grateful for Gerald Bates and his contribution to our efforts to lift the spirits and expose the suffering of those behind the fences and bars in Texas prisons.
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