What happened when the Frankie Miller Band played San Quentin Prison. “The guys all signed a form to agree that if they were attacked, kidnapped or killed, the prison was not responsible”

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What happened when the Frankie Miller Band played San Quentin Prison. “The guys all signed a form to agree that if they were attacked, kidnapped or killed, the prison was not responsible”

Louder · 3 hours ago

Now I have enough detail to write an accurate summary.

SUMMARY:
In August 1975, the Frankie Miller Band played a concert inside San Quentin State Prison in California, an event so fraught with risk that band members had to sign liability waivers absolving the prison of responsibility if they were attacked, kidnapped or killed. The performance took place amid rival prison gangs and left a lasting impression on Miller, the Glasgow-born singer, who had grown up around poverty and crime in Bridgeton and had said he might have ended up behind bars himself had he not found music.

The band for the gig included guitarist Henry McCulloch, formerly of Wings, alongside bassist Chrissy Stewart, drummer Stu Perry and keyboardist Mick Weaver, with contributions elsewhere from vocalist Jimmy Dewar. The experience, including a visit to Alcatraz Island, inspired Miller to write "The Rock", a gospel-tinged song reflecting on social displacement and imprisonment that became the title track of his 1975 album.

  • Frankie Miller Band played San Quentin Prison in August 1975
  • Musicians signed waivers releasing the prison of liability if harmed
  • The visit inspired Miller's song and album "The Rock"

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