How did a talented musician, who was jailed in a Tennessee prison for his sticky fingers, come to write a composition about Big Spring, Texas?

On this edition of the Rambling Boy, Lonn explores the story of Frank Grandstaff, who among other things, wrote the West Texas themed cantata by tapping out notes on various surfaces with a pencil in his jail cell.

How did a talented musician, who was jailed in a Tennessee prison for his sticky fingers, come to write a composition about Big Spring, Texas? On this edition of the Rambling Boy, Lonn explores the story of Frank Grandstaff, who among other things, wrote the West Texas themed cantata by tapping out notes on various surfaces with a pencil in his jail cell.

The Convict and His Big Spring Cantata

The Rambling Boy: Stories About Texas is a weekly look at regional history, hosted by Lonn Taylor of Fort Davis. Taylor was a writer and historian who moved to the Big Bend after retiring from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. in 2002.

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The Convict and His Big Spring Cantata

The Convict and His Big Spring Cantata