Songs, Stories, Hope and Encouragement

Artists have performed at prisons before, and surely will do so in the future, but with the possible exception of Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, it’s usually not a career-enhancing gig. A show within prison walls probably won’t sell many CDs.

In October, Julie accepted an invitation to perform at the Tennessee Prison for Women (TPW), as part of a program put on by Spectrum Health Systems. I asked her why she did.

“I feel that anytime you have the chance to help people with your music, you have to do it,” Julie told me. “The Spectrum program was a great opportunity to do this in a very positive way.”

“These women have been through hard times,” Julie continued. “And now they’re trying to get back on their feet. During the show, we shared our stories with each other. It was very open and honest. I think it helped all of us to hear that it is possible to get past the crap that life sometimes throws at you.”

We’d like to thank Ryan McMahon of Spectrum Health Systems for sharing the photos and following summary of Julie’s show with us.

“Singer, songwriter, actress, Ms. Julie Gribble has a diverse background in entertainment. But she’s also been through some of life’s major challenges, and recently shared her story with the women of the Tennessee Prison for Women Therapeutic Community Program. These women have all had drug/alcohol addiction issues, and are currently enrolled in this 9-12 month intensive program through the Tennessee Department of Correction.

For two hours on Thursday, October 30th, Ms. Gribble performed, spoke with, and learned from the women in the program, with the goal of offering hope and encouraging the women to keep striving the better themselves. Program participants listened to Ms. Gribble’s music and story, and were able to ask questions about how she’s been able to keep moving forward throughout, and share their own stories.

TPW administration was very supportive of the program and appreciative of Ms. Gribble’s time, and both Spectrum and TPW hope to have Ms. Gribble perform again in the future.”

---