RTZ formed around Ronnie Thigpen, who drew on his own time in prison for material. Their debut album 'Hard Time (In The Big House)' came out in 1995, anchored by the title track that became their best-known song. The group included guitarist Mike Mays, bassist Vernon Dubose, and drummer Timothy Carney.
Their lyrics about prison life got attention, with some listeners finding them authentic and others criticizing them. They kept writing about that world on later albums like 'Still Hard Time' and 'Redemption,' which came out in 1997 and 2005. Other songs in their catalog include 'All You've Got,' 'Devil To Pay,' and 'Rain Down On Me.'
They put out a compilation called 'Straight Outta Prison' in 2001 and another album, 'Unbreakable,' in 2010. Their music found an audience both inside and outside correctional facilities.
Keep it compact: a lyric you come back to, a live memory, or the part of the catalog you would point someone toward first.
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