Edge of Daybreak: The Real Jailhouse Rock

Directed by Alix Lambert

It doesn’t take a seasoned musician, engineer, or producer to marvel at The Edge of Daybreak and their sole record, Eyes of Love. Though rightly acclaimed for soulful melodies and passionate vocals, said record is ultimately infamous for having been recorded in one take at the Powhatan Correctional Center’s recreational area by a six-inmate group, each member — then serving sentences ranging between six and 60 years — whisked back to their cells as soon as they’d hit the last note on the final track. Alix Lambert’s (The Mark of Cain) new short film, The Edge of Daybreak, uncovers that peculiar history through archival materials, interviews with Jon Kirby (of the album’s current home, Numero Group) and Daybreak’s keyboardist and vocalist James Carrington, and sounds from Eyes of Love itself.