In 1979, a group of inmates at Powhatan Correctional Center recorded an album with the help of a mobile studio from Richmond’s Alpha Audio. Over five hours, the band Edge of Daybreak laid down eight soul and disco tracks within the prison walls.

Their album, “Eyes of Love,” captured the hopes and emotions of men behind bars. “It lifted me up,” said co-lead vocalist Harry “Cupcake” Coleman. “It’s a prison. You can’t go nowhere. And that gave me my freedom.”

The album became a prized collectible and sparked local buzz, but band members were soon dispersed by transfers and parole. More than 40 years later, their music and story are reaching new audiences through a documentary, podcast and a newly released EP.

Thanks to a vinyl reissue, a needle-drop in an Oscar-winning film, a podcast launched in February and a half-hour documentary, which premieres June 19 at 11 p.m. on A&E, Edge of Daybreak is on the rise. There’s even new music — a four-song EP released in January called “New Horizon.”

“It’s like the never-ending story,” says drummer and co-lead vocalist Jamal Jaha Nubi. “As soon as you turn the page, ‘Wow, it’s another chapter.’”

The band’s resurgence started picking up steam in 2015, when the Numero Group label issued a new pressing of “Eyes of Love,” with detailed liner notes and a release party held at the Steady Sounds record store on Broad Street. “That was the first time we had all been in the same room seeing each other since we were released from Powhatan,” Nubi notes.

The next year, the dreamy closing track, “Our Love,” played during a key scene in the film “Moonlight,” which won Best Picture at the 89th Academy Awards. Music journalist Jamie Pietras was among those who watched and were captivated by the song. He’d been researching hip-hop made in prison and switched gears to focus on Edge of Daybreak’s remarkable story. Pietras’ extensive research and interviews resulted in “Soul Incarcerated,” a seven-episode podcast produced by A&E.

The group’s multi-channel deal with A&E also included the opportunity to record again, and the three surviving members, Coleman, Nubi and lead guitarist Cornelius “Neal” Cade, flew out to Los Angeles, landing at the storied Sunset Sound studio.

After shaking off some rust, Edge of Daybreak did just what they did in 1979: make uplifting, romantic music that aims to instill a sense of positivity.

“We hadn’t done anything together in about 40 years,” Coleman says, “but as soon as we got together, it came right together… We still knew each other, where we were going on the music, and what we felt about the music.”

Joining them in the studio was producer Steve Lindsey, who helmed recordings byAaron Neville, Celine Dion and Elton John.

“We had an all-star cast,” Nubi says of the team that helped capture the four songs that make up “New Horizon.” “All these people are very professional,” Nubi says. “It’s a blessing.”

Just as acclaimed is the director of the new A&E documentary, Dawn Porter, whose previous projects examined the criminal justice system, segregation, anti-abortion legislation and more recently, the career of Luther Vandross. The surviving members of Edge of Daybreak traveled to New York for interviews.

As that story continues to unfold, the band’s name — initially a nod to the day its members would leave Powhatan Correctional Center — takes on new meaning. Each sunrise seems to bring new opportunities.

“It’s just gonna get bigger and better,” Nubi says.