The Persuasions are an a cappella group that began singing together in Broo… Read Full Bio ↴The Persuasions are an a cappella group that began singing together in Brooklyn, New York in the mid-1960s.
The Persuasions were formed in Brooklyn in 1962, singing a cappella under corner streetlights and in subway corridors. Their style combined gospel, soul, early rock and jazz into melodic five-part harmonies. Since being discovered by Frank Zappa, The Persuasions have recorded 25 albums to date featuring the arrangements by Jimmy Hayes, Jerry Lawson, Joe Russell, Jayotis Washington and Herbert Rhoad and studio productions of music including tributes to Frank Zappa, The Beatles & The Grateful Dead.
The Persuasions made appearances on such public affairs television shows as Inside Bedford-Stuyvesant on WNEW-TV and Like it Is on WABC-TV in 1968. Frank Zappa was responsible for The Persuasions' first LP, Acappella. He heard The Persuasions singing over the phone from a New Jersey record shop known as Stan's Square Records. The store's owner, Stan Krause, was the group's manager at the time. Prior to that time, The Persuasions had recorded several a cappella tracks for Krause's record label, Catamount Records. Zappa had an appreciation for soul and street corner style singing, and after hearing the group, flew them to Los Angeles to record their first album. The Persuasions were the opening act at The Mothers concerts at Carnegie Hall, 1971. Thirty years later, Zappa fan Rip Rense supervised and encouraged the group in the creation of a Persuasions tribute CD to Zappa, Frankly A Cappella on Earthbeat Records.
The Persuasions later recorded tribute albums consisting of material by the Grateful Dead (Might as Well), the Beatles (The Persuasions sing the Beatles). The last album they made together prior to Lawson's departure was on the Chesky label titled A Cappella Dreams.
Herbert "Toubo" Rhoad, one of the original members of The Persuasions, died in 1988 while on tour and is survived by his wife April and children Paris and Zina. In 1990, The Persuasions performed on the PBS TV special Spike Lee & Company – "Do It A Cappella". Sweet Joe Russell died in 2012 and is survived by his wife Arelena.
In 2007, Jerry Lawson released his first post-Persuasions a cappella CD with his new group, Jerry Lawson and Talk of The Town. In December 2010, Jerry Lawson and Talk of The Town were featured on Series 2 of NBC's The Sing-Off. Lawson was invited back on season 3 as a featured guest without Talk of the Town. He was accompanied by 16 cast members, performing the Arthur Conley hit (written by Sam Cooke) "Sweet Soul Music". In 2015 he released his debut as a solo artist, Jerry Lawson Just A Mortal Man, on Red Beet Records. It was featured on NPR with host Joel Rose.
Groups as varied as Take 6, Rockapella, The Nylons, and Boyz II Men cite The Persuasions as major influences.
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed The Persuasions among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.
Personnel
Founding members
Jerry Lawson – tenor, baritone, lead singer, arranger and producer (b. January 23, 1944 Ft. Lauderdale FL - July 10, 2019 Phoenix, Arizona) ex-store detective
Jimmy ‘Bro’ ‘Mr. Bass Man’ Hayes – bass (b. November 12, 1943 Hopewell VA - d. May 18, 2017 New York NY) ex-elevator operator
Joseph Jesse ‘Sweet Joe’ Russell – 2nd tenor (b. September 25, 1939 Henderson NC - d. May 5, 2012 Brooklyn NY) ex-butcher
'Little' Jayotis Washington – 1st tenor, baritone (b. May 12, 1945 Detroit MI) ex-plumber
Herbert 'Toubo' Rhoad - baritone (b. October 1, 1944 Bamberg SC - d. December 8, 1988 Sacramento CA) ex-shoe salesman
Influences
In the liner notes to the 2003 album, A Cappella Dreams, the group revealed their musical influences:
Sweet Joe Russell references The Dixie Hummingbirds, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, The Soul Stirrers, and "all those gospel greats."
Jimmy Hayes speaks of Jimmy Ricks [spelled "Rix" in the notes] and Melvin Franklin.
Jayotis Washington focuses his attention on Louis Jordan.
Ray Sanders thanks all of The Temptations for his influences.
Jerry Lawson cites Roy Hamilton, Sam Cooke, Al Hibbler, Brook Benton, and Elvis Presley as his mentors, adding, "Believe it or not, Elvis was a big influence. I thought he was...a fine singer, and I think we do him pretty good."
Steven Spielberg included The Persusasions' cover of Papa Oom Mow Mow in his film E.T. The Extra Terrestrial.
Discography
Albums
Acappella (1970 Reprise/Straight)
We Came To Play (1971 Capitol, CD reissue Collectables)[14]
Street Corner Symphony (1971 Capitol, CD reissue Collectables)
Spread The Word (1972 Capitol, CD reissue Collectables)
We Still Ain't Got No Band (1973 MCA)
I Just Want To Sing With My Friends (1974; A&M [not yet issued on CD])
More Than Before (1974; A&M [not yet issued on CD])
Chirpin' (1977; Elektra, CD reissue Collectables)
Comin' At Ya (1979; Rounder/Flying Fish)
Good News (1982; Rounder)
No Frills (1985; Rounder)
Do It A Cappella (1990)
Live In The Whispering Gallery (1993; Hammer n' Nails)
Toúbo's Song (1993; Hammer n' Nails)
Ships at Sea, Sailors and Shoes [with Ned Sublette & Lawrence Weiner] (1993; Qbadisc/Excellent)
Right Around The Corner (1994; Rounder/Bullseye Blues)
Sincerely (1996; Rounder/Bullseye Blues)
You're All I Want For Christmas (1997; Rounder/Bullseye Blues)
Man, Oh Man: The Power of The Persuasions (1997; EMI [1970-72 Capitol masters compilation])
On The Good Ship Lollipop (1999; Rhino/Kid Rhino/Music for Little People)
Frankly A Cappella: The Persuasions Sing Zappa (2000; Rhino/EarthBeat)
Might As Well...The Persuasions Sing Grateful Dead (2000; Arista/Grateful Dead)
Sunday Morning Soul (2000; Rounder/Bullseye Blues)
Blue's Big Musical Movie (2000; Rhino/Kid Rhino)
The Persuasions Sing The Beatles (2002; Chesky)
A Cappella Dreams (2003; Chesky)
Collectables Classics (2006; Collectables [Box set containing all 1971, 1972, & 1977 releases])
Essential Recordings: A Cappella Soul (2008; Rounder [1979-86 Rounder/Flying Fish/Bullseye Blues compilation])
The Persuasions Live at McCabe's (2009;Rensart)
Non-album singles
"Party in the Woods" written by Jerry Lawson/"It's Better to Have Loved and Lost" [1968; Minit]
"One Thing on My Mind"/"Darlin'" [1975; A&M]
Guest appearances
1972 Les McCann - Talk to the People - "What's Going On"
1973 Ellen McIlwaine - We the People - "Farther Along"
1973 Garland Jeffreys - Garland Jeffreys
1974 Phoebe Snow - Phoebe Snow - "Good Times"
1974 Stevie Wonder - Fulfillingness' First Finale - "Please Don't Go"
1974 David Essex - David Essex
1976 David Soul - David Soul - "Bird on a Wire"
1978 Melanie - Ballroom Streets - "I Believe"
1978 John Hall - John Hall - "Messin' Round The Wrong Woman"
1979 Jimmie Dockett - Different Moods
1980 Joni Mitchell - Shadows and Light - "Why Do Fools Fall In Love," "Shadows and Light"
1981 The Neville Brothers - Fiyo on the Bayou - "The Ten Commandments of Love"
1987 Rory Block - Best Blues and Originals - "God's Gift to Women"
1991 Various Artists - Zappa's Universe
2000 Paul Pena - New Train - "Gonna Move"
2001 Leon Redbone - Any Time - "In The Shade of the Old Apple Tree"
The following various artists recordings contained otherwise unissued Persuasions recordings:
Various Artists: Bread & Roses: Festival of Acoustic Music (1979; Fantasy)
Various Artists: Spike & Co. Do It A Cappella [soundtrack] (1990; Elektra)
Ned Sublette & Lawrence Weiner (with Kim Weston, Junior Mance, et al.): Monsters from the Deep (1997; Qbadisc/Excellent)
The Persuasions are the undisputed heavyweight champions of a cappella. They are, as the L.A. Weekly wrote, "to singing what Muhammad Ali was to boxing---invincible, innovative, original, beautiful."
The original five Persuasions---Jerry Lawson, Jimmy Hayes, Joe Russell, Jayotis Washington, and Toubo Rhoad---fell together by chance in 1962, harmonizing on outdoor basketball courts in Brooklyn after pick-up games. They went on to release 18 albums, and to perform or record with artists including Liza Minelli, Bette Midler, Stevie Wonder, Lou Reed, Van Morrison, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, Little Richard, Nancy Wilson, The Neville Brothers, Country Joe McDonald, B.B. King. Their music has turned up in films from Joe and the Volcano to The Heartbreak Kid, Streets of Gold, and E.T.
Throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s, The Persuasions preached the a cappella gospel almost entirely alone, until the genre suddenly acquired mainstream popularity, partly as an outgrowth of rap and hip-hop. They were in the tradition of great gospel a cappella groups such as The Golden Gate Quartet and The Fairfield Four, but they advanced the art form into a percolating, pulsing meld of rock 'n' roll, soul, country, blues. . .In short, they "Persuasioned" any songs that suited them, and made them their own---from "Papa Oom Mow Mow" to "Curtis Mayfield's "Man Oh Man."
In 1988, baritone Rhoad, whose rough-edged voice was considered the "glue" of the group's sound, blending the high profile voices of Lawson and Russell in particular, died in the middle of a tour from a stroke. His ashes were scattered by his fellow Persuasions in his beloved San Francisco Bay, and the group continued as a quartet for the next seven years, always introducing Rhoad faithfully at each concert. Baritone and former Drifter Bernard "B.J." Jones joined in 1996, and in March, 1999, the addition of first tenor Raymond X. Sanders (The Coasters, The Paragons) made the group a sextet. Both had intermittenly toured and recorded with The Persuasions throughout the '90s.
In 2003, lead singer and founding member Lawson left to pursue an independent career. He is currently embarked on a variety of projects, including his first A Cappella CD since leaving The Persuasions titled "Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town".. (For more information, please visit http://www.jerrylawson.biz .)
The Persuasions are hailed by a cappella ensembles everywhere as a seminal, inimitable influence. From Rockapella to The Nylons, contemporary vocal bands speak of Persuasions albums with reverence. Critics often place Lawson’s inspired phrasing and warm baritone in the same context with Sam Cooke, Brook Benton, Otis Redding.The collective harmonies, learned on the street corner and honed over decades on the road, gave the group a sound as unmistakable as The Modern Jazz Quartet, or The Beach Boys.
Rock critic and author Greil Marcus once called The Persuasions’ style a "perfect marriage of passion and intelligence," and Rolling Stone rated their 1977 album, Chirpin’, as one of the hundred best works of the 1970s. Mix Magazine proclaimed "The Persuasions are four parts of one voice, one spirit." Cash Box correctly noted, in 1996, "These all-vocal, instrument-free heroes paved the way for today’s platinum a cappella acts, Take 6 and Bobby McFerrin, as well as the retro-hip-hop styles of Boyz II Men and Color Me Badd."
Perhaps, to really understand the charm of this American musical institution, it is best to quote Tom Waits:
"These guys," he said, "are deep sea divers. I’m just a fisherman in a boat."
Why the name, "Persuasions?" Well, as one story goes, the group decided early on that if Christ had to persuade people to listen, and so did five guys without a band.
The original Persuasions came to Brooklyn from Florida (Lawson), North Carolina (Russell), Virginia (Hayes), and Detroit (Washington.) (Newer members Jones and Sanders are New York born-and-raised.) They all came from both church and secular musical backgrounds, and from the start, their repertoire was a mix of gospel, soul, and pop. They graduated from parties to performance by the mid-60s, a pivotal point coming when they worked for Robert F. Kennedy in Project Restoration and other efforts to aid African-Americans in the inner cities. It helped cement their resolve, and sense of mission.
The Persuasions were "discovered" by Frank and Gail Zappa in 1968. The group's friend (and eventual producer/manager of the '70s) David Dashev called Zappa from a New York rehearsal studio, declaring, "You've got to hear this." Zappa was so taken with the tape, even over the phone, that he had Dashev bring it to California for a listen. There, after getting a thumbs-up from an enthused Gail, Frank signed the the group to his own label for Warner Brothers, Straight Records. The Persuasions debuted to the world with the half-studio, and half-live A Cappella, in the fall of 1970.
Said Zappa, to this writer, many years later:
"I could tell, even over the phone, that these guys were something special."
Following their Straight album, The Persuasions signed with Capitol and recorded three of the most arresting vocal albums ever made: the Dashev-produced We Came to Play, Spread the Word, and Street Corner Symphony. They covered tunes by Bob Dylan, Kurt Weill, Curtis Mayfield, Sam Cooke, The Temptations, Joe South, Rogers and Hammerstein, Lennon and McCartney. The Persuasions came to be regarded as hip fare on college radio in the early 70s, and their first albums became, for a short time, FM staples. Dr. Demento, an early champion of the group, enlisted them to record a jingle for his still-running novelty radio show, still fondly remembered by listeners.
Still, ‘70s rock-and-disco-dominated radio never quite figured out how to program or market The Persuasions. Record companies weren't sure how to promote them, regarding them as a curiosity; even a tax write-off. Sure, they were enormously popular on the road, but. . . they had no band, and their material was so eclectic. Were they a novelty? Folk? R&B? Soul? Oldies? Gospel? It took Tower Records at least 20 years to stop filing their records and CDs in "oldies," "vocals," and "R&B," and finally just give them their own category where they belonged: "Rock and Pop."
Asking why The Persuasions’ 1000-plus song repertory is so eclectic is perhaps like asking the same question of Frank Sinatra.
"I don’t believe in categories," Lawson once said. "We love all kinds of music: Brook Benton, gospel, blues, Frank Zappa---hell, we even do ‘I Woke Up In Love This Morning,’ a song I heard on The Partridge Family TV show! It’s all music. Give it to us, and we’ll do it Persuasions-style. There are just certain songs that are Persuasions song."
From Dylan’s "The Man in Me" to Zappa’s withering commentary, "The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing" and Kurt Weill’s "Oh Heavenly Salvation"---even The Grateful Dead’s poignant "Black Muddy River"---The Persuasions imbue songs with a conviction, heart, and humor that perhaps even the authors didn’t intend, or understand. Gail Zappa, upon hearing them sing "Black Muddy River" in concert, later remarked to this writer, incredulity in her voice, "I was in tears over a Grateful Dead song!"
The Persuasions were formed in Brooklyn in 1962, singing a cappella under corner streetlights and in subway corridors. Their style combined gospel, soul, early rock and jazz into melodic five-part harmonies. Since being discovered by Frank Zappa, The Persuasions have recorded 25 albums to date featuring the arrangements by Jimmy Hayes, Jerry Lawson, Joe Russell, Jayotis Washington and Herbert Rhoad and studio productions of music including tributes to Frank Zappa, The Beatles & The Grateful Dead.
The Persuasions made appearances on such public affairs television shows as Inside Bedford-Stuyvesant on WNEW-TV and Like it Is on WABC-TV in 1968. Frank Zappa was responsible for The Persuasions' first LP, Acappella. He heard The Persuasions singing over the phone from a New Jersey record shop known as Stan's Square Records. The store's owner, Stan Krause, was the group's manager at the time. Prior to that time, The Persuasions had recorded several a cappella tracks for Krause's record label, Catamount Records. Zappa had an appreciation for soul and street corner style singing, and after hearing the group, flew them to Los Angeles to record their first album. The Persuasions were the opening act at The Mothers concerts at Carnegie Hall, 1971. Thirty years later, Zappa fan Rip Rense supervised and encouraged the group in the creation of a Persuasions tribute CD to Zappa, Frankly A Cappella on Earthbeat Records.
The Persuasions later recorded tribute albums consisting of material by the Grateful Dead (Might as Well), the Beatles (The Persuasions sing the Beatles). The last album they made together prior to Lawson's departure was on the Chesky label titled A Cappella Dreams.
Herbert "Toubo" Rhoad, one of the original members of The Persuasions, died in 1988 while on tour and is survived by his wife April and children Paris and Zina. In 1990, The Persuasions performed on the PBS TV special Spike Lee & Company – "Do It A Cappella". Sweet Joe Russell died in 2012 and is survived by his wife Arelena.
In 2007, Jerry Lawson released his first post-Persuasions a cappella CD with his new group, Jerry Lawson and Talk of The Town. In December 2010, Jerry Lawson and Talk of The Town were featured on Series 2 of NBC's The Sing-Off. Lawson was invited back on season 3 as a featured guest without Talk of the Town. He was accompanied by 16 cast members, performing the Arthur Conley hit (written by Sam Cooke) "Sweet Soul Music". In 2015 he released his debut as a solo artist, Jerry Lawson Just A Mortal Man, on Red Beet Records. It was featured on NPR with host Joel Rose.
Groups as varied as Take 6, Rockapella, The Nylons, and Boyz II Men cite The Persuasions as major influences.
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed The Persuasions among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.
Personnel
Founding members
Jerry Lawson – tenor, baritone, lead singer, arranger and producer (b. January 23, 1944 Ft. Lauderdale FL - July 10, 2019 Phoenix, Arizona) ex-store detective
Jimmy ‘Bro’ ‘Mr. Bass Man’ Hayes – bass (b. November 12, 1943 Hopewell VA - d. May 18, 2017 New York NY) ex-elevator operator
Joseph Jesse ‘Sweet Joe’ Russell – 2nd tenor (b. September 25, 1939 Henderson NC - d. May 5, 2012 Brooklyn NY) ex-butcher
'Little' Jayotis Washington – 1st tenor, baritone (b. May 12, 1945 Detroit MI) ex-plumber
Herbert 'Toubo' Rhoad - baritone (b. October 1, 1944 Bamberg SC - d. December 8, 1988 Sacramento CA) ex-shoe salesman
Influences
In the liner notes to the 2003 album, A Cappella Dreams, the group revealed their musical influences:
Sweet Joe Russell references The Dixie Hummingbirds, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, The Soul Stirrers, and "all those gospel greats."
Jimmy Hayes speaks of Jimmy Ricks [spelled "Rix" in the notes] and Melvin Franklin.
Jayotis Washington focuses his attention on Louis Jordan.
Ray Sanders thanks all of The Temptations for his influences.
Jerry Lawson cites Roy Hamilton, Sam Cooke, Al Hibbler, Brook Benton, and Elvis Presley as his mentors, adding, "Believe it or not, Elvis was a big influence. I thought he was...a fine singer, and I think we do him pretty good."
Steven Spielberg included The Persusasions' cover of Papa Oom Mow Mow in his film E.T. The Extra Terrestrial.
Discography
Albums
Acappella (1970 Reprise/Straight)
We Came To Play (1971 Capitol, CD reissue Collectables)[14]
Street Corner Symphony (1971 Capitol, CD reissue Collectables)
Spread The Word (1972 Capitol, CD reissue Collectables)
We Still Ain't Got No Band (1973 MCA)
I Just Want To Sing With My Friends (1974; A&M [not yet issued on CD])
More Than Before (1974; A&M [not yet issued on CD])
Chirpin' (1977; Elektra, CD reissue Collectables)
Comin' At Ya (1979; Rounder/Flying Fish)
Good News (1982; Rounder)
No Frills (1985; Rounder)
Do It A Cappella (1990)
Live In The Whispering Gallery (1993; Hammer n' Nails)
Toúbo's Song (1993; Hammer n' Nails)
Ships at Sea, Sailors and Shoes [with Ned Sublette & Lawrence Weiner] (1993; Qbadisc/Excellent)
Right Around The Corner (1994; Rounder/Bullseye Blues)
Sincerely (1996; Rounder/Bullseye Blues)
You're All I Want For Christmas (1997; Rounder/Bullseye Blues)
Man, Oh Man: The Power of The Persuasions (1997; EMI [1970-72 Capitol masters compilation])
On The Good Ship Lollipop (1999; Rhino/Kid Rhino/Music for Little People)
Frankly A Cappella: The Persuasions Sing Zappa (2000; Rhino/EarthBeat)
Might As Well...The Persuasions Sing Grateful Dead (2000; Arista/Grateful Dead)
Sunday Morning Soul (2000; Rounder/Bullseye Blues)
Blue's Big Musical Movie (2000; Rhino/Kid Rhino)
The Persuasions Sing The Beatles (2002; Chesky)
A Cappella Dreams (2003; Chesky)
Collectables Classics (2006; Collectables [Box set containing all 1971, 1972, & 1977 releases])
Essential Recordings: A Cappella Soul (2008; Rounder [1979-86 Rounder/Flying Fish/Bullseye Blues compilation])
The Persuasions Live at McCabe's (2009;Rensart)
Non-album singles
"Party in the Woods" written by Jerry Lawson/"It's Better to Have Loved and Lost" [1968; Minit]
"One Thing on My Mind"/"Darlin'" [1975; A&M]
Guest appearances
1972 Les McCann - Talk to the People - "What's Going On"
1973 Ellen McIlwaine - We the People - "Farther Along"
1973 Garland Jeffreys - Garland Jeffreys
1974 Phoebe Snow - Phoebe Snow - "Good Times"
1974 Stevie Wonder - Fulfillingness' First Finale - "Please Don't Go"
1974 David Essex - David Essex
1976 David Soul - David Soul - "Bird on a Wire"
1978 Melanie - Ballroom Streets - "I Believe"
1978 John Hall - John Hall - "Messin' Round The Wrong Woman"
1979 Jimmie Dockett - Different Moods
1980 Joni Mitchell - Shadows and Light - "Why Do Fools Fall In Love," "Shadows and Light"
1981 The Neville Brothers - Fiyo on the Bayou - "The Ten Commandments of Love"
1987 Rory Block - Best Blues and Originals - "God's Gift to Women"
1991 Various Artists - Zappa's Universe
2000 Paul Pena - New Train - "Gonna Move"
2001 Leon Redbone - Any Time - "In The Shade of the Old Apple Tree"
The following various artists recordings contained otherwise unissued Persuasions recordings:
Various Artists: Bread & Roses: Festival of Acoustic Music (1979; Fantasy)
Various Artists: Spike & Co. Do It A Cappella [soundtrack] (1990; Elektra)
Ned Sublette & Lawrence Weiner (with Kim Weston, Junior Mance, et al.): Monsters from the Deep (1997; Qbadisc/Excellent)
The Persuasions are the undisputed heavyweight champions of a cappella. They are, as the L.A. Weekly wrote, "to singing what Muhammad Ali was to boxing---invincible, innovative, original, beautiful."
The original five Persuasions---Jerry Lawson, Jimmy Hayes, Joe Russell, Jayotis Washington, and Toubo Rhoad---fell together by chance in 1962, harmonizing on outdoor basketball courts in Brooklyn after pick-up games. They went on to release 18 albums, and to perform or record with artists including Liza Minelli, Bette Midler, Stevie Wonder, Lou Reed, Van Morrison, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, Little Richard, Nancy Wilson, The Neville Brothers, Country Joe McDonald, B.B. King. Their music has turned up in films from Joe and the Volcano to The Heartbreak Kid, Streets of Gold, and E.T.
Throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s, The Persuasions preached the a cappella gospel almost entirely alone, until the genre suddenly acquired mainstream popularity, partly as an outgrowth of rap and hip-hop. They were in the tradition of great gospel a cappella groups such as The Golden Gate Quartet and The Fairfield Four, but they advanced the art form into a percolating, pulsing meld of rock 'n' roll, soul, country, blues. . .In short, they "Persuasioned" any songs that suited them, and made them their own---from "Papa Oom Mow Mow" to "Curtis Mayfield's "Man Oh Man."
In 1988, baritone Rhoad, whose rough-edged voice was considered the "glue" of the group's sound, blending the high profile voices of Lawson and Russell in particular, died in the middle of a tour from a stroke. His ashes were scattered by his fellow Persuasions in his beloved San Francisco Bay, and the group continued as a quartet for the next seven years, always introducing Rhoad faithfully at each concert. Baritone and former Drifter Bernard "B.J." Jones joined in 1996, and in March, 1999, the addition of first tenor Raymond X. Sanders (The Coasters, The Paragons) made the group a sextet. Both had intermittenly toured and recorded with The Persuasions throughout the '90s.
In 2003, lead singer and founding member Lawson left to pursue an independent career. He is currently embarked on a variety of projects, including his first A Cappella CD since leaving The Persuasions titled "Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town".. (For more information, please visit http://www.jerrylawson.biz .)
The Persuasions are hailed by a cappella ensembles everywhere as a seminal, inimitable influence. From Rockapella to The Nylons, contemporary vocal bands speak of Persuasions albums with reverence. Critics often place Lawson’s inspired phrasing and warm baritone in the same context with Sam Cooke, Brook Benton, Otis Redding.The collective harmonies, learned on the street corner and honed over decades on the road, gave the group a sound as unmistakable as The Modern Jazz Quartet, or The Beach Boys.
Rock critic and author Greil Marcus once called The Persuasions’ style a "perfect marriage of passion and intelligence," and Rolling Stone rated their 1977 album, Chirpin’, as one of the hundred best works of the 1970s. Mix Magazine proclaimed "The Persuasions are four parts of one voice, one spirit." Cash Box correctly noted, in 1996, "These all-vocal, instrument-free heroes paved the way for today’s platinum a cappella acts, Take 6 and Bobby McFerrin, as well as the retro-hip-hop styles of Boyz II Men and Color Me Badd."
Perhaps, to really understand the charm of this American musical institution, it is best to quote Tom Waits:
"These guys," he said, "are deep sea divers. I’m just a fisherman in a boat."
Why the name, "Persuasions?" Well, as one story goes, the group decided early on that if Christ had to persuade people to listen, and so did five guys without a band.
The original Persuasions came to Brooklyn from Florida (Lawson), North Carolina (Russell), Virginia (Hayes), and Detroit (Washington.) (Newer members Jones and Sanders are New York born-and-raised.) They all came from both church and secular musical backgrounds, and from the start, their repertoire was a mix of gospel, soul, and pop. They graduated from parties to performance by the mid-60s, a pivotal point coming when they worked for Robert F. Kennedy in Project Restoration and other efforts to aid African-Americans in the inner cities. It helped cement their resolve, and sense of mission.
The Persuasions were "discovered" by Frank and Gail Zappa in 1968. The group's friend (and eventual producer/manager of the '70s) David Dashev called Zappa from a New York rehearsal studio, declaring, "You've got to hear this." Zappa was so taken with the tape, even over the phone, that he had Dashev bring it to California for a listen. There, after getting a thumbs-up from an enthused Gail, Frank signed the the group to his own label for Warner Brothers, Straight Records. The Persuasions debuted to the world with the half-studio, and half-live A Cappella, in the fall of 1970.
Said Zappa, to this writer, many years later:
"I could tell, even over the phone, that these guys were something special."
Following their Straight album, The Persuasions signed with Capitol and recorded three of the most arresting vocal albums ever made: the Dashev-produced We Came to Play, Spread the Word, and Street Corner Symphony. They covered tunes by Bob Dylan, Kurt Weill, Curtis Mayfield, Sam Cooke, The Temptations, Joe South, Rogers and Hammerstein, Lennon and McCartney. The Persuasions came to be regarded as hip fare on college radio in the early 70s, and their first albums became, for a short time, FM staples. Dr. Demento, an early champion of the group, enlisted them to record a jingle for his still-running novelty radio show, still fondly remembered by listeners.
Still, ‘70s rock-and-disco-dominated radio never quite figured out how to program or market The Persuasions. Record companies weren't sure how to promote them, regarding them as a curiosity; even a tax write-off. Sure, they were enormously popular on the road, but. . . they had no band, and their material was so eclectic. Were they a novelty? Folk? R&B? Soul? Oldies? Gospel? It took Tower Records at least 20 years to stop filing their records and CDs in "oldies," "vocals," and "R&B," and finally just give them their own category where they belonged: "Rock and Pop."
Asking why The Persuasions’ 1000-plus song repertory is so eclectic is perhaps like asking the same question of Frank Sinatra.
"I don’t believe in categories," Lawson once said. "We love all kinds of music: Brook Benton, gospel, blues, Frank Zappa---hell, we even do ‘I Woke Up In Love This Morning,’ a song I heard on The Partridge Family TV show! It’s all music. Give it to us, and we’ll do it Persuasions-style. There are just certain songs that are Persuasions song."
From Dylan’s "The Man in Me" to Zappa’s withering commentary, "The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing" and Kurt Weill’s "Oh Heavenly Salvation"---even The Grateful Dead’s poignant "Black Muddy River"---The Persuasions imbue songs with a conviction, heart, and humor that perhaps even the authors didn’t intend, or understand. Gail Zappa, upon hearing them sing "Black Muddy River" in concert, later remarked to this writer, incredulity in her voice, "I was in tears over a Grateful Dead song!"
Victim
The Persuasions Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Victim' by these artists:
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Antidote You say the world is going nowhere You shout the system's…
Autistic Youth There was something so different when i stepped outside toda…
Avenged Sevenfold House full of roses A letter on the stairs A tape full…
Avenged Sevenfold (USA) House full of roses A letter on the stairs A tape full…
Avenged Sevenfold - Nightmare House full of roses A letter on the stairs A tape full…
awake for life Divided Inside and out What’s the proof That I am alive V…
B! Machine (of) Two girls I meet One tells me of the past…
B.JIVE [Patrick:] I'm walkin through the club black fitted on bout …
B5 | www.Marvin-Vibez.in Woke up to your whine of the day Gotta stretch to…
Benedixhion Different Everything′s so different I feel so removed I been…
Blacklite District When I′m a victim of changes And there's nothing I can…
Bladee I'm in too deep, I know In too deep, I know In…
Brainstorm You can't see the scars I had Resurrect but not undead Ble…
Candi Staton When I started out It was just a matter of seeing…
Cardiac Rupture You will only reach the level in which life's contrived Wake…
Chain Home Beat me down Shame on me Suffering bound Born to feel Victim…
Charger Victim of this modern age Take on the world's pain I…
COLONEL RED & C.O.N.E Mom I'm just calling To let you know I'm ok Mom I'm…
Criminal Instinct Now you have to ask yourself Who's the victim now? Pieces…
Cruel Cruel I’ll hold my breath like I used to Hold me up…
Culture Club The victims we know so well They shine in your eyes…
Despistado I tracked you down to be a victim of our…
Devils Gift Gonna sit real still Don't even try to move Hear every wor…
Devin Townsend How many times is it happening? Everything is happening It h…
Devin Townsend Project How many times is it happening? Everything is happening It…
DIAWOLF You always see through my lies Where is the lost sheep…
DINAMO AZARI feat. Fritz Helder & S.Y.F Say you'll get turnt to a vict I got niggas that…
Dreadnaut Swollen Lies I inhaled Cut my face scar the vail burn my…
Dreams So Real High noon, moon eclipses Devils dance with an angel's head T…
E-Moe Can't wait to tell your friends how you Tried to hurt…
ECCO2K Thaiboy Digital bladee I'm in too deep, I know In too deep, I know In…
Eighteen Visions One, two, three, go! You can't be saved You've gone and dug…
Elevated Soul Presents: A.D.S. I am sitting on my bed and can't forget Can no…
Empty Vessel You can drag my name through the mud Paint false imagery…
ericdoa Oh, whoa Oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa Oh, whoa, oh You don'…
Esm?e Denters Hold up, wait a minute, what I'm feeling now My world's…
Esmée Denters Hold up, wait a minute, what I'm feeling now My world's…
Esmйe Denters Hold up, wait a minute, what I'm feeling now My world's…
Eye Empire Feat. Lajon Witherspoon Flip the switch stop the machine (Shut it down now, shut…
Eyes Time to make a decision. When all the eyes are on…
Fallen Pine Dragging both your feet Staring at your shoes Keep pointing …
Far Away Stables I found another victim in the cornerstone of where I…
FGFC820 This is my first confession I've learned to hate myself Lo…
First Blood Defend your life, defend your soul Victims digging our own…
Frankie and the Studs I can't turn back The wasted time All your love is left behi…
Front Line Assembly "Please help me!" "Hostages unguarded, one hostage dead." "…
G.O.H Let that shit breathe My momma used to yell at me…
gavish Why you always tryna play the victim? Late night arguments j…
Glorium I feel like Like I feel like Like I wish I had a…
Godsticks I take solace when you drown With your stories crashing down…
GZA feat. Njeri [Chorus:] Just another victim of the...victim of the ghetto…
GZA/Genius [Chorus:] Just another victim of the...victim of the ghetto …
GZA/Genius/Joan Davis/Njeri [Chorus:] Just another victim of the...victim of the ghetto…
Halflives But you don′t give a fuck You made the rules and…
Health Know we′re never gonna feel the same as it was…
Janez Detd. When I was 14 I used to beaten up every…
Joan Davis [Chorus:] Just another victim of the...victim of the ghetto …
Johnnie Guilbert Lost in a dream, trying not to wake I'll stay asleep…
JSPH Victim – JSPH Bowing down to smell the earth Padded feet th…
K.A.R I'm nothing but A fading memory And this is where I found…
K.A.R Ft. Mike Beck Rob Cash Onez And Fat Joe I'm in too deep, I know In too deep, I know In…
K.i.f.o.t.h. Mom I'm just calling To let you know I'm ok Mom I'm…
Kamazu I've had enough, had enough I've had enough ngiyadliwa I've …
Kate DeAraugo See the girly in the corner over there? She's a freak…
Katsuki Yukari (S.E.N.S.) Can't wait to tell your friends how you Tried to hurt…
Kesen You keep saying things you know ain't true, You keep doing…
Kim Wilde Written by ricky, kim & marty wilde Back in my younger…
Kirfex I remember clearly, you were stuck in the world open…
KITCHEN - The War On Drugs I surrender, baby, help me understand I've given everything …
KIX・S Stay膨らんでいく月 もう少し見つめてる どうせ遠くまで行けない シュールな夢に消えた ゴールにヒーロー うつむいても…
Leslie Parrish Give up on you, give up on love To be the…
Lil Crank Fuck bout who don't like me We riding round wit…
Lil Durk This Chicago nigga! Let's get it Gang Hello, thank you come …
Lonely The Brave Your move, all you said about me, all you said about…
Long/P. Marcotte I'd rather die young and Happy Than grow old with no…
Machine Men Rotten mind Corroding spine Slave of the crime Endless…
Man Made Machine Just get me out of here I think I found the…
Manhole One out of every three women Will be a victim of…
Matt-U You left me all these wounds That I cannot heal You…
Mili Isn't it funny We worship a moon that stole its light…
Minus.Mensch Что есть слово убить Пустые жертвы пустым небесам Грех и па…
MOTHXR i think that maybe if i cant explain the inbetween "wow i…
Njeri [Chorus:] Just another victim of the...victim of the ghetto…
Nonpoint Thinking suicide Thinking suicide Thinking suicide Thinki…
Nox Novacula Getting tired of this disguise Wading through your self-enti…
OFFICE - The War On Drugs I surrender, baby, help me understand I've given everything …
One Way System Feeling numb, nearly dead No more left is what they said All…
Orange 9mm Let me tell you something I ain't no victim. Do something…
P-Knuckle I'd rather die young and Happy Than grow old with no…
Pegazus Darkness shining through Blinding my eyes, stealing my soul…
Postmen Chorus My hearts foolin' me My mind wont let it be I'm tryi…
Primitive Man Tell everyone in town Tell everyone you know I did this to…
Raven Nice to meet you I'll probably have to beat your head…
Remain and Sustain Showdown losing ground They'll drag you when you're not arou…
Reuben Smile and in a gentle voice Tell me you love me Friends…
Rubberneck It's about Twelve O clock I sit here thinking you'll…
Runkus Victim Government say dem a govern Dem take every dime and …
Saiga Mitsuki feat. JUST "Leave me," I said when the door opens my eyes I…
Sennzai 茅色に霞み 軋む城で 少女の足音が伝う 教えを乞う聲と共に 消え行く灯を 唯 独りで見届けて 迷える民へと 手を差し伸べ…
Sevi Story of my life Fightin′ all the hate you got inside, Hopin…
Sick Minds You were born rich, a silver spoon in ya' mouth. Handed…
Silent Season She's a victim too (A Victim) Her only fault So scared insid…
Skasmopolitan For large, even-numbered primes I looked I looked but I…
SKREAMER Bleeding, we are the victim Our only crimes are our lives Be…
Summer's End Devoured time with your story of fiction Caste into my fles…
Sunfall Festival When's it now? When's it later? When's it gonna get fixed? W…
Sunflower Dead If you're just gonna leave Then why can't you just leave I…
T Let me play I've been dying to let you win It's all…
Tank Angel, don't be a victim tonight, Angel don't visit that web…
Teenage Disaster Call me your Jesus piece I′m wrapped around your neck like…
Templars I'm a victim of police harassment I'm a victim of a…
Thaiboy Digital I'm in too deep, I know In too deep, I know In…
The Façade Memories, they haunt me til this day All of these broken…
The Golden Palominos I feel the motion of the car before I open…
the graveblankets I'm a victim of I'm a victim of I'm a victim of…
The Music You've been talking in your sleep I can't seem to understan…
The Palomas All that is beautiful must die And I've been uglier than…
The Postmen Chorus My hearts foolin' me My mind wont let it be I'm tryi…
The Templars I'm a victim of police harassment I'm a victim of a…
The Vision One, two, three, go! You can't be saved You've gone and dug…
THE VISION/MC RENEGADE One two three go! You can't be saved You've gone and dug…
The War on Drugs I surrender, baby, help me understand I've given everything …
Tielle Call me later on さよならとリプレイス 煙だけ残して片手のハグだけ Maybeなんて 信じた口癖 暖か…
Todd Gilbert Listen I'm not the victim Trust me I really can't complain L…
Tower Your day is coming I just can't wait To see that look…
Trapt Let me play I've been dying to let you win It's all…
Tulus Something is tracing me, Chasing and trailing me. Panic wi…
Tura Satana 1 out of every 3 women will be a victim…
UK Subs You're a victim of day Well I'm a victim of night You're…
Versus The World Oh victim your tired song has fallen deaf ears Oh victim…
Vi Feel guilty and gross When your poisons in my bones I don't…
Victim Things keep getting caught in my throat, Then my face turns…
Vitriol I can see the blades you've placed. The ones you…
Wstrn You play the victim all the time Call me when you…
Yes Mayhem on the floor wall to wall cold and hard idiot it…
Yhung T.O. & DaBoii Mom I'm just calling To let you know I'm ok Mom I'm…
Yukari Katsuki (S.E.N.S.) Can't wait to tell your friends how you Tried to hurt…
Zack Today I tried to kill myself But the truth is I'm…
Ｖｉｃｔｉｍ Things keep getting caught in my throat, Then my face turns…
We have lyrics for these tracks by The Persuasions:
Ain't No Sunshine Ain't no sunshine when she's gone. It's not warm when she's…
Another Night With The Boys Looks like I'll spend another night with the boys I tried,…
Buffalo Soldier Buffalo Soldier Buffalo soldier,Buffalo soldier Will you…
Chain Gang (Well, don't you know) That's the sound of the men…
Come Together Here come old flat top He come groovin' up slowly He got…
Crying In The Chapel You saw me crying in the chapel The tears I shed…
Don Hear that whistle, it's ten o'clock. Don't let go, Don't let…
Don't Let Him Take Your Love Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby You don't have to tell…
Don't Let Me Down Don't let me down, don't let me down. Don't let me…
Don't Look Back If it's love that you're running from, there's no hiding…
Drip Drop Drip Drop Well the roof is leaking and the rains fallin'…
Eight Days A Week Oh, I need your love, babe Guess you know it's true Hope…
Electric Aunt Jemima Ow ow ow ow rundee rundee rundee Dinny wop wop ow…
From Me to You Da da da, da da dumb dumb da Da da da,…
Good Times Good times, good times There's gonna be good times, good tim…
Hot Plate Heaven At The Green Hotel I used to have a job An' I was doin' fairly…
I Could Love You Girl I can't believe my ears, are you really tellin'…
I'm With You Four steps to the left Four steps to the right And slide…
Imagine Imagine there's no heaven It's easy if you try No hell below…
jingle bell rock Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock Jingle bells swin…
Let It Be When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary…
Looking for an Echo Down on Fulton Street in Brooklyn, we used to harmonize Me,…
Love Me Do Love, love me do You know I love you, I'll always be…
Man Oh Man Man, oh man, have you been ever to Spain, Where the…
My Jug and I I've really got to use my imagination To think of good…
Oh! Darling Oh! Darling, please believe me I'll never do you no harm B…
One Sometimes it seems like there is no hope But oh just…
Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow The last time we were up here We did a song…
People Get Ready People get ready Theres a train a-coming You dont need no …
Rainy Night in Georgia Hoverin' by my suitcase Tryin' to find a warm place to…
Rocky Raccoon Now somewhere in the black mining hills of Dakota There liv…
So Much In Love As we stroll along together Holding hands walking all along…
The Christmas Song Chestnuts roasting on an open fire Jack Frost nipping at you…
The Sun I… Used to live inside my own head Used to see the…
To Be Loved Someone to care Someone to share Lonely hours and moments …
Treasure Of Love The treasure of love, is easy to find It's waiting for…
Up on the Roof When this old world starts getting me down And people are…
Willie And Laura Mae Jones Willie and Laura Mae Jones were our neighbors a long…
Win Your Love Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby You don't have to tell…
You Can Have Her You can have her, I don't want her She didn't love…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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