- The Persuasions
The Persuasions are an
a cappella group who began singing together inBrooklyn ,New York in the early 1960s and went on to produce numerous albums covering a wide range of musical genres. The five original members wereJerry Lawson ,Joe 'Jesse' Russell ,Jayotis Washington ,Herbert 'Toubo' Rhoad , andJimmy 'Bro' Hayes . Other members includedWillie C. Daniels ,Ray Sanders , andBernard Jones (who currently performs withThe Dubs ).Reggie Moore , noted vocalist from Washington, D.C. joined the group in 2005. The year 2007 marks the group's 45th year in the music industry. They have also performed for periods as a four-man group.The Persuasions have enjoyed recognition from musicians outside the
doo-wop or gospel community.Frank Zappa (who helped get them their first record contract),Joni Mitchell and theGrateful Dead are/were among their fans. The group opened concerts for both Mitchell and the Dead and later recordedtribute album s to Zappa (Frankly A Capella) and the Grateful Dead (Might as Well). They appeared on the album "New Train " byPaul Pena .Their eclectic choice of material and clever, unique arrangements have been hallmarks of their recordings. Jerry Lawson seems to find his strongest inspiration from the songs of
Sam Cooke ; the best examples of which can be found on "We Came to Play" and "Chirpin"', the two albums considered by many to be their best. Toubo Rhoad, one of the original members, died in the mid-1990s. Moore replaced Lawson who had left the group in 2003 to pursue a solo career and do charitable work.The Persuasions are considered by many to be the benchmark of a cappella, with groups as varied as
Take 6 ,Rockapella ,The Nylons andBoys II Men citing them as major influences.The current members of the Persuasions are:
*Joe Russell - lead singer
*Ray Sanders - first tenor
*Jayotis Washington - second tenor
*Reggie Moore - baritone
*Jimmy Hayes - bassDiscography
* "Acappella" (1970)
* "Street Corner Symphony" (1971)
* "We Came To Play" (1971)
* "Spread The Word" (1972)
* "We Still Ain't Got No Band" (1973)
* "I Just Want To Sing With My Friends" (1974)
* "More Than Before" (1974)
* "Chirpin' " (1977)
* "Comin' At Ya" (1979)
* "No Frills" (1984)
* "Good News" (1988)
* "Live In The Whispering Gallery" (1993)
* "Toubo's Song" (1993)
* "Right Around The Corner" (1994)
* "Stardust" (1994)
* "Sincerely" (1996)
* "You're All I Want For Christmas" (1997)
* "Man, Oh Man: The Power of The Persuasions" (1997)
* "On The Good Ship Lollipop" (1999)
* "Frankly A Cappella : The Persuasions Sing Zappa" (2000)
* "Might As Well...The Persuasions SingGrateful Dead " (2000)
* "Sunday Morning Soul" (2000)
* "The Persuasions SingThe Beatles " (2002)
* "A Cappella Dreams" (2003)
* "The Persuasions Sing U2 (2005) "
* "Do It Acapella" (1990) "External links
* [http://www.singers.com/persuasions.html Biography and Discography]
* [http://www.ThePersuasions.net Official site]
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