Jerry spent 40 years trying to correct the mis-labeling of The Persuasions. They were never a Doo Wop group. But when they first started out A Cappella was not a familiar word even to well seasoned journalists. So reviewers figured 5 Black guys harmonizing must be Doo Wop. And of course this label stuck and was perpetuated through 40 years.
Jerry has nothing against the great Doo Wop genre he just wanted the facts to be correct. He was an A Cappella artist who alone was carrying the A Cappella torch and keeping the dying art of A Cappella alive until later when Sweet Honey In The Rock, Rockappella,The Bobs and other groups began emerging and gaining some attention.
Jerry was emphatic with his booking agents and insisted on having them turn down all offers to perform or participate in any Doo Wop shows. He felt that would be the death of The Persuasions if they were to get boxed in like that and forever be known as an "Oldies" group which of course they were not.
The difference between Doo Wop and The Persuasions? Doo Wop music was specific to the 1950's and early 1960's. By the time The Persuasions began recording in 1970 Doo Wop was already considered "Oldies". Also Doo Wop was performed with or without instruments. A Cappella means NEVER any instruments.
The Persuasions may have included a few Doo Wop songs in their act but the majority of their repertoire was contemporary. Jerry's musical background was so eclectic from being exposed to the music in his uncle's juke joint in the South and spending the summers of his youth in Philadelphia. He covered the legends like Brook Benton, Roy Hamilton, Sam Cooke, Jerry Butler to James Taylor, The Oakridge Boys, The Partridge Family, Zappa, The Grateful Dead and on and on. None of which was Doo Wop. And like Jerry will tell you "Ya can't Doo Wop "The Lord's Prayer"
Jerry left The Persuasions in 2003. Then in 2009 it was brought to Jerry's attention only after the fact that the remaining Persuasions had accepted an invitation to perform and be inducted into "The Doo Wopp Hall of Fame of America" His comrades of 40 years never informed the president of this organization that their lead singer, arranger and producer should be included. Did Jerry care? Not really since he never wanted to be known as a Doo Wop/Oldies group. However he was surprised that the Hall of Fame had no idea who he was or that he was even alive. When the president of the Hall of Fame realized his oversight he insisted that Jerry be honored at the 2010 award show at Symphony Hall in Boston. At first Jerry struggled with this decision but in the end he felt that having his 40 years of contributions be acknowledged was very significant. During the ceremony the president Harvey Robbins eloquently and with great passion respectfully stated that there would be no A Cappella music today if not for Jerry Lawson's Persuasions.
Here are the links to that ceremony. We hope you enjoy it and share them.
Part 1.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUlJ8xeV4EA&feature=related
Part 2:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9LypcitWDo
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Singing In NYC
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I hope you will let your NYC friends know that I'll be doing an a cappella show in NYC with The GrooveBarbers at The Bitter End 9-19-09 8PM - I hear there are no advance ticket sales so it's first come first served. Should be a lot of fun! I hope you can make it. I'll have CDs to sell & autograph too. C'mon down!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Musical Collaborations
Have you discovered Ayo yet? I believe she writes most if not all of the songs she records. She also plays guitar. She's got a very interesting sound & background. Her dad is Nigerian, her mom a gypsy & I think she was raised in Germany & London. Her debut CD "Joyful" did very well. A big hit from that CD is "Down On My Knees".
Jerry & I produced our own version of "Down On My Knees" as a demo just using a karaoke background until we can record it with a jammin' band. My plan was to send it to Ayo's record producer in the hopes of , well who knows what? A recording contract, new management, a chance to work with Ayo? Well I sent it off to her producer realizing it was another long shot in my long list of attempts to get Jerry the recognition he deserves & has earned. Well as Gomer Pyle would have said "surprise, surprise, surprise" Within a few days they called me & hired Jerry to sing on Ayo's next CD! There's much more magic & synchronicity to this story but I will save it for another time.
Ayo's new CD "Gravity At Last" has just been released in Europe & Jerry is on the closing track. The song is titled "Thank You" and Jerry's southern baptist church roots add the perfect flavoring. It's quite apropo considering that we spend each day thanking the powers that be for all that we have. Each other, a roof over us, food to eat, the people & animals we love, our mostly pain free bodies, the adventures we've shared, the opportunities to make someone's day a little brighter & being free from addictions. Amen! Being the sentimental fool that I am this song gives me chill bumps as they say down south & it can bring tears to my eyes.
The version we're sharing here is our own production. We inserted Jerry's "licks" (hums, groans etc) in many spots even though we were not asked to. We did so because we wanted her producer to have many choices of where to place Jerry for the final version. Better to have more to work with than not enough when you've finished the recording session & it's time to mix. Other than Jerry's volume being a bit too loud, which could have been adjusted later, I think we created a hit! Too bad nobody but you bloggers will ever hear our version. They deleted most of what we gave them & also turned Jerry's volume down to a whisper. I'm guessing they thought that too much of Jerry would upstage Ayo. Of course our POV is that when someone gifts you with unique, priceless, sparkling, one of a kind, exceptionally beautiful ornaments that would only enhance the beauty of the Christmas tree why would you keep them stashed in the box?
Julie
Jerry & I produced our own version of "Down On My Knees" as a demo just using a karaoke background until we can record it with a jammin' band. My plan was to send it to Ayo's record producer in the hopes of , well who knows what? A recording contract, new management, a chance to work with Ayo? Well I sent it off to her producer realizing it was another long shot in my long list of attempts to get Jerry the recognition he deserves & has earned. Well as Gomer Pyle would have said "surprise, surprise, surprise" Within a few days they called me & hired Jerry to sing on Ayo's next CD! There's much more magic & synchronicity to this story but I will save it for another time.
Ayo's new CD "Gravity At Last" has just been released in Europe & Jerry is on the closing track. The song is titled "Thank You" and Jerry's southern baptist church roots add the perfect flavoring. It's quite apropo considering that we spend each day thanking the powers that be for all that we have. Each other, a roof over us, food to eat, the people & animals we love, our mostly pain free bodies, the adventures we've shared, the opportunities to make someone's day a little brighter & being free from addictions. Amen! Being the sentimental fool that I am this song gives me chill bumps as they say down south & it can bring tears to my eyes.
The version we're sharing here is our own production. We inserted Jerry's "licks" (hums, groans etc) in many spots even though we were not asked to. We did so because we wanted her producer to have many choices of where to place Jerry for the final version. Better to have more to work with than not enough when you've finished the recording session & it's time to mix. Other than Jerry's volume being a bit too loud, which could have been adjusted later, I think we created a hit! Too bad nobody but you bloggers will ever hear our version. They deleted most of what we gave them & also turned Jerry's volume down to a whisper. I'm guessing they thought that too much of Jerry would upstage Ayo. Of course our POV is that when someone gifts you with unique, priceless, sparkling, one of a kind, exceptionally beautiful ornaments that would only enhance the beauty of the Christmas tree why would you keep them stashed in the box?
Julie
The Persuasions & Me Part 1
Hello Bloggers, Jerry here. I just want you to know that I'm not a computer person. My wife Julie is helping me here to share some history, thoughts, news & music with you. We'd like to write a book but we'll begin here & see how it goes. So sometimes she'll be sharing my thoughts & feelings in her own voice & sometimes I'll sit with her & she'll type as I speak. I just have to learn to slow down or she'll have to learn to type faster!
It's true, Jerry does not even know where the power button is on the CPU. I'm pretty sure he will never even learn to email so I help him every day to answer his email or reach out to folks who might be able to help us preserve his legacy & promote his new CD as well as share his recordings during his Persuasions years.
You may or may not have heard of The Persuasions. Jerry was their lead singer, arranger & producer for 40 years and 23 albums. He left them in 2003 for a variety of reasons and they haven't spoken since. I know to many fans this is surprising but the truth is that just because you work with someone or stay married to someone for 40 years, that does not mean you are good friends.
The early years were very exciting for 5 young men who met on a basketball court through friends of friends and as neighbors in Brooklyn's Bed Stuy. As the years went by & their career developed so did the irritations with one another, some spoken some unspoken but none of them resolved. Eventually "That's when the old gray cloud burst"
Three of the original members along with a changing roster of additional voices are out there now still performing and calling themselves The Persuasions. They recorded a CD after Jerry left titled "The Persuasions Sing U-2". But the sound of The Persuasions, the sound that made them recognizable is gone forever. I realize this is a touchy subject. But think of The Pips without Gladys, The Stones without Mick or as one Persuasions fan wrote after seeing the new configuration perform, "Man it was like Thanksgiving without the turkey"
It's true, Jerry does not even know where the power button is on the CPU. I'm pretty sure he will never even learn to email so I help him every day to answer his email or reach out to folks who might be able to help us preserve his legacy & promote his new CD as well as share his recordings during his Persuasions years.
You may or may not have heard of The Persuasions. Jerry was their lead singer, arranger & producer for 40 years and 23 albums. He left them in 2003 for a variety of reasons and they haven't spoken since. I know to many fans this is surprising but the truth is that just because you work with someone or stay married to someone for 40 years, that does not mean you are good friends.
The early years were very exciting for 5 young men who met on a basketball court through friends of friends and as neighbors in Brooklyn's Bed Stuy. As the years went by & their career developed so did the irritations with one another, some spoken some unspoken but none of them resolved. Eventually "That's when the old gray cloud burst"
Three of the original members along with a changing roster of additional voices are out there now still performing and calling themselves The Persuasions. They recorded a CD after Jerry left titled "The Persuasions Sing U-2". But the sound of The Persuasions, the sound that made them recognizable is gone forever. I realize this is a touchy subject. But think of The Pips without Gladys, The Stones without Mick or as one Persuasions fan wrote after seeing the new configuration perform, "Man it was like Thanksgiving without the turkey"
Julie
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