the persuasions

the persuasions Formed in Bedford-Stuyvesant, NY, in 1966, the Persuasions are an a cappella vocal group that have not seen a great amount of chart success but are supported by a strong, loyal following. They were discovered when they sent a tape to none-other-than Frank Zappa in 1968, who immediately signed them to his Bizarre Records label. The group found a large pool of industry support on the west coast, where they remained for several years. Performing with no instrumentation at all (among their albums was one named We Still Ain't Got No Band), the Persuasions bridged the gap between the classic doo-wop groups of the 1950s and the multi-layered R&B vocal groups of the 1960s. Most of their material was classic '50s and '60s pop music, with the occasional contemporary rock song thrown in as a challenge to their ability to arrange for voice only. The Persuasions have remained together and have recorded dozens of albums, many of them based around the music of a particular artist, such as The Persuasions Sing U2 or The Persuasions Sing the Beatles. The original lineup remained intact for over two decades, until the death of Herbert Rhoad, who collapsed and died while touring with the group in 1988. Hayes, Washington and Russell, augmented by new Ray Sanders and B.J. Jones, continue on the road even today. November 1991, The Persuasions participated in the "Zappa's Universe" concert series in NYC. In 1996, The Persuasions performed in concert with the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra, performing the music of Frank Zappa.

The picture on the right shows the poster for the 2000/08/05 concert at the Mahaffey Theater in St.Petersburg, Florida, USA, where the Persuasions shared the bill with Bogus Pomp. The Bogus Pomp part of this concert got released on DVDR in 2005, including one of the encores, featuring the Persuasions. May 5, 2012, Sweet Joe Russel, one of the founding members of The Persuasions passed away while waiting for a kidney transplant.

1	the persuasions: acapella (1970, lp, usa, straight / reprise rs 6394)
2	the persuasions: we came to play (1971, lp, usa, ??)
3	the persuasions: streetcorner symphony (1972, lp, usa, ??)
4	the persuasions: spread the word (1973, lp, usa, ??)
5	the persuasions: still ain't got no band (1973, lp, usa, ??)
6	the persuasions: more than before (1974, lp, usa, ??)
7	the persuasions: i just want to sing with my friends (1976, lp, usa, ??)
8	the persuasions: chirpin' (1977, lp, usa, ??)
9	the persuasions: comin' at ya (1979, lp, usa, ??)
10	the persuasions: good news (1982, lp, usa, ??)
11	the persuasions: no frills (1984, lp, usa, ??)
12	the persuasions: live in the whispering gallery (1988, lp, usa, ??)
	various artists: zappa's universe (1993, cd, nl, verve 513575-2) - incl. various zappa band alumni performing frank zappa's compositions
13	the persuasions: toubo's song (1993, cd, usa, ??)
14	the persuasions: right around the corner (1994, cd, usa, bullseye blues cd bb 9556) – incl. ‘lucille has messed my mind up’ (frank zappa)
15	the persuasions: sincerely (1996, cd, usa, ??)
16	the persuasions: you're all i want for christmas (1997, cd, usa, ??)
17	the persuasions: on the good ship lollipop (1999, cd, usa, ??)
18	the persuasions: sunday morning sould (2000, cd, usa, ??)
19	the persuasions: the persuasions sing zappa - frankly a capella (2000, cd, usa, earthbeat r2 79832) - all compositions by f.zappa, feat.bruce fowler, mike keneally, robert martin
20	the persuasions: might as well... (2001, cd, usa, ??)
	bogus pomp: live at mahaffey theatre (2005, dvdr, usa, private release) - all compositions by frank zappa, feat. n.m.brock & the persuasions