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. 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. |
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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. |
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discography
= the persuasions | |
= frank zappa related |
1 | the persuasions:
acapella (1970, lp, usa, straight / reprise rs 6394) |
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2 | the persuasions: we came to play (1971, lp, usa, ??) |
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3 | the persuasions: streetcorner symphony (1972, lp, usa, ??) |
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4 | the persuasions: spread the word (1973, lp, usa, ??) |
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5 | the persuasions: still ain't got no band (1973, lp, usa, ??) |
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6 | the persuasions: more than before (1974, lp, usa, ??) |
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7 | the persuasions: i just want to sing with my
friends (1976, lp, usa, ??) |
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8 | the persuasions: chirpin' (1977, lp, usa, ??) |
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9 | the persuasions: comin' at ya (1979, lp, usa, ??) |
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10 | the persuasions: good news (1982, lp, usa, ??) |
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11 | the persuasions: no frills (1984, lp, usa, ??) |
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12 | the persuasions: live in the whispering gallery (1988, lp, usa, ??) |
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various artists: zappa's universe (1993, cd, nl, verve 513575-2) - incl. various zappa band alumni performing frank zappa's compositions |
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13 | the persuasions: toubo's song (1993, cd, usa, ??) |
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14 | the persuasions: right around the corner (1994, cd, usa, bullseye blues cd bb 9556) – incl. ‘lucille has messed my mind up’ (frank zappa) |
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15 | the persuasions: sincerely (1996, cd, usa, ??) |
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16 | the persuasions: you're all i want for christmas (1997, cd, usa, ??) |
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17 | the persuasions: on the good ship lollipop (1999, cd, usa, ??) |
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18 | the persuasions: sunday morning sould (2000, cd, usa, ??) |
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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 |
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20 | the persuasions: might as well... (2001, cd, usa, ??) |
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bogus pomp: live
at mahaffey theatre (2005, dvdr, usa, private release) - all compositions by frank zappa, feat. n.m.brock & the persuasions |
concerts
Jimmy Hayes - vocals / Herbert Rhoad - vocals / Jerry Lawson - vocals / Jayotis Washington - vocals / Joe Russell - vocals
This recording was made at the legendary Winterland Ballroom in 1972 and opens with the Persuasion's take on the Del Vikings' classic, "Come Go With Me." They move into a cappella versions of Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang," Bill Withers' "Lean On Me," and Carole King's "Up On The Roof." The show ends with a stirring version of "In The Still Of The Night."
The
concert was available at Wolfgang's Vault (website)
at this time the persuasions were:
the oregon symphony orchestra and the band from utopia plus the persuasions
The Persuasions