Jerry's Discography

Jerry Lawson rose to prominence as the original lead singer, arranger, and producer of the a cappella group The Persuasions, steering the group through their most influential period in the late 1960s and 1970s and shaping contemporary a cappella repertoire. With Lawson on lead and as primary arranger, The Persuasions recorded a string of albums for labels including Frank Zappa’s Straight Records and Capitol, several of which placed on the Billboard R&B and Billboard 200 charts in the early 1970s, and the group ultimately recorded more than twenty albums across decades while touring internationally.

Jerry Lawson’s discography spans over 40 years, with The Persuasions’ classic 1970s albums produced by Frank Zappa and David Axelrod, gospel and children’s projects in the 1990s, themed tributes in the 2000s, and his acclaimed solo album Just a Mortal Man in 2015. His standout tracks like Looking for an Echo, Chain Gang, and Peace Like a River showcase his unmatched ability to reinterpret classics with soulful depth.

Across more than 20 albums with The Persuasions and his later solo projects, Lawson’s discography reflects a career-long dedication to a cappella innovation, soulful reinterpretation of classics, and heartfelt original music. His work bridges the golden age with modern vocal artistry, leaving behind a catalog that continues to inspire contemporary vocal groups.

Discover Jerry Lawson’s timeless music legacy, keep the music alive, and own the voice that defined a cappella.

Browse the official store to complete your collection. Available in old-school physical CDs for collectors and digital MP3s for instant listening. Whether you’re reliving classics like A Cappella or discovering Just a Mortal Man for the first time, every track carries Jerry’s heart and soul.

Recorded in 1969, but not officially released until 10 years later, these are the first studio efforts by the group that, more than anyone else, served as the keeper of the flame for the acapella R&B group vocal tradition.

Later albums would find the group performing contemporary pop and soul songs in their own style, but here they’re doo-wop classicists, either covering genre hits like the Heartbeats “A Thousand Miles Away,” or the earlier pop standards such as “Stardust,” “Ebb Tide,” and “Old Man River” that the original doo-wop groups were wont to deconstruct.

Release date: 1971

One journalist wrote that if you had to pick one desert island Persuasions album this would be the one. This was their debut album for Capitol. From Sam Cooke’s “Chain Gang” to Curtis Mayfield’s “Man Oh Man,” this is classic Persuasions material. Bass Jimmy Hayes’ turn on “The Sun” still makes my speakers rattle. It’s almost below the range of normal human hearing! The vitality, the joy, the soulful singing and yes Jerry Lawson’s tremendous phrasing—certainly one of the signature voices of the last fifty years—make this album nothing short of sensational.

Release date: 1972

Of all the instruments out there the first and still the finest by far is the human voice. This CD makes the point emphatically. This is five part harmony at it’s best. Stunningly tight and rich A Cappella. So much music today is sloppy and self-indulgent with technology covering up the shabbiness. This is pure music. The virtuoso level of performance is consistent throughout with no drum kit in sight. When the Persuasions take you through their tribute to The Temptations you’ll find yourself wondering if you actually heard what you thinkyou heard. The energy, passion and sheer joy contained in these tracks is enough to blow the spots off a leopard.

Release date: 1972

The Persuasions’ fourth album finds the harmony-vocal group still fanning the doo-wop flame (a major uphill battle in 1972), refurbishing then- contemporary songs like Bob Dylan’s “Three Angels” (which both opens and closes the album) and Bill Withers’s “Lean On Me”in their own gospel-derived style. On the more old-school side, there are remakes of doo-wop classics like the Moonglows’ “Ten Commandments of Love” alongside such pre-doo-wop standards as “The Lord’s Prayer.” Highlights include “T.A. Thompson,” an anti-Vietnam war song that (as implausibly as it sounds) gets a terrific doo-wop arrangement, and “When Jesus Comes,” a gorgeously sung return to the group’s gospel roots. Originally released on Capitol Records (ST 11101). Includes liner notes by Mark Marymont. Personnel: Joseph Russell (vocals, tenor); Jerry Lawson (vocals, baritone); Jayotis Washington (tenor); Herbert Rhoad (baritone); Jimmy Hayes (bass voice). Liner Note Author: Mark Marymont. The Persuasions: Joseph Russell, Jerry Lawson, Jimmy Hayes, Herbert “Tubo” Rhoad, Jayotis Washington.

Release date: 1977

The middle of the 1970’s was a period of change. The Persuasions tried a couple of albums for A&M Records which had bands backing them up on a few tracks. They received a lukewarm reception. For a period of several years Jayotis Washington left the group. It was during that period that the remaining quartet did one record for Elektra Records. Chirpin’ was a return to their A Cappella roots. It shares once again the joyful intimacy of four guys pouring their hearts out. Most of the songs are varieties of love songs except for one of the best A Cappella tunes ever sung, “Looking For An Echo.” It so captures the The Persuasions history that even if the rest of the album weren’t great we would still recommend it for any fan.

Release date: 1979

Since the ’60s, the Persuasions have taken songs from all genres and moved them in a direction their creators probably never envisioned. (check their tributes to Grateful Dead and Frank Zappa) That direction is straight back to Bedford-Stuyvesant’s street-corner symphonies grounded in the hand-clapping black church.With the falsetto’s sweetness and the bass’s bedrock grounding and that undeniable soul stirring lead of Jerry Lawson, “Comin’ At Ya” ranks among the quintet’s best. Sad sack “Mint Julep” gets way more vocal ornamentation than The Clovers’ original. While The Drifters’ original “Drip Drop” put the tenor in the lead, The Persuasions here entrust it to the bass. The guys with no band take Paul Simon’s gospel-grounded “Love Me Like A Rock” and rock it in the bosom of the church like Simon never could.

Release date: 1985

On this Rounder Records release Joe Russell is absent but we have a unique addition. Bev Rohlehr appears on a few songs adding a sweet lightness on this recording. The version of “Still Ain’t Got No Band” is in the grand tradition. Overall it is a traditional Persuasions mix of some gospel mixed among gems like Roy Hamilton’s “You Can Have Her,” Clyde McPhatter’s “The Treasure Of Love” and a Drifters Medley of “Under The Boardwalk” combined with “Sand In My Shoes.” The real rouser of the record is “Victim.” Magnificent! The sound is characterized by a significant blues and gospel influence. Intense performances and strong material distinguish this collection: “Slip Sliding Away,” a rambunctious “Sweet Was The Wine,” “I Was Wrong” (originally sung by the Moonglows), “Under The Boardwalk/Sand In My Shoes,” and their A Cappella mantra, “Still Ain’t Got No Band”

Release date: 1993

The Persuasions beloved friend and baritone, Herbert “Toubo” Rhoad passed away while on tour. Toubo was very shy but there was one song he enjoyed singing lead on. It was Ray Charles’ “You Don’t Know Me” But they never recorded Toubo singing it, so here we have Jerry singing it for him and in memory of him. This album is very different for the group as there is musical accompaniment on several tracks.Additional personnel: Elliot Randall, Jock Bartley (guitars), Jim Pepper, “Blue” Lou Marini (saxophone), Jimmy “Creeper” Smith (piano, keyboards), Steve Conn (keyboards, harmonica), Bill Rich (bass), Rufus Steddy (drums, percussion), Ed Greene, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie (drums). It can be purchased here.

Release date: 1994

With Right Around the Corner, the Persuasions continue their trademark A Cappella vocal stylings. Through their choice of material and interpretation the group retains a sense of freshness and vitality. Though a song such as “Oh, Heavenly Salvation” is an enjoyable yet standard choice, covering Frank Zappa’s “Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up” or reworking the overt sexuality of “Little Red Rooster” until it is almost a spiritual, shows just how modern and irreverent the Persuasions can be.

Release date: 1996

Listening to the Persuasions sing can be an enlightening experience. A true A Cappella group in the sense that they use no instrumentation other than the human voice, their songs are as rich in tone and texture as any full-scale band. Jerry Lawson’s powerful lead singing dominates the album and its standout tracks such as “Building a Home” and “Five Hundred Miles,” while Jimmy Hayes fills out the bottom, adding depth to the sound and taking lead on “Can’t Do Sixty No More.”

Release date: 1999

After more than three decades of spreading the gospel of A Cappella, The Persuasions recorded their first album for children. Though it’s aimed primarily at the little ones, say one- to five-year-olds, it’s hard not to enjoy it no matter your age. There are a host of treats, including “Teddy Bears’ Picnic,” “A Cappella Fellas” and the title track. The story that Jerry Lawson spins to frame “On Top of Spaghetti” is not to be missed.

The Persuasions have received a 1999 Parents Choice “Gold” Award for the album.

A diverse collection of everything from the Shirley Temple title tune to “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” this album was named Amazon.com’s “Artist of the Year” for children’s music in 1999, and their album was chosen #1 in the top-ten recommended Amazon.com children’s albums of the year.

Release date: 2000

In a work of absurdist inspiration worthy of its subject, a cappella heroes the Persuasions offer up a surprisingly soulful collection of. . .that’s right, Frank Zappa covers. The vocal quintet—expanded to a sextet for this outing—pays homage to Zappa, who inked them to their first album deal in 1969. The 12 featured songs are a savvy survey of Zappa’s legendary catalog of avant-garde rock and jazz, spanning the years 1963-1989. As a bonus, the album features contributions from former Zappa collaborators like trombonist Bruce Fowler on ‘Cheap Thrills’ and guitarist Mike Keneally on ‘My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama.’ But The Persuasions, who previously covered Zappa’s ‘Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up’ on 1994’s ‘Right Around The Corner,’ have no problem translating his complex musical arrangements with just six-part harmonies. As evidenced on tracks like ‘The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing’ and ‘Lumpy Gravy’ (a Zappa instrumental composition), “Frankly A Cappella” is a novel reworking of a true original. Great Googly-Moogly, indeed.

Release date: 2002

Any Beatles tribute album will be interesting for its song choices, but maybe more so for the Persuasions. The Persuasions have a sound that can be applied to a wide variety of songs. And as a true compliment to the Persuasions, no matter what material they interpret, they never lose their own unique sense of style.

This work of art was recorded on April 30th, 2001, in the airy space of St. Peter’s Church in Manhattan, performed around a single microphone in a semi-circle, similar to the configuration that the group used forty years ago when they first performed a cappella on street corners in Brooklyn. You’ll hear a room that provides the warmth which studio electronics will never achieve.

At the end of Love Me Do they fade out not by turning a knob on a mixing board. They step away from the mics. This is music the old-fashioned a cappella way.

Release date: 2003

The Persuasions have been performing for four decades and paved the road for the musical expression of a cappella. On this CD comprising fifteen tunes, the group explores a diverse collection of what is described as some of their favorite songs.

The opening cut is “I Have A Dream,” the Soloman Burke composition inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech. “There’s A Train” is exceptional with reverberating bass lines. “She’s A Lady” has an upbeat pop-influenced rhythm. The Bill Withers tune, “Ain’t No Sunshine,” is soulfully delightful. “Dock Of The Bay” highlights the tremendous phrasing of lead singer Jerry Lawson in a toe-tapping version of this Otis Redding classic. “When She Was My Girl” is a finger-snapping doo-wop tribute to the Four Tops. On “Rainy Night In Georgia” rich tones float out in lush harmony. The CD concludes with “When The Saints Go Marching In” in a hand-clapping soul inspiring call to faith. This is a warm, intimate offering that will delight your senses. The Persuasions prove they are the masters of the form with their twists and tempo changes in the arrangements.

Release date: 2009

The Persuasions: Live at McCabe’s Guitar Shop.
Santa Monica, California. Feb. 22-23, 1998.

19 wonderful songs! Five have never appeared on a Persuasions release before, including Livingston and Evans’ “Mona Lisa,” and the hymn, “Peace in the Valley.” Over 70 minutes of music and joy. Fold-out eco-wallet, photo spread, booklet. The Persuasions’ only live nightclub album. Authorized and approved by The Persuasions. Sam Cooke, Frank Zappa, Nat King Cole, Kurt Weill, The Mills Brothers, The Oak Ridge Boys, Elvis, Bobby Bare, The Partridge Family, many more. . .Persuasionized.

Release date: 2011

Here it is—the legendary Grateful Dead Persuasions sessions—back in print, remixed, remastered, with extra tracks!
The Persuasions, giants of Brooklyn streetcorner a cappella. The Grateful Dead, giants of San Francisco ’60s psychedelia. Together? Dead right, says official Grateful Dead biographer Dennis McNally: “What the Persuasions did was hear the incredible strength of the great songwriting and melodies at the root of the Dead’s music and transport them into their own world, the world of the voice. Or rather voices? And the result is a sweet, magical transformation.

20 TRACKS. 2 CDs. 12 GUEST ARTISTS.

SPECIAL GUESTS: Country Joe McDonald, Mark Karan (Ratdog), Jackie LaBranch and Gloria Jones (Jerry Garcia Band), Grateful Dead keyboardist Vince Welnick, Dongming Qiao, James King, Alyn Kelley, Eric Thompson, Peter Rowan, Pete Grant, Mary Schmary.

Release date: 2015

Jerry Lawson, lead singer and founding member of The Persuasions, makes his solo debut at 71 years old. With help from Grammy-nominated producer Eric Brace, Jerry makes the thirteen songs on Just a Mortal Man his own, with elegance, heart, and soul. The album features songs from a diverse group of writers including Paul Simon, Robert Hunter, Ayo, Phil Lee, Peter Cooper, and Brace. And Jerry pays tribute to two of his heroes, recording tunes originally done by The Temptations’ David Ruffin and Bobby “Blue” Bland. The recordings feature a core band of Nashville’s finest: Joe Pisapia on electric guitar and bass, Jen Gunderman on keyboards, and Duane Blevins on drums.

While guest musicians like Jim Lauderdale and The McCrary Sisters also make appearances on Just a Mortal Man, the album is about Jerry, singing with a sweet and smoky voice that’s only grown richer throughout his 71 years.

Jerry's Discography

Stardust

A Cappella

We Came To Play

Street Corner Symphony

Spread the Word

We Still Ain’t Got No Band

I Just Want To Sing With My Friends

More Than Before

Chirpin’

Comin’ At Ya

Good News

No Frills

Live in the Whispering Gallery

Toubo’s Song

Right Around the Corner

Sincerely

You’re All I Want For Christmas

On the Good Ship Lollipop

Might As Well: The Persuasions Sing Grateful Dead

Frankly Acappella: The Persuasions Sing Zappa

Sunday Morning Soul

Sing The Beatles

A Cappella Dreams

Live at McCabe’s Guitar Shop

Talk of the Town

Persuasions of the Dead

Just a Mortal Man

“Above and Beyond The Range of Most Mortal Men”

#The Jerry Lawson Legacy Project

Jerry Lawson: The Voice of Mortal Man