50 Years Later And They Still Ain’t Got No Band: The Persuasions At The Old Town School, January 13, 2012

Voices are the only instruments the Persuasions have used in delighting fans of a cappella for fifty years. Who needs instruments, given five masterful singers ranging from basso profundo to tender tenor, infusing rhythm, shouts, texture, tease, rock and soul and then some. Their vocal talents, surprising arrangements and eclectic song list made for a highly entertaining evening at Chicago’s Old Town School.

Schooled in church music, the Persuasions started singing doo-wop on the street corners of Brooklyn and found a larger audience when Frank Zappa discovered and recorded them. The Persuasions have been genre-busting collaborators and interpreters ever since.

Concertgoers heard songs from the Persuasion’s new Dylan tribute album, Knockin’ on Bob’s Door, including a captivating “Blowin’ in the Wind” and the classic “Like a Rolling Stone.” The Persuasions have also recorded an album of Grateful Dead songs, and offered their own gorgeous spin on “Ripple,” along with a few stories from their days touring with and opening for the Dead. The quintet gave the Beatle’s “Rocky Raccoon” a sly, slinky send up, U2′s “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” pure inspiration, and Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready” the gospel truth.

Sharp-looking in black suits with red shirts, they are good-humored showmen, who guided the audience through a four-part harmony in a Motown medley and later crooned convincingly to some single ladies who were invited to the stage for the Joe Tex tune “I Want To Do Everything For You.”

The Persuasions have seen personnel changes through their five decades, and with co-founder “Sweet Joe” Russell in poor health, Jimmy “Bro” Hayes was the only original member appearing at the OTS. But their sound is still sweet and steadfastly acoustic, as they honor the group’s legacy.