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The Jerry Lawson Award!

Jerry,

Good to hear about your new life.

I'm Roland Sharette in Boulder, where I serve as Colorado CASA Ambassador
and as program director of a non-profit called the Colorado Vocal Jazz
Society.

We decided to name our individual awards this year for folks who represented some of the finest work out there. When it came to finding a person to honor in the category of Best Soloist, we came up, of course, with many favorites, but Wes Carroll suggested by long distance that we couldn't do better than calling it the Jerry Lawson Award. And that's what we are doing this Saturday evening at Gates Concert Hall in Denver, along with a brief tribute to your many years of work with the Persuasions and your own solo career which it seems may be having a whole new life. I caught the group in Lakewood a few weeks ago and they were great, but Jerry, something was missing.

I hope you won't mind us telling a small piece of your story in the encouragement of young folks trying to take a step up in the a cappella scene. It was too late to try to get your permission, so we took the bull by the horns . . . And it's already in the program.

Maybe Saturday night about 9:30pm you'll feel the good vibes coming your way from Colorado and think we've done the right thing. When I called Wes to get a recommendation, it took him about 20 seconds to come up with Jerry Lawson -- and it took me less time to say, "Yeah, that's the one!"

Good luck in your new work. If you ever get up Denver/Boulder way . . .

Rol Sharette

Bernice Johnson Reagon and Jerry Lawson: Normally, a nomination is for accomplishments in the year covered by the awards, but we couldn't let 2003 end without recognizing two of the most influential American a cappella artists, both of whom have announced their retirement. Bernice Johnson Reagon founded Sweet Honey in the Rock 31 years ago, creating one of the most politically-active, thought-provoking groups ever to grace a stage. 41 years after Jerry Lawson co-founded the Persuasions, they remain the "Godfathers" of the contemporary a cappella movement. Both have inspired legions of fans to put down their instruments and raise their voices in song.

• Best Doo-Wop Album: The Persuasions "A Cappella Dreams"
• Best Doo-Wop Song: "There's A Train"
  

CONTEMPORARY A CAPPELLA RECORDING AWARDS 2004
We were named CASA Artist of the Year in 2000
Albums we've recorded with other artists
Videos, Movies and TV Shows we've appeared in
Other places you can hear us

PERSUASIONS NAMED CASA ARTIST OF THE YEAR FOR ZAPPA, DEAD CDs!
The Contemporary A Cappella Society (CASA)---the most prestigious a cappella organization in the world---has chosen The Persuasions Artist of the Year for 2000. In the world of a cappella, this is the equivalent of an Academy Award.

The Persuasions will receive CASA's "Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award" (CARA) in recognition of the two critically acclaimed albums they released in 2000: "Frankly A Cappella: The Persuasions Sing Zappa," and "Might As Well: The Persuasions Sing Grateful Dead."

The venerable group was chosen first in a field of 180 entrants, including their friends, Rockapella and The Bobs. This is the first time The Persuasions have won the CARA Award.

Here is the text of the CASA announcement, issued Apr. 5.
"Releasing two albums in one year is quite a feat for most groups, but even after nearly four decades, there's no slowing down the Persuasions! Their Zappa and Grateful Dead tribute albums have been their most successful and celebrated in years, garnering the kind of attention the Godfathers of a cappella have been patiently waiting - and deserving - for years. Fortunately for their legions of fans, they continue to spread their love of a cappella by touring every chance they get. Let's hope they keep recording, touring and inspiring fans and singers well into this millennium."

An elite committee of a cappella experts chose four nominees for the CARA award from the 180 entries. Final selection was made by an international academy of 50 judges around the world. "Artist of the Year is the top award," said CASA spokesperson Jessika Diamond. "All the other awards are for particular songs or albums. Artist of the Year is given to the artist that the judges feel contributed
the most to the overall spread of a cappella in a given year."

"Frankly A Cappella" (Earthbeat!) and "Might as Well" (Grateful Dead Records) were the ideas of journalist Rip Rense, who executive-produced and was heavily involved in realizing both projects. Rense spent three years working with The Persuasions in bringing the albums to fruition. "Frankly" was co- produced by veteran Bay Area producer Gary Mankin and Persuasions lead singer Jerry Lawson, while "Might As Well" was co-produced by "Grateful Dead Hour" host David Gans and Lawson. Lawson has said that the group "never worked harder" than it did on "Frankly A Cappella," and that translating Grateful Dead songs into a cappella was "a privilege."

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