One of the greatest experiences of my life was co-producing Might as Well: The Persuasions Sing Grateful Dead. The CD is currently out of print, but I’m hoping Rhino can be persuaded to reissue it soon.
Sean Altman, of Rockapella fame, has posted a delightful account of his longtime friendship with Persuasions leader Jerry Lawson, titled “Jerry Lawson Is My Father.” It’s a great read.
Here’s where the GD connection can be found:
In 1999, The Persuasions came over to my East Village apartment to record “Black Muddy River†for a Grateful Dead tribute compilation called “Stolen Rosesâ€. Jerry and Jimmy (lead and bass) laid down their tracks simultaneously in my living room; Joe, Jay and new guy Butch sang their parts in my kitchen; and I added the cherry to the sundae with a single high pedal note, sung from my engineer’s seat. That recording appears on both “Stolen Roses†and The Persuasions’ own “Might As Well†Grateful Dead tribute CD. When we finished recording that day, I asked Jerry to record a quick spoken endorsement for my forthcoming “alt.mania†album. I pressed “record,†and as Jerry matter-of-factly quipped “Sean is just like a son to me. Been knowing Sean ever since he was three years old,†I became aware that our mutual recollection of how long we had been in each other’s lives had indeed blurred. Jerry cemented the myth when he joined the GrooveBarbers onstage at the 2004 East Coast Summit in Boston and referred to me as “my son Seanâ€.
Jerry Lawson has a new CD in the works, with Talk of the Town. Stay tuned for more about that.