(September 29, 2026) For more than four decades, Jerry Lawson helped define the sound of a cappella music as the unmistakable lead singer of The Persuasions. Now his widow and former manager, Julie Lawson, is helping keep his music and stories alive with a new weekly radio program, Beyond A Cappella.
SoulTrackers know Jerry as the commanding voice at the center of The Persuasions, the pioneering Brooklyn group that turned street-corner harmonies and gospel roots into a singular career that stretched across dozens of albums. Lawson left the group after 2003’s A Cappella Dreams and later began another chapter with the vocal group Talk of the Town. We called him one of the five greatest soul singers of our time, and we meant it.
With Beyond A Cappella, Julie offers a much more personal view of the man behind that remarkable career. Drawing on her years as Jerry’s wife and manager, she shares funny and revealing behind-the-scenes stories, while tracing his work as a singer, arranger and producer with The Persuasions and his later recordings with Talk of the Town.
Perhaps most intriguing for longtime fans, the show will also feature selections from Jerry’s unreleased recordings with instrumental backing, along with other collaborative projects that shed new light on the breadth of his music.
For a singer whose influence reached far beyond the commercial charts, Beyond A Cappella promises to be both a celebration of Jerry Lawson’s legacy and a rare firsthand look at the life behind one of vocal music’s most distinctive voices.
Check out the show on KNYO 107.7 FM on Wednesdays from noon to 1:00 pm Pacific time or on KOWS from 9:00 -10:00 pm (or HERE online).
