People + Parks

“Wow” is probably the best word to describe the throwback up in the county of Queens.  The Persuasions were simply amazing, unlike anything I had ever seen.  Entirely a cappella, they epitomized the true essence of raw musical talent.  In an era plagued with artificial sounding “music,” the Persuasions were a breath of fresh air.  They created truly soulful ballads laden with melodic harmony.

The audience consisted almost entirely of what I presumed to be local residents, many of whom were well into their fifties and sixties.  For the people who grew up on this music, I can only imagine the nostalgia they must have felt for the days when soul and doo-wop filled the airwaves.

While I was not familiar with many of their songs, I did recognize their covers of classics including “Up on the Roof”, “Under the Boardwalk, both by the Drifters, as well as “Chain Gang” by one of soul’s most revered singers, Sam Cooke.  Out of all of their songs however, the one that moved me the most was about a mother whose son had just come back from Vietnam addicted to drugs.

– Text by Daniel Keltz, Contributing Writer & Sophomore at Temple University.