The Persuaders were a New York City-based R&B vocal group best known for their gold hit single in the early 1970s, "Thin Line Between Love and Hate". It sold more than a million copies, topping the Billboard R&B chart, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on October 29, 1971.

Background

The seeds for the group were sown in 1969. The original members – Douglas "Smokey" Scott, Willie Holland, James Barnes, and Charles Stodghill – had all previously sung with other mostly local groups. Scott and Barnes had been members of The Internationals, whereas Stodghill had previously sung with the group The Topics. Holland, the last member to join, had originally sung with the Newport News, Virginia-based group, The Majestics.

The Persuaders' sound involved close harmony, Scott's rough but emotive lead vocals and a heavily orchestrated soul and R&B approach, the trademark of the Poindexter brothers, Richard and Bobby, who produced most of the early 1970s hits through their Win Or Lose production company. Some of The Persuaders' singles were also released on the Win or Lose label.

Career

Early success

The Persuaders were signed by Atlantic Records in 1971 and scored an immediate hit with the iconic ode to domestic discord, "Thin Line Between Love and Hate", which topped the Black Singles chart and reached number 15 on the Pop chart. Song co-writer and producer Richard Poindexter had in fact served as one of the vocalists on the recording, as the group were still awaiting Willie Holland's arrival to complete the original four-piece lineup.

By 1973, and the release of their self-titled second album, Thomas Lee Hill and John Tobias, both from another local group, The Huns, while the timing of Barnes' death is unclear. Willie Holland, identified as the last living original member of the Persuaders, died on February 13, 2016.

Discography

Studio albums

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|-

! rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Title

! colspan="2"| Peak chart positions

! rowspan="2"| Record label

|- style="font-size:smaller;"

! width="35"| US<br>

! width="35"| US<br>R&B<br>

|-

| rowspan="2"| 1971

| align="left"| "Thin Line Between Love and Hate"

| 15

| 1

| 80

|-

| align="left"| "Love Gonna Pack Up (And Walk Out)"

| 64

| 8

| &mdash;

|-

| rowspan="2"| 1972

| align="left"| "If This Is What You Call Love (I Don't Want No Part of It)"

| &mdash;

| 27

| &mdash;

|-

| align="left"| "Peace in the Valley of Love"

| 104

| 21

| &mdash;

|-

| rowspan="2"| 1973

| align="left"| "Bad, Bold and Beautiful, Girl"

| 105

| 24

| &mdash;

|-

| align="left"| "Some Guys Have All the Luck"

| 39

| 7

| 64

|-

| rowspan="2"| 1974

| align="left"| "Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me"

| 85

| 29

| &mdash;

|-

| align="left"| "All Strung Out on You"

| &mdash;

| 32

| &mdash;

|-

| rowspan="1"| 1975

| align="left"| "I've Been Through This Before"

| &mdash;

| &mdash;

| &mdash;

|-

| rowspan="2"| 1977

| align="left"| "I Need Love"

| &mdash;

| 34

| &mdash;

|-

| align="left"| "The Quickest Way Out"

| &mdash;

| &mdash;

| &mdash;

|-

| rowspan="1"| 1981

| align="left"| "Another Time Another Place" <small>(featuring Douglas Scott)</small>

| &mdash;

| &mdash;

| &mdash;

|-

| colspan="15" style="font-size:90%" | "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

|}

References

  • The Persuaders on Soulwalking.co.uk
  • "Thin Line Between Love and Hate" (video) by The Persuaders – YouTube
  • The Persuaders album reviews