The original members formed the group in New York in 1969 after previously singing with other local groups. They were signed by Atlantic Records in 1971 with an original line-up of Douglas "Smokey" Scott, Willie Holland, James Barnes, and Charles Stodghill. By 1973, and their second album, John Tobias and Thomas Lee Hill had replaced Barnes and Stodghill. The group stayed with Atco/Atlantic for four years and scored a number of R&B and pop hits, including three R&B Top 10 hits. 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 Loseproduction company. Bobby Poindexter produced the second album with his wife Jackie Members. The group's later Atco recordings were produced by Phil Hurtt, Tony Bell, and LeBaron Taylor in Philadelphia. The Persuaders which, by 1973, featured group members, Douglas "Smokey" Scott, Thomas Lee Hill, Joey Coleman, and Richard Gant recorded the original soul versions of songs later covered by other artists, most notably: "Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me", made a major hit by Gladys Knight & the Pips; "Some Guys Have All The Luck", covered by Robert Palmer, Rod Stewart and by Maxi Priest; and "Thin Line Between Love and Hate", covered by H-Town and later by the reggae group Black Slate and the British rock bandThe Pretenders. The song's title and theme were also used for the Martin Lawrencecomedy film of the same name in 1996. The group recorded an album on the Calla label in 1976, again in Philadelphia but this time with producers Robert Curington and Norman Harris, entitled It's All About Love. One track, the ballad "I Need Love" was an R&B chart hit. They later released one single on Brunswick Records in 1981, with Douglas Scott still as lead singer. The group brought out four albums in the 1970s. As former members left and new members trickled in, The Persuaders' R&B legacy continued into the 21st century with two new line-ups of Persuaders. One group which tours as "The Persuaders" features Vincent Ballard, Sylvester Jones, Tmarvin Williams, and Keith Simmons. The other group of Persuaders are currently touring as "The Persuaders Revue" featuring: Evan Wills, Chris white, Bernard Taylor and David Turner, . There are no original members left. The last original member of the Persuaders, Willie Holland, died on February 13, 2016.
