WHO: The Persuasions

WHAT: L/A Arts Concert Series

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9

WHERE: Franco-American Heritage Center, Cedar Street, Lewiston

Tickets: $20 for adults; $17 for students and seniors; available through L/A Arts 1-800-639-2919 or www.laarts.org

They still don’t need a band

Tight harmonies, rich vocals, precision tempo and a love for all kinds of music are what The Persuasions bring to any performance. After 44 years and 20 albums, the five-man a cappella group, is still taking its unique talent on the road. They boast that they still have no band. Their music does the talking for them and makes the claim that they still don’t need a band. Their own voices provide all the melody, percussion and harmony a music lover could want.

“The love is still there,” said Jimmy Hayes, founder of the group. “The smiles on people’s faces when we do a show makes it all worthwhile.”

The recently renovated Franco-American Heritage Center in Lewiston is sure to amplify The Persuasions’ vocal prowess with its inherently acoustics-friendly architecture. Hayes noted in a recent telephone interview that their latest CD, “Sing U2,” a cover tribute to the Irish rock band U2, was recorded in St. George’s Church in New York.

With Hayes, now at age 63 and the baby of the group, The Persuasions continue touring, with about 200 live performances a year. Jayotis Washington and “Sweet” Joe Russell remain prominent original members of the group, while former Drifters baritone Bernard “BJ” Jones joined in 1988, and Ray Sanders joined in 2003. All five currently make their home in New York, said Hayes.

After its current swing up the East Coast, the group will head out to California in March and then make the rounds in Europe in May, said Hayes.

The Persuasions have been recording and performing since the 1960s. They were featured in the Fred Parnes documentary, “Spread the Word: The Persuasions Sing A Cappella,” which continues to air periodically on Public Broadcast Stations.

The group has recorded and performed with a long list of headline artists that includes B.B. King, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, The Neville Brothers, Liza Minelli, Bette Midler, Lou Reed, Van Morrison, Paul Simon, and Joni Mitchell.

– By Emily Tuttle