Just A Mortal Man - The Jerry Lawson Story (Special Feature: Jerry visits Taos Pueblo in New Mexico)
By Miles Merritt and Gail Kempler
Just A Mortal Man/The Jerry Lawson Story - chronicles the life and career of the original lead singer of the legendary a cappella group The Persuasions - "the greatest a cappella group in history." "Just A Mortal Man - The Jerry Lawson Story" is a candid, intimate portrait of the inimitable Jerry Lawson - who fronted the greatest a cappella group in history, The Persuasions. Discovered by Frank Zappa in the early ‘70s, The Persuasions went on to record twenty-two albums together over a forty year span, and toured the world with such luminaries as Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Liza Minnelli and Joni Mitchell among others. With his deep, rich baritone, Jerry was the heart and soul of the group. Rod Stewart has called Jerry, "...a true soul singer." Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men calls Jerry, "...the trailblazer who helped shape contemporary a cappella." Yet there is so much more to this man than his music. With exclusive interviews and rare performance clips, this film is an inspiring story of glory, heartbreak, and redemption. The clip we've included in the Artists for Peace presentation is one where Jerry went to Taos Pueblo in New Mexico to meet one of the leaders of the tribe there. It is one of the Special Features from the film. For more information, visit www.thejerrylawsonstory.com or facebook.com/thejerrylawsonstory.
About the artists
Miles Merritt
Director – Executive Producer. Miles was writer/producer with New Century Images, a video production studio based in Los Angeles that specialized in the development of videos for private industry and various city departments. He later moved to NY to work with the cable news network in White Plains. In 1998, Miles moved to New Mexico to work on an arts and education program at Taos Pueblo. His directorial debut – the short film El Cochero (The Carriage Driver- 2004) – was produced in Mexico and was an official selection in 15 film festivals internationally. It was chosen as one of the opening night films at the prestigious Expresion En Corto Film Festival in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and won four awards. His subsequent short film, Una Causa Noble (A Noble Cause - 2007) was an official selection at 24 film festivals internationally and earned three awards. Miles was also Contributing Editor for the documentary “The Second Cooler” (2012) – a film about immigration issues in the U.S. and Central America that was narrated by Martin Sheen. The film won five awards. His latest project is a feature documentary, “Just A Mortal Man – The Jerry Lawson Story.”
Gail Kempler
Co-Director – Producer – Legal. Gail received her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and law degree from Fordham University. She co-produced and edited the two award-winning short films El Cochero (The Carriage Driver) (www.elcochero.com) and Una Causa Noble (A Noble Cause) (www.unacausanoble.com). In addition to being co-director and producer for “Just A Mortal Man – The Jerry Lawson Story,” Gail handled all the music licensing - which included over 30 songs. Gail also serves as Senior Counsel, Intellectual Property, and Director, Corporate Communications for a biotech company based in Pittsburgh, PA.