Funeral For A Capella Singer "Sweet Joe" Russell To Be Held In Brooklyn
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Jesse "Sweet Joe" Russell, a founding member of the beloved a cappella group The Persuasions, has died.
Russell died Saturday afternoon while awaiting a kidney transplant.
The baritone organized The Persuasions in the mid-1960s, and the group eventually got their first big break with the help of Frank Zappa.
The Persuasions helped popularize the a capella genre, recording tribute albums to groups including the Beatles and the Grateful Dead.
Funeral services for Russell are being held at the Lawrence Woodward Funeral Home in Brooklyn.