Jerry Lawson doc celebrates life of Apopka hometown hero
In one of the final scenes of “Just A Mortal Man — The Jerry Lawson Story,” the famed a capella singer sits in an Apopka graveyard, looking at the dates of his mother’s birth and death. Lawson points to the dash between the two years, and says, “that dash is your life. What did you do with your dash?”
This question is at the heart of this documentary, which makes its Central Florida debut next month on WUCF, as part of the station’s celebration of Black Music Month.
Though Jerry Lawson may not be a household name, he is often credited with popularizing a capella beginning in the 1960s as part of the group The Persuasions.
“We hope that people who listened to groups like Pentatonix today and Take 6 and a lot of the popular a capella groups today recognize that without Jerry, a lot of this couldn’t have perhaps come about,” says director Miles Merritt. “Jerry really helped to bring a capella out of the churches and out of the barbershops and make it more mainstream.”
The film showcases not only some of the highs that Lawson experienced as a member of The Persuasions, but also the lows he saw as he struggled with alcoholism, his mother’s failing health and a fading music career.
However, though he faced plenty of setbacks, Lawson never let anything dim his optimism and zeal for life. After his mother passed away, Lawson discovered a passion for caretaking and devoted himself to working at a facility for adults with developmental disabilities.
Despite having recorded 24 albums over 40 years and touring the world with some of the biggest names in show business, Lawson was determined to give back and never let his lack of notoriety bother him. “He was just that kind of humble human being that realized he was lucky as hell to have performed with Joni Mitchell and Rod Stewart and Paul Simon and all these people,” Merritt said. “He just felt like he was blessed without the fame.”
Lawson’s legacy lives on in the City of Apopka on Jerry Lawson Way, which was dedicated in 2017 and is located across from the home where he grew up. In addition, Lawson also has a place in the Museum of the Apopkans, which can be found at 122 E. 5th St. in Apopka.
Lawson passed away in 2019 before work on the documentary was completed, but Merritt recalls showing him a rough cut of some of the film’s footage in the hospital during his final days. “It was really very emotional, very bittersweet,” Merritt said, adding, “He mouthed the words to me in the hospital, ‘I can’t thank you enough’.”
“Just A Mortal Man — The Jerry Lawson Story,” airs on June 21 on WUCF and is now streaming for PBS Passport subscribers.
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