The Man in Room 1009 (with Jerry Lawson)

The Man in Room 1009 is dedicated to the late Reverend Claude Jeter, lead singer and founder of the Swan Silvertones. It features Jerry Lawson (lead singer of The Persuasions for 40 years) myself, and the Jerryettes.

Reverend Jeter’s group, the Swan Silvertones, were quite possibly the best vocal group in history. The body of work he created, starting with King Records in 1946-51 to Specialty Records in 1951-53 to Vee Jay Records in 1955-64, is one of the most impressive of any group or artist in any genre of music – ever! To say that I loved his music would be an enormous understatement. I think it was some of the most important and transforming music of the 20th century. The extent to which both popular and gospel music was influenced directly by his artistry can never be overstated. Whether talking about the vocal groups of the 1960’s (such as the Temptations) or the lead vocalists of the 70’s (most notably Al Green who owes his entire career to Jeter’s falsetto), to many of the singers of today, the depth and influence of his creativity is present in the vocal style of more artists than are probably even aware of how much he gave this world.

I visited with Reverend Jeter twice in 2008, in August and on his 94th birthday on October 26th. Even though by 2008 he was no longer able to communicate, I had hoped to let him know what a great man he was and that he was not forgotten.

His room number at the Daughters of Jacob Hospital in the Bronx, NY, was Room 1009 – hence, the title of the enclosed song.