Strong Persuader is the fifth studio album by American blues singer and guitarist Robert Cray, released on November 17, 1986, by Mercury Records and Hightone Records. It became his breakthrough album to the mainstream. "Strong Persuader" also became a nickname for Cray. The album was ranked #42 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 80's. It has sold over two million copies by 1995.