Five-time Grammy Award-winning blues singer Robert Cray recorded his fifth studio album, Strong Persuader, with Grammy Award-winning producer Bruce Bromberg. After its release in 1986, the album became his big break and turned Cray into a pop star despite being a classic blues album. The 10-track album featured three singles, including "Right Next Door (Because Of Me)," "I Guess I Showed Her" and "Smoking Gun," the latter of which reached No. 2 on the U.S. rock charts and No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Strong Persuader" sold more than two million copies by 1995 and earned him a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Recording.