''Born to Love'' is a 1983 studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

duet A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo s ...

s by American singers

Peabo Bryson Robert Peapo "Peabo" Bryson (born April 13, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for singing soul ballads (often as a duet with female singers) including the 1983 hit "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" with Roberta Flack. Bryson ...

and

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (born February 10, 1937) is a retired American singer. She topped the ''Billboard'' charts with the No. 1 singles " The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Killing Me Softly with His Song", " Feel Like Makin' Love", " Wh ...

. It was released by Bryson's label

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

on July 22, 1983 in the United States. The album yielded the hit single "

Tonight, I Celebrate My Love "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" is a romantic ballad written by lyricist Gerry Goffin with Michael Masser and recorded by Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack for their 1983 album of duets, '' Born to Love'', issued as the lead single. The track—pr ...

", written by

Gerry Goffin Gerald Goffin (February 11, 1939 – June 19, 2014) was an American lyricist. Collaborating initially with his first wife, Carole King, he co-wrote many international pop hits of the early and mid-1960s, including the US No.1 hits "Will You Love ...

and

Michael Masser Michael William Masser (March 24, 1941 – July 9, 2015) was an American songwriter, composer and producer of popular music. Early life Born to a Jewish family in Chicago to Ester Huff and William Masser, he attended the University of Illinois ...

. The track "Maybe" was written and recorded for the film ''

Romantic Comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

'' (1983).

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Rob Theakston called ''Born to Love'' "not an essential album by any means, but nonetheless an enjoyable listen."

Track listing

Personnel

Musicians * Roberta Flack – lead vocals, backing vocals (9) * Peabo Bryson – lead vocals, backing vocals (4) *

Randy Kerber Randy Kerber (born September 25, 1958) is an American composer, orchestrator and keyboard player, who has had a prolific career in the world of cinema.SeRandy Kerberat the IMDb Kerber was born in Encino, California. He began his first national t ...

–

Fender Rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, th ...

(1) *

Michael Boddicker Michael Lehmann Boddicker (born January 19, 1953) is an American film composer and session musician, specializing in electronic music. He is a three times National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (N.A.R.A.S.) Most Valuable Player "Synthes ...

– synthesizers (2, 5) *

Greg Phillinganes Gregory Arthur Phillinganes (born May 12, 1956) is an American keyboardist, singer-songwriter, and musical director based in Los Angeles, California. A prolific session musician, Phillinganes has contributed the role of keyboards to numerous alb ...

– acoustic piano (2, 5) *

Paul Delph Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

–

Prophet-10 The Prophet-5 is an analog synthesizer manufactured by the American company Sequential. It was designed by Dave Smith and John Bowen in 1977, who used microprocessors, then a new technology, to create the first polyphonic synthesizer with full ...

programming (3), Prophet-10 (6) *

Bob Gaudio Robert John Gaudio (born November 17, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer, and the keyboardist and backing vocalist of the pop/rock band the Four Seasons. Gaudio wrote or co-wrote and produced the vast majori ...

– acoustic piano (3),

Rhodes piano The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, th ...

(3), Prophet-10 (3), programming (3),

LinnDrum The LinnDrum, also referred to as the LM-2, is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics between 1982 and 1985. About 5,000 units were sold. Its high-quality samples, flexibility and affordability made the LinnDrum popular; it sold far m ...

(3), arrangements (3, 6, 8), vocal arrangements (3, 6, 8), synthesizers (6, 8) * Mark Parrish –

Oberheim OB-X The Oberheim OB-X was the first of Oberheim's OB-series polyphonic analog subtractive synthesizers. First commercially available in June 1979, the OB-X was introduced to compete with the Sequential Circuits Prophet-5, which had been success ...

(4),

Prophet-5 The Prophet-5 is an analog synthesizer manufactured by the American company Sequential. It was designed by Dave Smith and John Bowen in 1977, who used microprocessors, then a new technology, to create the first polyphonic synthesizer with full ...

(4) * Vance Taylor – Fender Rhodes (4), Oberheim OB-X (4),

Synclavier The Synclavier is an early digital synthesizer, polyphonic digital sampling system, and music workstation manufactured by New England Digital Corporation of Norwich, Vermont. It was produced in various forms from the late 1970s into the early 19 ...

(4) * Jai Winding – Rhodes piano (6), arrangements (6, 8) * Robbie Buchanan – keyboards (7), synthesizers (7), strings (7), arrangements (7) *

Jerry Corbetta Jerry A. Corbetta (September 23, 1947 – September 16, 2016) was an American singer-songwriter, keyboardist and organist, record producer— best known as a frontman for the Colorado rock band Sugarloaf, best known for their classic rock hit ...

– Fender Rhodes (8), Prophet-10 (8), synthesizer solo (8), arrangements (8) *

Richard Tee Richard Edward Tee (born Richard Edward Ten Ryk; November 24, 1943 – July 21, 1993) was an American pianist, studio musician, singer and arranger, who had several hundred studio credits and played on such notable hits as " In Your Eyes", "Sli ...

– keyboards (9) *

Marcus Miller William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his work as a bassist. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandross, ...

– synthesizers (9), bass (9) *

Paul Jackson Jr. Paul Milton Jackson Jr. (born December 30, 1959) is an American fusion/urban jazz composer, arranger, producer and guitarist. He was born and raised in Los Angeles. Jackson knew by the age of fifteen that he wanted to become a professional mus ...

– guitar (1, 2, 5) *

Dann Huff Dann Lee Huff (born November 15, 1960) is an American record producer and songwriter. For his work as a producer in the country music genre, he has won several awards, including the ''Musician of the Year'' award in 2001, 2004, and 2016 at the C ...

– guitar (2, 5) * John Hauser – guitar (4) * Richard Horton – guitar (4),

guitar synthesizer A guitar synthesizer is any one of a number of musical instrument systems that allow a guitarist to access synthesizer capabilities. Overview Today's guitar synths are direct descendants of 1970s devices from manufacturers (often in partnersh ...

(4) * Tim May – guitar (6), acoustic guitar (8), electric guitar (8) *

Georg Wadenius Georg "Jojje" Wadenius (born 4 May 1945) is a Swedish multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer who was particularly active during the 1970s and 1980s as a studio and session guitarist and bassist, as well as for a series of albums of childre ...

– guitar (9) *

Nathan East Nathan Harrell East (born December 8, 1955) is an American jazz, R&B, and rock bass player and vocalist. With more than 2,000 recordings, East is one of the most recorded bass players in the history of music. East holds a Bachelor of Arts deg ...

– bass (1, 7) *

Abraham Laboriel Abraham Laboriel López Sr. (born July 17, 1947) is a Mexican-American bassist who has played on over 4,000 recordings and soundtracks. ''Guitar Player'' magazine called him "the most widely used session bassist of our time". Laboriel is the f ...

– bass (2, 5) *

Leland Sklar Leland Bruce Sklar (born May 28, 1947) is an American bassist and session musician. Sklar rose to prominence as a member of James Taylor's backing band, which coaleced into a group in its own right, The Section. This group of musicians so frequ ...

– bass (6, 8) *

Carlos Vega Carlos Vega (December 7, 1956 – April 7, 1998) was a Cuban-born Los Angeles-based session drummer best known for his performances with James Taylor. As a part of the L.A. studio scene from the late 1970s through the 1990s, Vega contributed to ...

– drums (1, 6, 7, 8) *

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America".Howard Sounes. ''Down ...

– drums (2, 5) * John Gilston – Simmons drums (3) * Andre Robinson – drums (4) * Paulinho da Costa – percussion (2, 5) * Charles Bryson – percussion (4) *

Bobbye Hall Bobbye Jean Hall is an American percussionist who has recorded with a variety of rock, soul, blues and jazz artists, and has appeared on 20 songs that reached the top ten in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Early career, work for Motown and move to ...

– bongos (8), congas (8) * Anthony MacDonald – percussion (9) *

Pete Christlieb Pete Christlieb (born February 16, 1945) is an American jazz bebop, West Coast jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist. Biography Christlieb was born in Los Angeles, California, United States, and is the son of bassoonist Don Christlieb. Christlieb ...

– saxophone solo (3, 6) * Ron Dover – tenor saxophone (4), backing vocals (4) * Daniel Dillard – trumpet (4) * Thaddeus Johnson – trumpet (4), flugelhorn (4) * Felipe Mantine – flute (9) *

– rhythm arrangements (1) *

Gene Page Eugene Edgar Page Jr. (September 13, 1939 – August 24, 1998) was an American conductor, composer, arranger and record producer, most active from the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s. His sound can be heard in the arrangements he did for Jeffer ...

– rhythm arrangements (1), orchestration (1), strings (7) * Frank DeCaro – music contractor (2, 5) * Mary Bridges – backing vocals (3) *

Jim Gilstrap James Earl Gilstrap (born November 10, 1946)''U.S. Public Records Index'' Vol 1 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010. is an American singer, considered one of the most prolific session musicians in the industry. He is best known fo ...

– backing vocals (3) * Patricia Hall – backing vocals (3) * Luther Waters – backing vocals (3) *

Oren Waters Oren Waters is an American vocalist best known for his work with the backup singing group The Waters, his siblings: Luther, Maxine and Julia. As an ensemble, Waters has been a part of 260 gold and over 100 platinum albums with artists ranging fro ...

– backing vocals (3) * Mona Lisa Young – backing vocals (3, 6, 8) * Terry Young – backing vocals (3, 6, 8) * Myra Walker – backing vocals (4) * Dwight W. Watkins – backing vocals (4) * Shirley Brewer – backing vocals (6, 8) * Al Johnson – backing vocals (9), arrangements (9) Production * Don Grierson – executive producer * Varnell Johnson – executive producer * Michael Masser – producer (1, 7) * Burt Bacharach – producer (2, 5) * Carole Bayer Sager – producer (2, 5) * Bob Crewe – producer (3, 6, 8) * Bob Gaudio – producer (3, 6, 8) * Peabo Bryson – producer (4) * Ed Seay – assistant producer (4), engineer (4) * Roberta Flack – producer (9) * Al Johnson – associate producer (9) * Jeremy Smith – engineer (1, 7) * Howard Wolin – engineer (1, 7) *

Bruce Swedien Bruce Swedien (; April 19, 1934 – November 16, 2020) was an American recording engineer, mixing engineer and record producer. He was widely known for his work with Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Paul McCartney and Barbra Streisand. Swedien fir ...

– engineer (2, 5) * Tony D'Amico – engineer (3, 6, 8), recording (3, 6, 8), mixing (8) * Jay Messina – vocal recording (3, 6, 8) * Tom Swift – vocal recording assistant (3, 6, 8) * Eric Calvi – first engineer (9) * Kendall Brown – second engineer (9) * Steve Marcantonio – recording (9) * Dick Bogart – mixing (1, 7) * Russ Terrano – mixing (1, 7) * Lee DeCarlo – mixing (3, 6) * Jim Bell – mix assistant (3, 6, 8), assistant engineer (8), recording assistant (8) * Roy Kohara – art direction * John O'Brien – design * Beverly Parker – photography * Lamarries Moses – stylist * Roger St. Pierre – liner notes Studios * Recorded at

Record Plant The Record Plant is a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and currently operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it has produced highly influential albums, including Blo ...

(New York, NY); Westlake Studios and New Sound Labs (Los Angeles, CA); Studio Sound Recorders (North Hollywood, CA);

A&M Studios The Jim Henson Company Lot, formerly A&M Studios, is a studio property located just south of the southeast corner of North La Brea Avenue and Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Originally established by film star Charlie Chaplin, the property serve ...

and Music Grinder Studios (Hollywood, CA). * Mixed at Record Plant; New Sound Labs; Motown / Hitsville U.S.A. Recording Studios (Hollywood, CA).

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control Peabo Bryson albums Roberta Flack albums 1983 albums Albums produced by Michael Masser Albums produced by Bob Crewe Capitol Records albums Collaborative albums