Robert Peapo "Peabo" Bryson (born April 13, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for singing soul

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

s (often as a duet with female singers) including the 1983 hit "

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 ...

" with

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

. Bryson has contributed to two

Disney animated feature This list of theatrical animated feature films consists of animated films produced or released by The Walt Disney Studios, the film division of The Walt Disney Company.This list does not include films or specials streamed on Disney+ as Disne ...

soundtracks. Bryson is a winner of two

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

Early years and career

Born Robert Peapo Bryson in

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...

, Peabo Bryson spent much of his childhood on his grandfather's farm in

Mauldin, South Carolina Mauldin is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 24,724 at the 2020 census. It is a principal city of the Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Mauldin is located south of ...

. His love for music stemmed from his mother, who often took the family to concerts of well-known African-American artists at the time. Bryson marked his professional debut at age 14, singing backup for Al Freeman and the Upsetters, a local Greenville group. It was Freeman's difficulty in pronouncing Bryson's French West-Indian name, Peapo, that led Bryson to perform as Peabo. Two years later, he left home to tour the Chitlin' Circuit with another local band, Moses Dillard and the Tex-Town Display. Bryson's first break came during a recording session at Atlanta's Bang Records. Although Bang was not impressed with Dillard's band, the young backup singer caught the ear of the label's general manager, Eddie Biscoe. Biscoe signed Bryson to a contract as a writer, producer, and arranger and encouraged Bryson to perform his own songs. For several years, Bryson worked with hometown bands and wrote and produced for Bang. In 1976, he launched his own recording career with "Underground Music" on the Bang label. His first album, ''Peabo'', followed shortly thereafter. Although only a regional success, Bryson signed to Capitol Records in 1977. Bryson's greatest solo hits include 1977's "Feel the Fire" and "Reaching for the Sky", 1978's "I'm So into You" and "Crosswinds", 1982's "Let the Feeling Flow", 1984's "

If Ever You're in My Arms Again "If Ever You're in My Arms Again" is a 1984 song recorded by American contemporary R&B singer Peabo Bryson. Released as a single from his album '' Straight from the Heart'', the single peaked at number 6 on the R&B chart and was Bryson's first T ...

" (his first Top 10 pop single, at No. 10 in the US), 1989's "Show and Tell", and the 1991 hit "

Can You Stop the Rain "Can You Stop the Rain" is a song by American singer Peabo Bryson, taken from his fifteenth studio album of the same name (1991). It was written by John Bettis and Walter Afanasieff, while production was helmed by the latter. Released as the albu ...

". In 1985, he appeared on the soap opera ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...

'' to sing a lyrical version of its theme song. Bryson's vocals were added to the regular theme song in 1986 and his voice was heard daily until 1992. He recorded the successful album of

romantic love Romance or romantic love is a feeling of love for, or a strong attraction towards another person, and the courtship behaviors undertaken by an individual to express those overall feelings and resultant emotions. The ''Wiley Blackwell Ency ...

duets with

('' Born to Love'') in 1983. In partnership with

Regina Belle Regina Elaine Belle (born July 17, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter who started her career in the mid-1980s. Known for her singles " Baby Come to Me" (1989) and "Make It Like It Was" (1990), Belle's most notable for two hit duets, both with ...

, Bryson recorded two hit duets: " Without You", the love theme from the

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

Leonard Part 6 ''Leonard Part 6'' (also known as ''Leonard Part VI'') is a 1987 American spy parody film. It was directed by Paul Weiland and starred Bill Cosby, who also produced the film and wrote its story. The film also starred Gloria Foster as the vill ...

'', recorded in 1987 and "

A Whole New World "A Whole New World" is the signature song from Disney's 1992 animated feature film ''Aladdin'', with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Tim Rice. A duet originally recorded by singers Brad Kane and Lea Salonga in their respective roles as t ...

", the main theme of the

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's animated

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

''Aladdin'', recorded in 1992. Bryson and Belle recorded four duets over the years: " Without You" (in 1987), "I Can't Imagine" (in 1991), "

" (in 1992) and "Total Praise" (in 2009). Among his

songs and duets are: * "Gimme Some Time", with

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to success in the mid-1970s as an R&B singer with the h ...

* " What You Won't Do for Love", with Natalie Cole * "Here We Go", with

Minnie Riperton Minnie Julia Riperton Rudolph (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979) was an American singer-songwriter best known for her 1975 single "Lovin' You" and her four octave D3 to F7 coloratura soprano range. She is also widely known for her use o ...

* "Lovers After All", with

Melissa Manchester Melissa Manchester (born February 15, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Since the 1970s, her songs have been carried by adult contemporary radio stations. She has also appeared on television, in films, and on stage. Early l ...

* " Tonight I Celebrate My Love", with

* "You're Lookin' Like Love to Me", with Roberta Flack * "I Just Came Here to Dance", with Roberta Flack * "There's Nothin' Out There", with

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...

* " Without You", with

(theme from ''

'') * "For You and I" with

Angela Bofill Angela Tomasa Bofill (born May 2, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter of Cuban- Puerto Rican origins. A New York native, Bofill began her professional career in the mid-1970s. Bofill is most known for singles such as, "This Time I'll Be Sweet ...

* "

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' ( ...

", with

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

(theme from ''

'') * "I Can't Imagine", with

* "

", with Regina Belle (theme from ''Aladdin'') * "You Are My Home", with

Linda Eder Linda Eder (; born February 3, 1961) is an American singer and actress. She made her Broadway debut in the musical '' Jekyll & Hyde'', originating the role of Lucy Harris, for which she was nominated for the Drama Desk Award. Eder has performe ...

(theme from ''

The Scarlet Pimpernel ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in London, having ...

'') * "

By the Time This Night Is Over "By the Time This Night Is Over" is a song by American musician Kenny G and singer-songwriter Peabo Bryson, released as a single from Kenny G's sixth studio album, ''Breathless (Kenny G album), Breathless'', in 1993 and on Bryson's 16th studio alb ...

", with

Kenny G Kenneth Bruce Gorelick (born June 5, 1956), known professionally as Kenny G, is an American smooth jazz saxophonist, composer, and producer. His 1986 album ''Duotones'' brought him commercial success. Kenny G is one of the best-selling artis ...

* "Light the World", with

Deborah Gibson Deborah Ann Gibson (born August 31, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Gibson released her debut album '' Out of the Blue'' in 1987, which spawned several international hits, later being certified triple plati ...

* "The Gift", with

* "Wishes", with

Kimberley Locke Kimberley Dawn Locke (born January 3, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. She has recorded in the dance and pop genres, and has targeted the adult contemporary radio format. She was the cohost of the daytime talk ...

(for the album ''Disney Wishes!'') * "The Best Part", with Nadia Gifford * "As Long As There's Christmas", with Roberta Flack (theme from '' Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas'') * " I Have Dreamed", with Lea Salonga (theme from ''

The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the childre ...

'') * "How Wonderful We Are", with Lea Salonga (for the album ''People: A Musical Celebration Of Diversity'') * "Make It Til Tomorrow", with

Sandi Patty Sandra Faye "Sandi" Patty (born July 12, 1956) is an American Christian music singer, known for her wide soprano vocal range and expressive flexibility. Biography Early life Patty was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, into a family of musician ...

Bryson won two

s: in 1992 for his performance of the song "

" with

and in 1993 for "

" with

. In early 1998, Bryson contributed his voice to '' Barney's Great Adventure: An Original Motion Picture Musical Soundtrack'', with the song "Dream (Twinken's Tune)". Bryson performed in

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

and operatic productions, most notably the

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

role of "Sportin' Life" in the Michigan Opera Theater of Detroit's version of ''

Porgy and Bess ''Porgy and Bess'' () is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play '' Porgy'', itse ...

''. His tax problems caught up with him on August 21, 2003, when the

U.S. Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory tax ...

seized property from his

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Georgia, home. He is reported to owe $1.2 million in taxes dating back to 1984. The IRS auctioned many of his possessions, including both Grammy Awards, electronic equipment, his grand piano and multiple pairs of shoes. In 2002, Bryson's "Beauty and the Beast" music video was included on the platinum and Blu-ray edition of ''

''. His "A Whole New World" music video was included on the platinum edition DVD release of ''

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...

''. Bryson's CD, ''Missing You'', was released on October 2, 2007 on Peak Records, a division of Concord Music Group. September 4, 2016 was declared "Peabo Bryson Day" in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

and

North Charleston, South Carolina North Charleston is the third-largest city in the U.S. state, state of South Carolina.City Planning Department (2008-07)City of North Charleston boundary map. City of North Charleston. Retrieved January 21, 2011. On June 12, 1972, the city of No ...

, during the LowCountryJazzFest. The annual jazzfest is presented by ClosingTheGapInHealthCare.org, founded by Dr. Thaddeus Bell. In 2018, Bryson released his new album ''Stand For Love'', which was produced by

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/pop songwriting and record production team. They have enjoyed great success since the 1980s with various artists, most ...

. The project was released on Jam & Lewis' newly reactivated label, Perspective Records.

Personal life

Before marrying his present wife, former singer and member of English R&B group

The 411 The 411 are an English girl group comprising Carolyn Owlett, Tisha Martin and Tanya Boniface. Originally a four-piece with Suzie Furlonger, the group was formed in late 2002 after Martin and Boniface sang backing vocals on Lemar's version of ...

Tanya Boniface, Bryson was engaged several times to Juanita Leonard, the former wife of

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

great

Sugar Ray Leonard Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956), best known as "Sugar" Ray Leonard, is an American former professional boxer, motivational speaker, and occasional actor. Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, he competed professiona ...

. In the 1990s, he became engaged to Angela Thigpen, former Miss Virginia Teen USA and later a model/actress. Bryson and Boniface have a son, Robert, born January 1, 2018. Bryson also has a daughter, Linda (born c. 1968),"Peabo Bryson Reveals He Will Marry Juanita Leonard." ''Jet Magazine'' (July 8, 1991), Vol. 80 (12), p. 14.
Retrieved October 14, 2018. from a previous relationship, along with three grandchildren. Tax problems caught up with Bryson on August 21, 2003, when the

seized property from his

, Georgia, home. He is reported to have owed $1.2 million in taxes dating back to 1984. The IRS auctioned many of his possessions, including both Grammy Awards, electronic equipment, his grand piano and multiple pairs of shoes. However, his Grammy for "A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme) was purchased by a close friend of the family who vowed to return it to Bryson. On April 29, 2019, it was reported that Bryson had suffered a heart attack, and had been taken to Atlanta hospital where he was said to be in a stable condition. He has since made a full recovery.

Discography

;Studio albums *''

Peabo ''Peabo'' is the debut album by soul vocalist Peabo Bryson. Luther Vandross and Cissy Houston were among the background vocalists on this album. Reception Released in 1976 on Bullet Records, this was Bryson's only album with the label before ...

'' (1976) *''

Reaching for the Sky ''Reaching for the Sky'' is the second album by soul vocalist Peabo Bryson. Reception Released in 1978, ''Reaching for the Sky'' was Bryson's debut album on Capitol Records, charting with Quiet Storm staple "Feel the Fire" at number 13 on th ...

'' (1977) *'' Crosswinds'' (1978) *''

We're the Best of Friends ''We're the Best of Friends'' is a 1979 duet album by American vocalists Natalie Cole and Peabo Bryson. It was released on November 2, 1979 by Capitol Records. Reception The album reached peak positions of number 44 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and ...

'' with Natalie Cole (1979) *''

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...

'' (1980) *''Turn the Hands of Time'' (1981) *'' I Am Love'' (1981) *''Don't Play with Fire'' (1982) *'' Born to Love'' with Roberta Flack (1983) *'' Straight from the Heart'' (1984) *''

Take No Prisoners The phrase no quarter was generally used during military conflict to imply combatants would not be taken prisoner, but killed. According to some modern American dictionaries, a person who is given no quarter is "not treated kindly" or "treated ...

'' (1985) *''Quiet Storm'' (1986) *''

Positive Positive is a property of positivity and may refer to: Mathematics and science * Positive formula, a logical formula not containing negation * Positive number, a number that is greater than 0 * Plus sign, the sign "+" used to indicate a posi ...

'' (1988) *'' All My Love'' (1989) *''

'' (1991) *'' Through the Fire'' (1994) *'' Peace on Earth'' (1997) *''

Unconditional Love Unconditional love is known as affection without any limitations, or love without conditions. This term is sometimes associated with other terms such as true altruism or complete love. Each area of expertise has a certain way of describing uncon ...

'' (1999) *'' Missing You'' (2007) *'' Stand for Love'' (2018)

References

External links

* Video of " Without You" as performed at the Soul Train: . * The official music video of "

": . * The official music video of "

Beauty and The Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' ( ...

": . * AllMusic entry
Peabo Bryson
a
Wenig-LaMonica Associates

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryson, Peabo 1951 births 20th-century American singers 21st-century American keyboardists 21st-century American singers African-American male singers African-American record producers American male singer-songwriters American rhythm and blues keyboardists American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters American soul keyboardists American soul singers American tenors Capitol Records artists Columbia Records artists Grammy Award winners Walt Disney Records artists Living people Musicians from Greenville, South Carolina Record producers from South Carolina People from Mauldin, South Carolina Ballad musicians 20th-century American male singers 21st-century American male singers 20th-century American keyboardists African-American songwriters Singer-songwriters from South Carolina