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'' charts with the No. 1 singles " The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", " Killing Me Softly with His Song", " Feel Like Makin' Love", " W ...

. 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 pr ...

Early years and career

Born Robert Peapo Bryson in

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

, Peabo Bryson spent much of his childhood on his grandfather's farm in Mauldin, South Carolina. 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 The Chitlin' Circuit was a collection of performance venues throughout the eastern, southern, and upper Midwest areas of the United States that provided commercial and cultural acceptance for African American musicians, comedians, and other enterta ...

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" (his first Top 10

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''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 Encyc ...

duets with

('' Born to Love'') in 1983. In partnership with Regina Belle, 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 o ...

'' Leonard Part 6'', recorded in 1987 and " A Whole New World", 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), " A Whole New World" (in 1992) and "Total Praise" (in 2009). Among his

songs and duets are: * "Gimme Some Time", with Natalie Cole * " What You Won't Do for Love", with Natalie Cole * "Here We Go", with Minnie Riperton * "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 " Q ...

* " Without You", with Regina Belle (theme from '' Leonard Part 6'') * "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 Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine ...

", 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 Regina Belle * " A Whole New World", 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 performed ...

(theme from '' The Scarlet Pimpernel'') * " By the Time This Night Is Over", 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 * "The Gift", with

* "Wishes", with Kimberley Locke (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 Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga (; born February 22, 1971), known professionally as Lea Salonga, is a Filipino singer, actress, and columnist. Nicknamed "Pride of the Philippines," she is best known for her roles in musical theatre, for supplyi ...

(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 chil ...

'') * "How Wonderful We Are", with

(for the album ''People: A Musical Celebration Of Diversity'') * "Make It Til Tomorrow", with Sandi Patty Bryson won two

s: in 1992 for his performance of the song "

" with

and in 1993 for " A Whole New World" with Regina Belle. 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 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 perfor ...

and operatic productions, most notably the

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing 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 low extreme for tenors is wide ...

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'', ...

''. His tax problems caught up with him on August 21, 2003, when the U.S. Internal Revenue Service 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 498,7 ...

, 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 o ...

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

Perspective Records Perspective Records is an American record label, launched in 1991 by the producing team Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, through a joint venture with A&M Records—which Jam & Lewis had had a prosperous working relationship with throughout the 1980s, w ...

Personal life

Before marrying his present wife, former singer and member of English R&B group The 411 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. 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 U.S. Internal Revenue Service 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'' (1976) *'' Reaching for the Sky'' (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 para ...

'' (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'' (1985) *''Quiet Storm'' (1986) *'' Positive'' (1988) *'' All My Love'' (1989) *''

'' (1991) *'' Through the Fire'' (1994) *'' Peace on Earth'' (1997) *'' Unconditional Love'' (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 " A Whole New World": . * 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 Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine ...

": . *

AllMusic entry AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the datab ...

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