8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
Peabo Bryson | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bryson in 2018 | |
| Born | Robert Peapo Bryson April 13, 1951 |
| Died | June 2, 2026 (aged 75) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1965–2026 |
| Spouse | Tanya Boniface (m. 2010–2026) |
| Children | 2 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments |
|
| Labels | |
8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
Robert Peapo "Peabo" Bryson[1] (/ˈpiːboʊ/ PEE-boh; April 13, 1951 – June 2, 2026) was an American singer and songwriter. He was known for singing soul ballads (often as a duet with female singers) including the hit singles "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love", "You're Looking Like Love to Me" and "As Long as There's Christmas" with Roberta Flack, "A Whole New World" with Regina Belle, and "Beauty and the Beast" with Canadian singer Celine Dion,[2] the latter two being contributions to Disney animated feature soundtracks. Bryson was a winner of two Grammy Awards.[3][4]
Early years
Born as Robert Peapo Bryson in Greenville, South Carolina,[5] he spent much of his childhood on his grandfather's farm in Mauldin, South Carolina. Bryson's love for music stemmed from his mother, who often took the family to concerts of well-known black artists at the time.
Career
Bryson marked his professional debut at the age of 14, singing backup for Al Freeman and the Upsetters,[6] 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.[7] 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.[6][citation needed] 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 single, at No. 10 in the US),[8] 1989's "Show and Tell", and the 1991 hit "Can You Stop the Rain".[7] In 1985, he appeared on the soap opera One Life to Live to sing a lyrical version of its theme song.[9] 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 duets with Roberta Flack (Born to Love) in 1983.[7] In 1988, Bryson recorded the duet "For You and I" with Angela Bofill.[10][11] In partnership with Regina Belle, Bryson recorded two hit duets: "Without You", the love theme from the comedy film Leonard Part 6, recorded in 1987, and "A Whole New World", the main theme of the Disney's animated feature film 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).[7]
Bryson won two Grammy Awards: in 1992 for his performance of the song "Beauty and the Beast" with Celine Dion 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 and operatic productions, most notably the tenor role of "Sportin' Life" in the Michigan Opera Theater of Detroit's version of Porgy and Bess. His tax problems caught up with him on August 21, 2003, when the U.S. Internal Revenue Service seized property from his home in Atlanta, Georgia. 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.[12] 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.[12]
In 2002, Bryson's "Beauty and the Beast" music video was included on the platinum and Blu-ray edition of Beauty and the Beast. His "A Whole New World" music video was included on the platinum edition DVD release of Aladdin. Bryson's CD Missing You was released on October 2, 2007, on Peak Records, a division of Concord Music Group.
On September 4, 2016, it was declared "Peabo Bryson Day" in Charleston, South Carolina 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.[13]
Personal life
Before marrying his most recent wife, singer and member of English R&B group The 411, Tanya Boniface, Bryson was engaged several times[14] to Juanita Leonard, the ex-wife of boxer Sugar Ray Leonard.[15] In the 1990s, he became engaged to Angela Thigpen, former Miss Virginia Teen USA and later a model and actress.[16] Bryson and Boniface have a son,[17] who has occasionally joined his father on stage.[18] He also has a daughter[15] from a previous relationship, along with three grandchildren.[19]
On April 29, 2019, it was reported that Bryson had suffered a heart attack, and had been taken to an Atlanta hospital, where he was said to be in a stable condition. He made a full recovery.[20][21]
On May 31, 2026, CBS News reported that Bryson had suffered a stroke.[22] He died two days later on June 2 at the age of 75.[23]
Discography
- Studio albums
- Peabo (1976)
- Reaching for the Sky (1977)
- Crosswinds (1978)
- Paradise (1980)
- Turn the Hands of Time (1981)
- I Am Love (1981)
- Don't Play with Fire (1982)
- Straight from the Heart (1984)
- Take No Prisoners (1985)
- Quiet Storm (1986)
- Positive (1988)
- All My Love (1989)
- Can You Stop the Rain (1991)
- Through the Fire (1994)
- Peace on Earth (1997)
- Unconditional Love (1999)
- Missing You (2007)
- Stand for Love (2018)
- Grace (2026)
- Collaboration albums
- We're the Best of Friends with (Natalie Cole) (1979)
- Live and More 2LP with (Roberta Flack) (1980)
- Born to Love with (Roberta Flack) (1983)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Best Original Song | "I Found Love" (with Earl Rose) | Nominated[24] |
| Year | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male | "Can You Stop the Rain" | Nominated[25] |
| 1993 | "Lost in the Night" | Nominated | |
| Record of the Year | "Beauty and the Beast" (with Celine Dion) | Nominated | |
| Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals | Won | ||
| 1994 | "A Whole New World" (with Regina Belle) | Won | |
| Record of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 2000 | Best Traditional R&B Performance | Unconditional Love | Nominated |
| Best Male R&B Vocal Performance | "Did You Ever Know" | Nominated |
| Year | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Outstanding Male Artist | Himself | Nominated |
| 1992 | Nominated |
References
- Peabo Bryson - Biography @AllMusic. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
- Moniuszko, Sara M. "Singer Peabo Bryson, known for Disney hits, stable after heart attack". Usatoday.com.
- Grein, Paul (21 April 2021). "These 16 Songs Have Won Film Music's 'Triple Crown' — Golden Globe, Oscar & Grammy". Billboard.
- "Peabo Bryson | Artist | GRAMMY.com". Grammy.com. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- Kellman, Andy. "Peabo Bryson Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- dnathan (2022-04-14). "Soulful Salutations! Peabo Bryson - Classic Soul 1978 Interview". Soulmusic.com. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
- Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 196. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
- "Location shooting and lavish sets". Newspapers.com. 1984-07-30. p. 40. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
- "Ask Us". Soap Opera Digest. 34 (22): 105–106. June 2, 2009.
- "Album Reviews" (PDF). Billboard Magazine.
- Bofill Returns, Follows Own"Intuition" (PDF). February 18, 1989. p. 26.
- Plunkett, John (January 12, 2004). "Peabo Bryson's Grammys, other possessions, auctioned to pay $1.2 million tax debt". Jet Magazine. Archived from the original on November 27, 2004. Retrieved March 7, 2007.
- Mitchell, Gail (May 11, 2018). "Peabo Bryson Gets Ready to 'Stand for Love' on New Album Coming Aug. 3". Billboard.com. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
- Bryson, Peabo, Encyclopedia.com, Retrieved November 9, 2018.
- "Peabo Bryson Reveals He Will Marry Juanita Leonard", Jet Magazine (July 8, 1991), Vol. 80 (12), p. 14
- Harper, Jane. "Whatever Happened To..." The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) September 28, 1998. Link to article Retrieved July 24, 2010.
- EURweb (2018). "Singer Peabo Bryson Announces Birth Of His Son," Black America Web, 10 January 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- 'The Legendary' Peabo Bryson ft. (Son) 'Kit' Bryson - "All She Want's To Do Is Me" Finale (LIVE) @YouTube. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- Halliburton, Karen (October 1, 2018). "Peabo Bryson's fire still roars". 50bold.com. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- "Peabo Bryson: 'I'm Getting Stronger By The Day'". Soultracks.com. May 8, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- "Peabo Bryson on heart attack: I was on the other side long enough to make friends". 11alive.com. July 18, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- "Peabo Bryson under medical care after suffering stroke, representative says - CBS Atlanta". www.cbsnews.com. 2026-05-31. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- Aswad, Jem (June 2, 2026). "Peabo Bryson, Veteran R&B Singer of 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'Whole New World,' Dies at 75". Variety. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- Brian Lowry (March 31, 1993). "CBS tops Daytime Emmy noms". Variety.com. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
- "Peabo Bryson Grammy Awards". Grammy.com. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
Peabo Bryson, a silky-smooth singer whose lengthy résumé of chart-topping soul records, many of them duets with renowned female singers, earned him the nickname the Voice of Love, along with two Grammys for the Disney movie hits “Beauty and the Beast” and “A Whole New World,” died on Tuesday in Marietta, Ga. He was 75.
His family confirmed the death, at a hospital, from complications of a stroke. Mr. Bryson lived in Atlanta.
“Peabo,” his first album, was released in 1976, when funk and disco ruled the airwaves. But four of its sensual ballads — “It’s Just a Matter of Time,” “Underground Music,” “Just Another Day” and “I Can Make It Better” — reached the top 30 on the U.S. soul charts, establishing him as an heir to his idols Sam Cooke and Nat King Cole.
Mr. Bryson went on to dominate the soul and R&B charts for nearly two decades. His songs dealt with complex relationships and passionate love, themes that spoke to the adult contemporary listeners who made up the core of his fan base.
Advertisement
“Relationships are a vast thing,” he told The Chicago Tribune in 1986. “They’re like people: Everyone is different. So I write about them as I see them, and as I have experienced them.”
Through the 1980s, he developed a reputation as a reliable duet partner, paired with powerful female singers like Regina Belle, Roberta Flack and Natalie Cole, Mr. Cole’s daughter.
How The Times decides who gets an obituary. There is no formula, scoring system or checklist in determining the news value of a life. We investigate, research and ask around before settling on our subjects. If you know of someone who might be a candidate for a Times obituary, please suggest it here.
“Tonight, I Celebrate My Love,” a duet with Ms. Flack, reached No. 4 on Billboard’s U.S. adult contemporary chart in 1983, his first of many songs to crack the top 20. The next year, he reached No. 1 on the same chart with a solo effort, “If Ever You’re in My Arms Again.”
Advertisement
But it was in the early 1990s that Mr. Bryson had his biggest hits. Sung with Celine Dion, “Beauty and the Beast” (1991), his platinum-selling version of the theme song from the Disney animated film of the same name, was nominated for best song and best record at the Grammys and won the award for best pop performance by a duo or group with vocals.
He repeated the feat a year later, winning the same award for his version of “A Whole New World,” the theme from the Disney movie “Aladdin,” performed with Regina Belle. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, knocking off Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” after a 14-week run.
Both tracks also won best song awards at the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards, though those awards went to the songs’ writers.
Mr. Bryson repeatedly resisted pressure from record labels and other musicians to embrace a more contemporary pop, rock or hip-hop style, insisting that he had to stay true to his roots, even if it meant passing up bigger paychecks.
“I have to make music without giving up who I am,” he told The New Pittsburgh Courier in 1992, “not for any pop dream or for any promise of greater success.”
Advertisement
Robert Peapo Bryson was born on April 13, 1951, in Greenville, S.C. His father, Telford Copeland, was rarely present, and he was raised mostly by his mother, Marie Bryson, and his maternal grandparents on their farm in nearby Mauldin, S.C.
His mother encouraged his early interest in music, taking him to see acts like Little Richard and Mr. Cooke.
“I saw all the greats, and by the time I was 5 or 6 I could sing right along with them,” he told The Philadelphia Tribune in 2022. “When I was that little, I could sing most of their songs, astonishing people in the audience around me who couldn’t believe that music was coming out of a little boy.”
After winning a talent contest at 12, he began singing backup with a local band, Al Freeman and the Upsetters. In his teenage years, he joined his musical mentor, Moses Dillard, in the band Dillard and the Tex-Town Display, which toured the country.
He got his nickname, Peabo, from Mr. Dillard, who’d had trouble pronouncing his middle name.
The band was mediocre, but talent scouts picked out Mr. Bryson as a potential solo artist. He released his self-titled debut album with Bang Records and then moved to Capitol in 1977.
Advertisement
In 2003, the Internal Revenue Service accused Mr. Bryson of failing to pay some $1.2 million in taxes and seized much of his property, including his Grammy trophies, hundreds of pairs of shoes and a key to the city of Miami, all of which were sold at auction.
Mr. Bryson’s survivors include his wife, Tanya Boniface Bryson; their son, Robert, known as Kit; a daughter from a previous relationship, Linda Bryson; and three grandchildren.
Mr. Bryson’s fan base skewed female, but he said he also tried to write songs for men.
“I’m trying to show men that it’s OK to be sensitive and sensual,” he told The Philadelphia Tribune, “instead of feeling like they have to be macho.”
Amisha Padnani contributed reporting.
