Peabo Bryson

Peabo Bryson (born Robert Peapo Bryson, April 13, 1951, given name changed from "Peapo" to Peabo c. 1965) is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, born in Greenville, South Carolina. He is well known for singing soft-rock ballads (often as a duo with female singers) and has contribution to at least 3 Disney animated feature soundtracks.

Career

As one of the oldest of four siblings, two sisters and a brother, he 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, such as Sam Cooke, Little Richard and Billie Holiday.

At age 14, Bryson marked his professional debut, 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 change its spelling to 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.

Straight from the Heart (Peabo Bryson album)

Straight from the Heart is the tenth full-length album by R&B/soul singer-songwriter Peabo Bryson. It was released in 1984 on Elektra Records, his first of four discs for the label. The album peaked at #44 on the US Billboard 200, and featured three singles: his first top ten pop hit "If Ever You're in My Arms Again" (also #6 R&B, and #1 Adult contemporary), "Slow Dancin" (#82 pop, #35 R&B), and "Learning the Ways of Love", which failed to chart. Bryson himself co-produced the record, as well as writing five of the eight songs himself and playing keyboards throughout the album.

Track listing

Straight from the Heart

Straight from the Heart may refer to:

Music

Film

Literature

Straight from the Heart (1935 film)

Straight from the Heart is a 1935 American drama film directed by Scott R. Beal and starring Mary Astor, Roger Pryor and Juanita Quigley.

Partial cast

References

Bibliography

External links

Straight from the Heart (The Allman Brothers Band song)

"Straight from the Heart" is a song by American rock band the Allman Brothers Band, released in July 1981 as the lead single from the group's eighth studio album, Brothers of the Road (1981). Written by guitarist Dickey Betts and Nashville songwriter Johnny Cobb, the song was a conscious effort to produce a hit single. The Allman Brothers Band had signed to Arista Records in 1980, and founder Clive Davis pushed them to modernize their sound. "Straight from the Heart" was later regarded as an "embarrassing" experiment by members of the band.

Nevertheless, the song became the group's first top 40 hit since their heyday, and subsequently their last: it peaked at number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also hit number 11 on Billboard's Rock Top Tracks chart.

Background

The Allman Brothers Band had signed to Arista Records in 1980 following the collapse of Capricorn Records the previous year. Arista founder Clive Davis pushed the band to modernize their sound, as southern rock was becoming increasingly unpopular. "He wanted us to be a Southern American version of Led Zeppelin and brought in outside producers and it just kept getting worse," said drummer Butch Trucks.