Peabo Bryson (April 13, 1951–June 2, 2026) was an American singer and composer. After teaming with singers Luther Vandross and Cissy Houston on his debut album Peabo (1976), he signed with Capitol Records and recorded the 1978 albums Reaching for the Sky and Crosswinds, both of which were certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
He went on to collaborate with Natalie Cole on We’re the Best of Friends (1979) and Roberta Flack on Born to Love (1983), which produced the hit ballad “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love”.
He signed with Elektra Records in 1984 and recorded the single “If Ever You’re in My Arms Again”, which spent many weeks at the top of the adult contemporary chart.
During this time, he had many top ten albums on the US Billboard R&B albums chart, with Can You Stop the Rain (1991) topping the list. Bryson also worked on several Disney animated feature soundtracks, including “Beauty and the Beast” with Celine Dion and “A Whole New World” with Regina Belle, the latter becoming the first song from an animated feature film to top the Billboard Hot 100. Bryson won two Grammy Awards for his Disney duets.
Peabo Bryson Biography
Robert Peapo Bryson was born on April 13, 1951, in Greenville, South Carolina, and grew up on his grandfather’s farm in Mauldin, South Carolina. Bryson’s passion for music started with his mother, who frequently took the family to concerts featuring well-known black performers of the period.
Career
Bryson made his professional debut at the age of 14, singing backup for Al Freeman and the Upsetters, a local Greenville band.
Freeman’s difficulties pronouncing Bryson’s French West-Indian name, Peapo, prompted him to perform as Peabo.
Two years later, he departed his hometown to tour the Chitlin’ Circuit with another local band, Moses Dillard and the Tex-Town Display.
Bryson’s initial break occurred during a recording session at Atlanta’s Bang Records. Although Bang was unimpressed with Dillard’s band, the youthful backing singer piqued the interest of Eddie Biscoe, the label’s general manager.
Biscoe signed Bryson as a composer, producer, and arranger and urged him to perform his own material. Bryson spent several years writing and producing for Bang, as well as working with hometown bands.
In 1976, he began his own music career with “Underground Music” on the Bang label. His debut album, Peabo, followed shortly after. Despite becoming a regional success, Bryson signed with 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 U.S.), 1989’s “Show and Tell”, and the 1991 hit “Can You Stop the Rain”.
In 1985, he made an appearance on the soap opera One Life to Live, singing a lyrical version of the theme song. Bryson’s vocals were added to the main theme music in 1986, and they were heard every day until 1992.
In 1983, he recorded the breakthrough album Born to Love, which featured beautiful love duets with Roberta Flack. In 1988, Bryson recorded the duet “For You and I” with Angela Bofill.
Bryson collaborated with Regina Belle on two hit duets: “Without You,” the love theme from the comedy film Leonard Part 6, recorded in 1987, and “A Whole New World,” the primary theme of the Disney animated film Aladdin, recorded in 1992.
Bryson and Belle have released four duets over the years: “Without You” (1987), “I Can’t Imagine” (1991), “A Whole New World” (1992), and “Total Praise” (2009).
He received 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 appeared in theater and opera productions, most notably as the tenor “Sportin’ Life” in the Michigan Opera Theater of Detroit’s production of Porgy and Bess.
On August 21, 2003, the United States Internal Revenue Service took goods from his Atlanta, Georgia, residence, revealing his financial issues.
He is said to have underpaid $1.2 million in taxes going back to 1984. The IRS auctioned off several of his belongings, including two Grammy Awards, electrical equipment, his grand piano, and several pairs of shoes.
However, his Grammy for “A Whole New World (Aladdin’s Theme)” was purchased by a close family friend, who promised to return it to Bryson.
Songs
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 & More with (Roberta Flack) (1980)
- Born to Love with (Roberta Flack) (1983)
Personal Life
In 2010, Bryson married Tanya Boniface, a vocalist and member of the English R&B group The 411.
In 2018, they welcomed a son, who occasionally joined his father on stage. He also has a daughter from a previous relationship and three grandchildren.
Before his marriage, Bryson was engaged to numerous women, including Juanita Leonard, the former wife of boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, and Angela Thigpen, a former Miss Virginia Teen USA who subsequently became a model and actress.
Peabo Bryson Cause of Death
On April 29, 2019, it was reported that Peabo Bryson had a heart attack and had been transported to an Atlanta hospital, where he was claimed to be stable. He had a full recovery.
On May 31, 2026, CBS News reported that Bryson had a stroke. He died two days later, on June 2, in a hospital in Marietta, Georgia, at the age of 75.
Peabo Bryson Net Worth
Peabo Bryson, the American singer, songwriter, and producer, had a net worth of $2.5 million when he died.
Social Media
Instagram: @peabobryson2
