SMOOTH AS PEABO
Bryson brings velvety voice to August Wilson Center
Peabo Bryson is coming to Pittsburgh for a pre-Valentine’s Day concert on Saturday. How sweet is that? The veteran R&B vocalist is 71 but isn’t slowing down. He helps his wife babysit their 5year-old son, Robert Kittrick Peabo Bryson, nicknamed “Kit.”
Speaking from his suburban Atlanta home, Bryson was looking forward to good vibes at his “Soul Sessions” set Saturday at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center in Downtown. The concert is sold out.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve been in Pittsburgh. I recall a show with Phyllis Hyman and maybe a few times before that. I always enjoyed my shows there.
“The people always appeared to be intelligent, very astute and not just a white-collar group. They’re also blue-collar types who like to keep it real – just like I do,” he said.
Bryson was one of five children growing up in South Carolina’s upstate region, in the Greenville- Mauldin metro area. For the record, NBA champion Kevin Garnett also hails from that area.
Unlike many other vocalists, Bryson did not come from a family of gospel or church singers. Instead, his love for music stemmed from his mother, who often took the family to concerts of well-known African American artists. By the time he was a pre-teen, he had already witnessed several legendary soul singers and all-star acts live.
“I saw Sam Cooke 15 times, saw Jackie Wilson — he was unbelievable. I saw Teddy Pendergrass playing drums with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. I saw The Drifters, Ike & Tina Turner Revue, The Coasters, Nat King Cole Trio and Dionne Warwick backing up Sam Cooke,” he recalled.
“I saw all these acts at the Memorial Auditorium in Greenville.” That venue was razed in 1997 to make way for the Bi-Lo Center.
Bryson marked his professional debut at 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 him to perform as Peabo. He attended Joseph E. Beck High School in Green- ville but left before graduating 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. Willie Joe Perrin, a bass player with PlayBack “The Band” in Augusta, Ga., played in a competing band, Grand Prix, vs. Peabo’s Moses Dillard group.
“There was no question that Peabo was special,” said Perrin.
By 1977, Bryson had signed with Capitol Records and he was on his way. His greatest solo hits include “Feel the Fire,” “Reaching for the Sky,” “I’m So into You.” 1982’s “Let the Feeling Flow,” 1984’s “If Ever You’re in My Arms Again” and his 1991 hit, “Can You Stop the Rain.”
In 1985, he appeared on the soap opera “One Life To Live” 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 has also recorded romantic duets with Roberta Flack and Regina Belle. A 1978 collaboration LP, “Live and More” with Roberta Flack remains a collector’s item. Flack was diagnosed with ALS disease last November and no longer performs.
Bryson’s wife is Tonya (Boniface) Bryson, a 40-yearold singer with the British trio The 411. He also has a 54-yearold daughter from a previous relationship.