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To an entire generation of families, Peabo Bryson was the voice behind the end-credit versions of the beloved Disney animated themes “Beauty and the Beast” and “A Whole New World” from Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, respectively.  But long before – and well after – he brought to life the melodies of Alan Menken and lyrics of Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, Bryson distinguished himself as one of the richest, smoothest, and most versatile voices in contemporary R&B.  Yesterday evening, June 2, family announced his death at the age of 75 following news over the weekend that he had suffered a stroke.

The singer with the unforgettable name was born Robert Peapo Bryson in Greenville, South Carolina.  Immersed in music since childhood, he made his professional debut as a teenager behind such artists as Al Freeman and The Upsetters (the same band that once backed Little Richard) and Moses Dillard and The Tex-Town Display.  It was singing backup for Dillard that he caught the attention of Bang Records, the label founded by the late Bert Berns.  Bang’s Eddie Biscoe signed him to the label, and he released the Buzz Cason-written single “Disco Queen” on the Shout subsidiary in 1975.  The same year, he had his first hit as featured vocalist of Michael Zager’s Moon Band’s “Do It with Feeling” on Bang proper, again riding the dance wave.

Peabo appeared as a background vocalist on “Cool Night” singer Paul Davis’ 1976 Bang album Southern Tracks and Fantasies.  The same year, he made his debut on imprint Bullet Records with the self-titled Peabo, writing every track on the album (including “Do You Believe in Love” with Davis).  The lead single was the funky “Underground Music,” but Peabo wasn’t destined to remain in the underground for long.  (The track reached No. 22 R&B.)  Capitol Records snapped him up, and he maintained creative control as co-producer (with Richard Evans) and sole writer of Reaching for the Sky, spinning off hits with “Reaching for the Sky” and “Feel the Fire.”  Solidifying Bryson’s cred as a songwriter, the latter would be covered by Stephanie Mills, both solo and with Teddy Pendergrass.

He remained on Capitol through 1983, enjoying a string of hit singles and albums on the R&B charts and earning Gold LPs for Reaching for the Sky and Crosswinds (both 1978) and the Natalie Cole duets set We’re the Best of Friends (1979).  Bryson closed out his Capitol tenure sharing an album with another legendary voice – that of Roberta Flack, with whom he’d also shared the concert album Live and More in 1980 on her label, Atlantic.  (Always a generous collaborator, Bryson also lent his voice to Melissa Manchester’s “Lovers After All” and Minnie Riperton’s “Here We Go,” the latter with Flack.)

Peabo and Roberta’s joint studio set Born to Love welcomed a variety of songwriters and producers including Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe, Gerry Goffin and Michael Masser, and Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager.  For the occasion, Carole wrote “Maybe” with both her husband Bacharach and her ex, Marvin Hamlisch, in the two songwriting titans’ only collaboration.  Though the sweetly wistful “Maybe” got some traction as the theme to the film Romantic Comedy, the hit proved to be Goffin and Masser’s dreamy “Tonight I Celebrate My Love.”  It earned Peabo his first top 20 Pop hit.

A move to Atlantic sister label Elektra brought even more success.  Pop maestro Michael Masser helmed the lead single from Bryson’s 1984 Atlantic debut, and it was a doozy. “If Ever You’re in My Arms Again,” written by Masser, Tom Snow, and Cynthia Weil, offered four minutes of swooning, robust romanticism.  The soaring production nabbed Peabo his first Adult Contemporary No. 1 and first Pop top ten hit as well as a No. 6 R&B berth.  In 1986, he appeared on the television soap opera One Life to Live; his vocal version of its theme song would air for seven years.  At Elektra, Peabo teamed with Regina Belle for the first time on Lamont Dozier’s “Positive” for the film comedy Leonard Part 6.  Their biggest success would come later, however.  He returned to Capitol in 1989 with All My Love.  Its modernized cover of Jerry Fuller’s “Show and Tell” (a 1973 chart-topper for Al Wilson) returned him to the top of the AC survey, and the album also included duets with Jasmine Guy and D’atra Hicks.

A stint at Columbia Records came next in which he embraced his strengths as a balladeer working with such old friends as Cynthia Weil (and her husband Barry Mann) and Gerry Goffin as well as Hans Zimmer, Walter Afanasieff, and John Bettis.  Though Peabo’s next full-length album didn’t come until 1994, he was far from idle.  In between, he recorded perhaps his two most enduring songs, both for the end titles of their respective films: “Beauty and the Beast” with Celine Dion and “A Whole New World” with Regina Belle.  Bryson’s transporting voice was a perfect match for Alan Menken’s timeless Academy Award-winning melodies, adding a touch of soul to their abundant heart.  He won Grammy Awards for both.  (“A Whole New World” actually knocked Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” from the Number One spot after 14 weeks.)  Peabo’s voice had long brought out the best in his female duet partners, and two musical theatre talents, Linda Eder and Lea Salonga, also meshed beautifully with him in the 1990s.  So did the legendary Nancy Wilson on an exquisite jazz interpretation of Stephen Sondheim’s “Loving You” from his musical Passion.

Bryson’s recordings became more sporadic in the 21st century though he remained active in performing; his final album, 2018’s Stand for Love, teamed him with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on the duo’s Perspective Records label.  In 2019, he suffered a heart attack from which he fought hard to recover.  He returned to the stage and performed steadily through 2025, when he wrapped the Home for the Holidays tour in California.  Stand for Love could have been the credo and the message to the world from the romantic and sensual singer who made his mark in pop, adult contemporary, R&B, soul, and soundtrack settings.  Tonight, we celebrate our love for the late Peabo Bryson.