Peabo Bryson is one of the premier male vocalists in contemporary music of the last quarter century. He's celebrating that success with "The Golden Touch Tour" that runs through 2026.
The two-time Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter joined WBGO's Doug Doyle to talk about his upcoming performance on Saturday, October 11 at South Orange Performing Arts Center and his amazing career.
With his soulful voice, Peabo Bryson has become known as the "King of Balladeers", winning two Grammy Awards for singing the themes to two different Disney Movies, the title song for Beauty and Beast (with Celine Dion in1992) and Aladdin's "A Whole New World"(with Regina Belle in 1993).
"What people don't know about the Disney songs is this unique caveat that would be they don't come with any instruction from anyone. There is not one suggestion made when you're singing or recording it. Whatever you give it, that's what it's going to have. That's why after the original people do it, it becomes a copy."
His soulful duet with Roberta Flack "Tonight I Celebrate My Love' is legendary.
"I'm in the studio with Roberta and she's Roberta Flack and she's chosen me for some unknown reason to me. I'm just happy to be there and she loved this song. We did a pass on it. After the first pass you go back and listen to it and you make adjustments if necessary. I didn't like it until I heard the first playback of us singing it. In that moment I knew it was something that I would be happy and thrilled to sing for the rest of my life."
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), 1989's "Show and Tell", and the 1991 hit "Can You Stop the Rain".
Peabo almost didn't a chance to celebrate this 50-year milestone in the music business. He suffered a heart attack in 2019. He survived thanks to his wife knowing CPR.
"When I awoke five days later, I realized that whole ordeal that took about 34 minutes, and that's a long time not to be breathing. If she had not breathed for me that I would not have had any cognizant skills left."
To celebrate 50 years, Peabo Bryson will release a new album Grace, produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis due in 2026. He will also release a book filled with stories spanning his 50 year career. Bryson says he got the idea to write the book from TV personality and judge Glenda Hatchett, who was participating in an online chat.
"She read one of my responses and calls me. I've known her for about four years and said I should write a book of essays and that I have something to say. Writing for me has always been channeled to the music that I do. Did I know that there's poet inside of me. Of course I did. I am what I always am a poet."
The world-renowned singer is thrilled to be coming back to SOPAC on October 11.
"I love its audience there. I love the structure of it, what it represents. I love fine arts theaters in general. They all have a positive theme running through all of them and they are respectful of art."
You can SEE Doug Doyle's entire interview with Peabo Bryson below.
