Yarbrough and Peoples

Yarbrough and Peoples was an R&B duo from Dallas, Texas.

Background

Calvin Yarbrough, the band's keyboardist and ocassional singer, and Alisa Peoples, the band's lead vocalist, both grew up together in Dallas, Texas. They had known one another since Yarbrough was six and Peoples was four. They both had the same music teacher, both sang in church choir and grew close to one another.

Shortly after they completed college, Alisa had a regular job and Calvin performed as part of a band called Grand Theft. In 1977, the Wilson brothers (Who had just joined Total Experience Records as the Gap Band) went down to Texas and saw Calvin in concert. They liked his performance and offered him a spot as the keyboardist on a Leon Russell tour they were a part of. When the tour ended, Calvin returned to Dallas and resumed his work with Grand Theft. Peoples sang at one of their local gigs later that year. The success the concert was made the couple realize that they had some real musical oppourtunities looming. It was around that time that the was starting to break out, having hit after hit.

Career

When the Gap Band returned to Dallas in 1980 for a concert tour, Yarbrough and Peoples got the opporunity to play a demo tape for the bandleader, Charlie Wilson. He awoke label owner and producer Lonnie Simmons in his hotel room that night, and played the tape. Simmons was impressed. He exchanged contact information and bid them a good night.

Later that year, while at his studio in Los Angeles, Simmons ran into the couple in the lobby. When he saw them, he suggested they make a demo tape for an album. He paired them up with producer Jonah Ellis.

While in recording session for their debut album The Two of Us, the group was looking to add filler. One of those filler songs was titled "When the Music Stops". Yarbrough liked the song, and insisted it be added to the demo. Ellis nonchalantly agreed.

The song, re-titled, "Don't Stop the Music" turned out to be a ground-breaker. It topped the R&B charts in early 1981, knocking their label-mate, the Gap Band's song Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me) out of the top spot. It went on to chart higher on the Billboard Hot 100 than any of the other songs released on the label. The album went gold, peaking at #16 in the Billboard Hot 200 album chart. The UK single release of "Don't Stop the Music" also reached #7 in the UK Singles Chart.

The duo continued its R&B success throughout the 1980s, with four more Top Ten R&B hits. "Heartbeats" (R&B #10 in 1983), "Don't Waste Your Time" (Pop #48, R&B #1 for one week in 1984; #60 UK), "Guilty" (R&B #2 for one week in 1986; #53 UK), and "I Wouldn't Lie" (R&B #6 in 1986; #61 UK) all brought the band success. The label, however, had just signed a host of new acts in 1985, only one of which managed any chart success. As Total Experience began to hemmorrage money, Lonnie Simmons sold it to RCA Records. The Gap Band left in 1988 and Yarbrough and peoples followed suit.

After leaving Total Experience, Yarbrough and Peoples [married in 1987) returned to Dallas and started their own music production company, Yarbrough & Peoples Productions. They continue to write, produce and perform concerts - and are mentoring other gifted new-comers to the music business.

Discography

• The Two of Us -Mercury/PolyGram - 1980
• Heartbeats -Total Experience/PolyGram Records- 1983
• Be A Winner- Total Experience Records - 1984
• Guilty -Total Experience Records- 1985
• The Best of Yarbrough and Peoples- Mercury/PolyGram Records - 1997

References

• Guinness Book of British Hit Singles - 16th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-190-X

External links

• Yarbrough and Peoples's biography at the AMG Web site