JANICE'S BLUES ALLEY PRESENTS
ANN PEEBLES
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A diminutive singer with a powerful voice and an even stronger attitude, Ann Peebles was one of the artists who defined Willie Mitchell's legendary Memphis soul label Hi Records, along with Al Green and, later, O.V. Wright. Easily the best female singer in the Hi stable, Peebles ranked among the finest deep Southern soul singers of the decade, notching an instant classic with her 1973 hit "I Can't Stand the Rain." She co-wrote a generous share of her own material with husband Don Bryant, and while she cut plenty of love and heartbreak tunes, her persona was built on the grit and resilient strength she displayed on songs like "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down." Peebles wasn't always as appreciated on the charts as her work often merited, especially among pop listeners, but her best recordings hold up among the best of their era.
Peebles was born April 27, 1947, in East St. Louis, MO. Her father was a minister and her mother a singer, and naturally Peebles began singing at a young age in her father's church choir. She also sang with the family group, the Peebles Choir, which had been touring the gospel circuit since Peebles' grandfather founded it a generation earlier. As a teenager, she sang secular music on the St. Louis club circuit, supported and accompanied by her father. There she met blues bandleader Oliver Sain, a local legend, and eventually joined his revue. Peebles caught her big break in 1968 on a trip to Memphis, where she asked to sit in on a club set by trumpeter Gene "Bowlegs" Miller. Miller was already signed to Hi Records at the time, and duly impressed with Peebles' voice, he brought her to Hi house producer Willie Mitchell for a tryout. Mitchell, who was still in the process of shifting the label from country to RB (and had not yet discovered Al Green), immediately offered Peebles a contract; she was still shy of her 21st birthday.
Mitchell teamed Peebles with singer and house songwriter Don Bryant, seeking a bit more seasoning in her R&B phrasing. Peebles and Bryant soon began writing together, and would also end up dating in 1972. In the meantime, Peebles recorded her debut single, "Walk Away," a song written by Sain that just missed the Top 20 on the R&B chart; the follow-up, "Give Me Some Credit," was also a minor hit. Her fourth single, 1970's "Part Time Love," was her first R&B Top Ten, prompting a reissue of her debut album, This Is Ann Peebles, under that title. 1972's Straight from the Heart was her first artistically realized LP, however; it featured several minor R&B hits in "I Pity the Fool," "Slipped, Tripped and Fell in Love," "I Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody's Home" (later covered by Bette Midler), and "Somebody's on Your Case," plus the signature album track "99 Lbs." Her hot streak continued with 1973's I Can't Stand the Rain, which many critics still regard as her finest work. "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down" was a decent-sized hit, and the brilliant title cut -- written by Peebles, Bryant, and disc jockey Bernard Miller -- became her biggest hit, peaking at number six R&B and famously becoming a favorite of John Lennon. She also charted with "(You Keep Me) Hangin' On" and "Do I Need You," but more importantly married Bryant in 1974.
In the wake of "I Can't Stand the Rain," Peebles was a star on the soul circuit, even if she never duplicated its commercial success. "Beware," "Come to Mama," and "Dr. Love Power" were all charting singles from 1975's Tellin' It, but the rise of disco and the sale of Hi Records in 1977 would conspire against Peebles' career momentum. 1977's If This Is Heaven produced only one single in the title cut, which was more polished than Peebles' usual fare; none of the singles from 1979's The Handwriting Is on the Wall cracked the R&B Top 50. With Mitchell and most of the Hi house band gone, Peebles took a hiatus from the music business to concentrate on her family.
Peebles reunited with Mitchell in 1989 for Call Me, an album released on Mitchell's short-lived new label, Waylo; however, longtime fans generally found it a disappointing comeback overpowered by sterile electronic instrumentation. Peebles returned to a more organic approach by signing with roots label Rounder's Bullseye Blues subsidiary for 1992's Full Time Love. Another effort, Fill This World with Love, followed in 1996, which featured guest spots from Mavis Staples and Shirley Brown. During the '90s, Peebles guested on several albums by Maria Muldaur. Meanwhile, "I Can't Stand the Rain" was covered by numerous artists, including Tina Turner, and revived by Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott via sampling on her 1997 smash "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)." -- Steve Huey of All Music Guide.
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01. Give Me Some Credit 02. Crazy About You Baby 03. Make Me Yours 04. My Man 05. Solid Foundation 06. Chain Of Fools 07. It�s Your Thing 08. Walk Away 09. Rescue Me |
10. Won�t You Try Me 11. Steal Away 12. Respect 13. Part Time Love 14. I�ll Get Along 15. I Still Love You 16. Generation Gap 17. I Can�t Let You Go |
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01. Part Time Love 02. I�ll Get Along 03. I Still Love You 04. Make Me Yours 05. It�s Your Thing |
06. Generation Gap Between Us 07. Crazy About You Baby 08. Give Me Some Credit 09. Steal Away 10. Solid Foundation |
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01. Slipped, Tripped And Fell In Love 02. Trouble, Heartaches And Sadness 03. What You Laid On Me 04. How Strong Is A Woman 05. Somebody�s On Your Case |
06. I Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody�s Home 07. I�ve Been There Before 08. I Pity The Fool 09. 99 Pounds 10. I Take What I Want |
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01. I Can�t Stand The Rain 02. Do I Need You 03. Until You Came Into My Life 04. You Keep Me Hanging On 05. Run, Run, Run |
06. If We Can�t Trust Each Other 07. A Love Vibration 08. You Got To Feed The Fire 09. I�m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down 10. One Way Street |
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01. Come To Mama 02. I Don�t Lend My Man 03. I Needed Somebody 04. Stand By Woman 05. It Was Jealousy |
06. Doctor Love Power 07. You Can�t Hold A Man 08. Beware 09. Put Yourself In My Place 10. Love Played A Game |
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01. If This Is Heaven 02. A Good Day Of Loving 03. I�m So Thankful 04. Being Here With You 05. Boy I Gotta Have You |
06. When I�m In Your Arms 07. You Gonna Make Me Cry 08. Games 09. Lovin� You Without Love 10. It Must Be Love |
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01. Old Man With Young Ideas 02. Bip Bam Thank You Ma�am 03. The Handwriting Is On The Wall 04. I Didn�t Take Your Man 05. You�ve Got The Papers (I�ve got the man) |
06. Lookin� For A Lovin� 07. You�re More Than I Can Stand 08. Livin� In, Lovin� Out 09. If I Can�t See You 10. Let Your Love Light Shine |
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01. Bouncin� Back 02. St. Louis Woman (with a Memphis melody) 03. Read Me My Rights 04. Full Time Lover 05. Fear No Evil 06. Nobody But You |
07. Ain�t No Business Like Your Business 08. I Miss You 09. Just You, Just Me 10. He�s My Superman 11. I Can�t Stand The Rain |
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01. I Found Somebody New 02. I Like A Man 03. I Won�t Let Your Heart Roam 04. Call Me 05. Buckle Up |
06. Didn�t We Do It 07. Your Well�s Gone Dry 08. One Bad Turn 09. If You�re Going To Leave Me 10. I Can�t Stand The Rain |
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01. I�m Yours 02. Fill This World With Love 03. When I�m Over You 04. Stand Up 05. Friends 06. I Don�t Think That I Can Last Tonight 07. Fired Up 08. Walk Away |
09. Give Me Some Credit Where It�s Due 10. I�d Rather Leave While I�m In Love 11. I Pity The Fool 12. Bip Bam Thank You Ma�am 13. Ninety-Nine Pounds 14. One Way Street 15. I Wouldn�t Take Nothing |
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01. Walk Away 02. Give Me Some Credit 03. Part Time Love 04. I Pity The Fool 05. I�m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down 06. I�ll Get Along 07. Slipped, Tripped And Fell In Love 08. I Can�t Stand The Rain 09. I Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody�s Home 10. Somebody�s On Your Case 11. You Keep Me Hanging On |
12. A Love Vibration 13. Ninety-Nine Pounds 14. Do I Need You 15. Come To Mama 16. Doctor Love Power 17. Beware 18. Fill This World With Love 19. Old Man With Young Ideas 20. If This Is Heaven 21. I Didn�t Take Your Man |
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01. I�ll Get Along 02. You Keep Me Hanging On 03. I�m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down 04. I Want To Know What Love Is 05. Walk Away 06. Steal Away/I Still Love You 07. The Handwriting Is On The Wall 08. Love Vibration |
09. I�m So Thankful 10. I Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody�s Home 11. Chase These Blues Away 12. Miss You 13. Tears In Heaven 14. I Can�t Stand The Rain 15. Spread |
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01. Full Time Lover 02. I�m Yours 03. Friends 04. When I�m Over You 05. St. Louis Woman (with a Memphis melody) 06. I Can�t Stand The Rain |
07. Fill This World With Love 08. Fill This World With Love (reprise) 09. Experience The Rain 10. Love vibration (live at Stax) 11. I Can�t Stand The Rain (unplugged) 12. Bonus Materials (DVD) |
