Peabo Bryson, Gerald Albright to share stage

Peabo Bryson has established a career as one of the premier male vocalists in contemporary music of the last quarter century. Possessing a beautifully rich, almost operatic voice, this two-time Grammy Award-winner has survived and prospered despite the passage of time and changes in popular musical trends.

Bryson joins multi-instrumentalist Gerald Albright for a special show at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, at the Performing Arts Theatre at Cape Henlopen High School.

With 20 albums to his credit, Peabo Bryson has enjoyed an unprecedented, across-the-board level of international success, Bryson has the distinction of being the first artist in music history to have separate records topping four different charts.

Acclaim and recognition are nothing new for this multi-talented singer, songwriter and producer. Born April 13, 1951, in Greenville, South Carolina, Bryson spent much of his childhood on his grandfather’s farm in Maudlin, South Carolina.

Bryson’s family not only instilled in him his work ethic, but also a love for music.

With his tremendous crossover success, Bryson has transitioned into a world of international acclaim. It has taken the last eight years for the proper pieces to fall into place for him to find and sign with Peak Records (a division of industry giant Concord Music Group).

For “Missing You” – the 20th album of his career, his first in eight years and his first for Peak Records –  Bryson continued to do what he does best on eleven tracks that showcase the broad palette of his skills. On “Count on Me” (produced by The Heavyweights) and “To Love About” (on which Peabo plays some driving acoustic lead guitar), Bryson proves he still has the goods to gracefully contend with today’s younger R&B stalwarts. The title song “Missing You” was recorded as a tribute to his mother (Marie) and sister (Agnes) who have both passed away, and for his son-in-law who was serving in Iraq. Elsewhere, smoothies such as “Heavenly” and “Don’t Give Your Heart” (produced by Barry J. Eastmond) and “My Last Goodbye” (produced by Peabo and Barry) reveal that ultimately he is in a class of his own.

Saxophonist Albright, having seven Grammy® nominations and more than 1 million records sold in America alone, is a master musician. A bit of fun trivia reveals Albright’s work on the Play Stations video game “Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.” He also collaborated with Phil Collins in 1998 with a Big Band, and the two toured together, for quite a while. He was nominated this year for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.