ANN PEEBLES

The seventh of eleven children, she was born April 27, 1947, in Kinloch, Missouri. Beginning in childhood, she sang in the choir of her father’s church and with her family’s gospel group, the Peebles Choir. They regularly served as a warm-up act for gospel stars like Mahalia Jackson and the Soul Stirrers (featuring Sam Cooke). Peebles also enjoyed Rhythm & Blues music by artists like Muddy Waters, Mary Wells and Aretha Franklin.

She performed in St. Lous clubs and, in the middle 1960s, joined a revue led by bandleader Oliver Sain. While visiting Memphis in 1968, Peebles played a gig with trumpeter Gene “Bowlegs” Miller. He introduced her to producer Willie Mitchell, who signed Peebles to the Hi label. Mitchell would produce all of Peebles’ Hi releases, which also featured the Memphis Horns and the Hi Rhythm Section.

Her debut single, the molasses-like ballad “Walk Away,” made the Billboard R&B chart, as did her next release, “Give Me Some Credit.” This prompted Hi to issue an album on her, This Is Ann Peebles. In 1970, Peebles remade “Part Time Love,” a seven-year-old blues hit by Little Johnny Taylor. It became her first top ten R&B single.

Peebles continued to sell to the soul market, but never really broke through to the pop audience. Her biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100, “I Can’t Stand the Rain,” reached a modest #38 in December 1973. Peebles co-wrote the song with her husband Don Bryant and radio D.J. Bernie Miller.

Hi Records closed its doors in 1979, at which point Ann Peebles took a break from the music business to focus on her family. Ten years later, she reunited with Willie Mitchell, who produced her 1989 album, Call Me, on Mitchell’s Waylo label. That same year, rock critic Dave Marsh included "I Can't Stand the Rain" and "Part Time Love" in his book, The Heart of Rock and Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made.

In the ‘90s, Peebles came out with albums on Bullseye Blues, a Rounder subsidiary. She appeared in the 2002 soul-music documentary film, Only the Strong Survive. In 2006, Peebles re-recorded some of her songs acoustically for the album Brand New Classics. She also joined Cyndi Lauper on “Rollin’ and Tumblin’,” from Lauper's Memphis Blues album.

After having a stroke in 2012, Peebles stopped performing. In 2014, she was inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame.

Willie Mitchell later had this to say: "She was the girl with the big voice who could have really gone further... But I don't think Ann spent enough time thinking about what she needed to do. I don't think she put as much energy into her career as a singer as some of the rest of these people."

Ann Peebles has been sampled by such hip-hop acts as Missy Elliott, RZA and the Wu-Tang Clan.

Charted singles:

“Walk Away” (1969) R&B #22
“Give Me Some Credit” (1969) R&B #45
“Part Time Love” (1970) R&B #7, Pop #45
“I Pity the Fool” (1971) R&B #18, Pop #85
“Slipped Tripped, Fell In Love” (1971) R&B #42, Pop #113
“Breaking Up Somebody’s Home” (1972) R&B #13, Pop #101
“Somebody’s On Your Case” (1972) R&B #32, Pop #117
“I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down” (1973) R&B #31, Pop #111
“I Can’t Stand the Rain” (1973) R&B #6, Pop #38
“(You Keep Me) Hangin’ On” (1974) R&B #37, Pop #102
“Do I Need You” (1974) R&B #57
“Beware” (1975) R&B #69
“Come to Mama” (1975) R&B #62
“Dr. Love Power” (1976) R&B #57
“Fill This World With Love” (1976) R&B #96
“If This Is Heaven” (1977) R&B #64
“Old Man With Young Ideas” (1978) R&B #54
“I Didn’t Take Your Man (1978) R&B #55
“If You Got the Time (I’ve Got the Love)” (1979) R&B #95