[youtube id=”I0XMn0U9b2Y”] Peabo Bryson’s powerhouse voice has made him one of the prime vocalists of the 20th and 21st century. His tenor is known for transforming soundtrack songs into epic hits, cultural moments and bench marks of vocal excellence. “Can You Stop The Rain” came 15 years after he debuted in 1976 with his Peabo solo album. He had already established himself as a major balladeer with songs like “Feel The Fire” and “If Ever You’re In My Arms Again.” Bryson’s hits in the ’80s were steady and “Can You Stop The Rain” brought him into the ’90s with class and it happened earlier in the year before the fanfare of his “Beauty And The Beast” duet with Celine Dion. Can You Stop The Rain was also the album’s title and it was his first to hit number one on the R&B chart. Bryson’s career went into a powerful second phase in the ’90s because of his soundtrack work. All the years of being exclusively successful in the R&B world were the foundation for film songs that put him in front of a pop audience for the first time. He took on opera in ’98 with a role in the Michigan Opera Theater’s 100th-anniversary production of Porgy And Bess. Peabo Bryson is still touring in 2017 and his most recent studio album is 2007’s Missing You.
