Yarbrough and Peoples (Cavin Leon Yarbrough and Alisa Delois Peoples)

Yarbrough and Peoples was an American urban contemporary duo from Dallas, Texas.^[1] The duo’s biggest-selling release was "Don't Stop the Music," a US Billboard R&B chart topper in 1981.

Cavin Leon Yarbrough (born January 22, 1954) and Alisa Delois Peoples (born June 29, 1957) both grew up in Dallas, Texas, having known each other since they were young children, as they had met taking piano lessons,^[3] after which they remained friends throughout their childhoods.^[1]

In the mid-1970s, Yarbrough was on tour with Leon Russell’s band and met the Wilson Brothers, who went on to form the Gap Band. Upon returning to Dallas, the twosome started the band Grand Theft,^[3] both as featured keyboardists as well as vocalists. In 1977, the Wilson Brothers had just joined Total Experience Records (which was at that point a production company) as the Gap Band and went down to Dallas to perform a concert. Later that night, trying to unwind after the show, the Wilsons caught the twosome's act,^[1] and as a result, Lonnie Simmons (President of Total Experience) invited the couple to Los Angeles where they began playing in clubs around Southern California.

Two years later, they signed their own recording contract with Total Experience and recorded and released their debut album, The Two of Us,^[1] which contained "Don't Stop the Music," topping the US Billboard R&B chart in early 1981,^[3] knocking their label-mate's song "Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)" out of the top spot.^[1] The song went on to chart higher on the Billboard Hot 100 than any of the other songs released on the label up to that time. In addition, the corresponding album went Gold and peaked at #16 in the Billboard Hot 200 album chart.^[1] Across the pond in Europe, the UK release of the song reached #7 in the UK Singles Chart^[4] and was certified Silver.^[5]

The duo continued on with its R&B success throughout the 1980s, with four more top 10 R&B hits: "Heartbeats" (R&B #10 in 1983), "Don't Waste Your Time" (Pop #48, R&B #1 in 1984; #60 UK), "Guilty" (R&B #2 in 1986; #53 UK), and "I Wouldn't Lie" (R&B #6 in 1986; #61 UK), all of which brought the band success.^[1] After Guilty, its final album for Total Experience/RCA, Yarbrough and Peoples left the label in 1986.

They married in 1987, and returned to their hometown of Dallas^[6] and started their own music production company, Yarbrough & Peoples Productions.^[7]

In 2009, they both appeared in the Off-Broadway musical Blind Lemon Blues at the York Theater in New York, where Cavin Yarbrough portrayed Lead Belly.^[8]

The duo was featured on an episode of TV One's Unsung on September 2, 2015.

The Two of Us is the debut album by the R&B duo Yarbrough & Peoples,^[1][2] released in 1980 on Mercury Records. It was produced by LA based producer Lonnie Simmons, who would go on to form Total Experience Records the following year, and veteran songwriter Jonah Ellis. 

 This marked the debut release from the male/female duo, and their presence was immediately felt with the smash hit "Don't Stop the Music." Centered around dance lyrics, Alisa Peoples pushes the verse while Calvin Yarbrough sounds off the chorus with the help of an electronic vocalizer supported by some animated backing vocals. Though probably considered a disco track, it does not have the rapid rhythm that disco songs are known for. Discovered by the Gap Band, Yarbrough & Peoples savored the success of this album due to this one song, since the second release, "Third Degree," did not have much chart action (Billboard number 74, five weeks). "Don't Stop the Music" reached the ultimate apex and retained that position for five consecutive weeks inside of 27 on the Billboard R&B charts.

HEARTBEATS 1983

BE A WINNER 1984 , A winning batch of modern soul from Yarbrough & Peoples – synthy duet soul, bits of funk, and some sweety sultry groovers, too! Y&P do their thing in a number of modes, and that fairly expansive approach to the 80s R&B sound really sets them apart from many of their peers. On one level, the synths and period production touches are kind of slick, but there's enough of a bubbling funky underbelly to give it some grit. Alisa Peoples can deliver a sultry coo or powerhouse lead with equal success, and Calvin Yarbrough is a charismatic partner. "Don't Waste Your Time", "I'm Ready To Jam", "I'll Be There", "I Only Love You", "Be A Winner", "The Power", "Who Said That", "I Gave My All (To You)" and more.

 GUILTY 1985, Guilty was Yarbrough & Peoples' best album. Issued in late 1985, the LP was ample proof that the duo could come through on both dance cuts and slow jams. The gritty funky title track, not the Alexander O'Neal hit, was a number 2 R&B hit and has one of Alisa Peoples' best vocals. Produced and co-written by labelmates Jimmy Hamilton and Maurice Hayes of Prime Time (the number 22 R&B-charting "I Owe It To Myself"). Hamilton and Hayes did the follow-up, the rousing number 6 R&B smash, "I Wouldn't Lie." The third single was the delicate ballad, "Wrapped Around Your Finger." Other highlights were the breezy ballad, "I'll Give Anything to Have You Back" and the snarlingly funky "Anytime." Some of Guilty's tracks are on the 1997 Polygram CD, The Best of Yarbrough & Peoples.