Ann Lee Peebles (born April 27, 1947) is a retired American singer and songwriter who gained popularity for her Memphis soul albums of the 1970s while signed to Hi Records. Her most successful singles include "I Can't Stand the Rain," which she wrote with her husband Don Bryant and radio broadcaster Bernie Miller,
Biography
She was born in Kinloch, Missouri, the seventh child of eleven. As a child she began singing in the choir of her father's church and with the family's group, the Peebles Choir, who regularly opened shows for gospel stars including Mahalia Jackson and the Soul Stirrers featuring Sam Cooke. She was also influenced by R&B performers, including Muddy Waters, Mary Wells and Aretha Franklin.
She began performing in clubs in St. Louis, and in the mid-1960s joined a revue led by bandleader Oliver Sain. While visiting Memphis in 1968, she sang in a club with trumpeter Gene "Bowlegs" Miller, a popular local bandleader known for helping other musicians get their start in the Memphis music industry (including the members of the Hi Rhythm Section, who played on Peebles' recordings). Miller introduced her to Hi Records producer Willie Mitchell, who quickly offered her a recording contract. One of the first songs he wrote for her was "99 Pounds" in 1971. During the 1990s, she released albums on Rounder Records' Bullseye Blues subsidiary label.
Discography
Studio albums
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Title
! colspan="2"| Peak chart positions
! rowspan="2"| Record label
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="35"| US<br>
! width="35"| US<br>R&B<br>
! width="35"| CAN<br>
! width="35"| UK<br>
|-
| rowspan="2"|1969
| align="left"| "Walk Away"
| —
| 22
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Give Me Some Credit"
| —
| 45
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"|1970
| align="left"| "Generation Gap Between Us"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Part Time Love"
| 45
| 7
| —
| 34
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"|1971
| align="left"| "I Pity the Fool"
| 85
| 18
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Slipped, Tripped and Fell In Love"
| 113
| 42
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"|1972
| align="left"| "Breaking Up Somebody's Home"
| 101
| 13
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Somebody's on Your Case"
| 117
| 32
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"|1973
| align="left"| "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down"
| 111
| 31
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "I Can't Stand the Rain"
| 38
| 6
| 79
| 89
| 41
|-
| rowspan="3"|1974
| align="left"| "(You Keep Me) Hangin' On"
| 102
| 37
| —
| —
| 54
|-
| align="left"| "Do I Need You"
| —
| 57
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Until You Came into My Life"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"|1975
| align="left"| "Beware"
| —
| 69
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Come to Mama"
| —
| 62
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="3"|1976
| align="left"| "Dr. Love Power"
| —
| 57
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "I Needed Somebody"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Fill This World with Love"
| —
| 96
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="1"|1977
| align="left"| "If This Is Heaven"
| —
| 64
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"|1978
| align="left"| "Old Man with Young Ideas"
| —
| 54
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "I Didn't Take Your Man"
| —
| 55
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="1"|1979
| align="left"| "If You Got the Time (I've Got the Love)"
| —
| 95
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="1"|1980
| align="left"| "Heartaches"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="1"|1981
| align="left"| "Mon Belle - Amour" <small>(with Don Bryant)</small>
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| colspan="15" style="font-size:90%" | "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
|}
In popular culture
Her name appears in the lyrics of the Le Tigre song "Hot Topic".