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“font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9pt;”>“And this is amateur night. I’d hate to see it when the pros show up,” Bill Cosby said of David Peaston at the legendary Apollo Theatre following one of the
St. Louis
“font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9pt;”>singer’s soul-stirring performances in the late 1980s.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Cosby was visibly stunned by Peaston’s interpretation of the jazz standard “Everything Must Change.” He looked behind the curtain as Peaston headed backstage, then looked at the crowd in awe as they rose for a second standing ovation.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Peaston’s instantly identifiable voice – his trademark falsetto scat vocal improvisations, in particular – had that effect on people.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>He passed Wednesday, February 1, 2012 of complications from diabetes at the age of 54. His death was international news, covered by the Washington Post and the Hollywood Reporter and many other media.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“He had the range, depth, soul, all of it wrapped up into one person,” said Marabeth E. Gentry, president of the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses. “He would sing you up out of your seat!”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Gentry’s father (the late minister of music emeritus Joshua Gentry) recruited Peaston to sing a solo at Westside MB Church. They were both youngsters at the time, and Gentry would eventually sing with Peaston and become a lifelong friend.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“What a voice,” Gentry remembered. “David turned out Kiel Opera House when he was still in high school.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The Sumner High School graduate and former St. Louis Public Schools educator honed his talent on some of the biggest stages in St. Louis. He was following in the footsteps of his mother Martha Bass and his big sister Fontella Bass. Martha was a St. Louis legend as a member of the internationally renowned Clara Ward singers. Fontella’s 1965 hit “Rescue Me” is still one of the world’s most recognizable tunes.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Once he hit the Apollo, St. Louis fans sat anxiously in front of television screens, eager to hear him tear the roof off with “God Bless the Child.” He won so many times that he had to be retired from the program.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>A deal with Geffen Records followed. He went on to win a Soul Train “Best New Artist” Award in 1991 and enjoyed initial chart success. But ultimately his commercial career paled in comparison to his talent, and his body of work would be limited to two R&B records and one gospel album.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>‘Spiritually connected’
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“If I start talking about him, then I’ll have to admit to myself that he’s gone,” Peaston’s wife Marilyn said.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“We were also spiritually connected. We did so much living together – one year was like a five-year period. We did a lot of living, and I didn’t know why at the time.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Though they had known each other since she was 8 years old, their union began just as Peaston’s national exposure was taking off.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“He tried to make the world a better place through his music,” Marilyn said. “His desire was to transcend the barriers of the world through his music.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>After the onset of diabetes, his health failed him and ultimately led to him losing both of his legs. In spite of his ailments, he made countless appearances and contributed to shows throughout the St. Louis area. When he served as headliner for the “Distinguished Gents: Remember the Time” production, he was going back and forth from the hospital to the rehearsal hall.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“He was an amazing person,” said concert promoter Alonzo Shaw. “And what he had to offer was a gift from God.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>That gift survives him.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“You can hear it everywhere,” said local gospel legend Zella Jackson Price. “What’s so beautiful is that he touched so many lives in the secular and the gospel fields.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>He kept the joy in his voice until the end.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Even with everything he was going through with his sickness, he still had joy,” Price said. “I will always remember that – and that high tenor voice that would ring up to the clouds.”
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A Tribute
to the Legacy of David Peaston will take place at 4 p.m. Saturday,
February 11 at Shalom (City of Peace) Church (5491 N. Highway
67).
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Mourners
are asked to send condolences to the following
address:
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PO
Box
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St.
Louis
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