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, and "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down." In 2014, she was inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame.

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,Dorian Lynskey, "Ann Peebles: the girl with the big voice", The Guardian, February 20, 2014. Retrieved June 30, 2014. 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.Miss FunkyFlyy, "Ann Peebles". Retrieved June 30, 2014.

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.Steve Huey, [ "Artist Biography"], Allmusic.com. Retrieved June 29, 2014.

Her first record, "Walk Away," written by Sain, reached the R&B chart in 1969, as did the follow-up, "Give Me Some Credit," and she released an album, This Is Ann Peebles. All her early records on Hi were produced by Mitchell and featured the signature sound of the Hi Rhythm Section and Memphis Horns. In 1970, her single "Part Time Love," a version of Little Johnny Taylor's 1963 hit, reached no. 7 on the R&B chart, and no.45 on the pop chart, and she began working with the Hi label's songwriter Don Bryant, whom she married in 1974. One of the first songs he wrote for her was "99 Pounds" in 1971.

She continued to have R&B hits in the early 1970s, including "I Pity the Fool," "Slipped, Tripped and Fell in Love," "Breaking Up Somebody's Home" (a Hot 100 hit in 1973 for Albert King and later recorded by Bette Midler), "Somebody's on Your Case," and "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down" (later a hit for Paul Young). She was also the only female singer on Hi to release a string of albums, including Straight from the Heart and I Can't Stand the Rain, that contained many tracks that she co-wrote. The title track of the latter album, written by Peebles and Bryant with DJ Bernard Miller, was her biggest commercial success, reaching no. 6 on the R&B chart and no. 38 on the pop chart in 1973.

Although she continued to have hit R&B singles and to release albums on Hi, none matched the success of "I Can't Stand the Rain." Mitchell later said: "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." After Hi Records closed in 1979, and with the rise of disco music, Peebles took a break from the music industry to spend more time with her family. She returned in 1989 with the album Call Me, again produced by Willie Mitchell and released on his own Waylo label. During the 1990s, she released albums on Rounder Records' Bullseye Blues subsidiary label. She continued to perform, and in 2006 she released the album Brand New Classics, which consisted of re-recordings of some of her songs in an acoustic style. Peebles also joined Cyndi Lauper on a recording of "Rollin' and Tumblin'" on Lauper's 11th studio album, Memphis Blues. She gave up performing after a stroke in 2012.

Discography Studio albums Year Title Peak chart positions Record label US USR&B 1969 This Is Ann Peebles — — Hi 1971 Part Time Love — 40 1971 Straight from the Heart 188 42 1974 I Can't Stand the Rain 155 25 1975 Tellin' It — 41 1977 If This Is Heaven — — 1979 The Handwriting Is on the Wall — — 1989 Call Me — — Waylo 1992 Full Time Love — — Bullseye Blues 1996 Fill This World with Love — — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Compilation albums Year Title Record label 1988 Ann Peebles' Greatest Hits MCA 1990 Lookin' for a Lovin Hi/Demon 1992 Sings Soul CLassics CEMA Special Markets 1992 Greatest Hits Hi/Demon 1995 U.S. R&B Hits '69-'79 1995 The Flipside of Ann Peebles 1996 St. Louis Woman/Memphis Soul 1996 The Best of Ann Peebles: The Hi Records Years The Right Stuff/Capitol 1998 How Strong Is A Woman: The Story of Ann Peebles (1969-80) Hi/Demon 2002 The Hi Singles A's & B's 2003 The Complete Ann Peebles on Hi Records, Volume 1: 1969-1973 2003 The Complete Ann Peebles on Hi Records, Volume 2: 1974-1981 2006 Original Funk Soul Sister: The Best of Ann Peebles Music Club 2015 the essential ann peebles Hi Recording Corp.

Live albums Year Title Record label 2022 (Recorded 1992) Live in Memphis Memphis International Records

Singles Year Title Peak chart positions US USR&B AUS CAN UK1969 "Walk Away" — 22 — — — "Give Me Some Credit" — 45 — — —1970 "Generation Gap Between Us" — — — — — "Part Time Love" 45 7 — 34 —1971 "I Pity the Fool" 85 18 — — — "Slipped, Tripped and Fell In Love" 113 42 — — —1972 "Breaking Up Somebody's Home" 101 13 — — — "Somebody's on Your Case" 117 32 — — —1973 "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down" 111 31 — — — "I Can't Stand the Rain" 38 6 79 89 411974 "(You Keep Me) Hangin' On" 102 37 — — 54 "Do I Need You" — 57 — — — "Until You Came into My Life" — — — — —1975 "Beware" — 69 — — — "Come to Mama" — 62 — — —1976 "Dr. Love Power" — 57 — — — "I Needed Somebody" — — — — — "Fill This World with Love" — 96 — — —1977 "If This Is Heaven" — 64 — — —1978 "Old Man with Young Ideas" — 54 — — — "I Didn't Take Your Man" — 55 — — —1979 "If You Got the Time (I've Got the Love)" — 95 — — —1980 "Heartaches" — — — — —1981 "Mon Belle - Amour" (with Don Bryant) — — — — — "—" 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".

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