ABC Artist Spotlight: Yarbrough and Peoples

Both growing up in Dallas, they met each other while taking piano lessons at an early age. 

Cavin Yarbrough then joined the band of musician Leon Russell and started to tour. He encountered a group of other musicians who were named The Wilson Brothers. (They ended up forming the Gap Band.) Returning back to his hometown, Yarbrough and Alisa Peoples formed the group Grand Theft and began to perform locally. Newly signed to a record label, the Gap Band made a stop in Dallas and caught Yarbrough and People’s act later that night. The Gap Band’s producer was impressed and brought the duo to Los Angeles to work the club circuit. 

Two years being in LA, the duo signed to the same record label as the Gap Band and The Two of Us, their debut album, was released in 1981. The single, “Don’t Stop the Music”, was from this album and actually dethrone their label mate’s number one song, “Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me).” They continued to churn out four more Top 10 R&B hits in the 1980’s and then left the label in 1986. 

Watch the video to “Don’t Stop The Music” here.

The duo returned to Dallas, got married and started their own production company where they continue to tour and write/produce for other artists.