David Peaston

Born on March 13th 1957, he was a native of Saint Louis, Missouri. As a child, he attended the Pleasant Green Missionary Baptist Church along with his mother, Martha Bass, a member of The Clara Ward Singers gospel group. His sister was R&B/soul singer Fontella Bass.

He graduated from Northwest High School in St. Louis, Missouri. After graduating he worked as a school teacher but, after being laid off in 1981, moved to New York City and began working as a background singer on recording sessions, including Lester Bowie’s 1982 album, The One and Only (ECM). In the late 1980s, he won several competitions on the Showtime at the Apollo television show, winning over the audience with a powerful rendition of “God Bless the Child.” He was signed by Geffen Records, and his first single, “Two Wrongs (Don’t Make It Right)” rose to no. 3 on the Billboard Black Singles chart in 1989. He had further hits on the R&B chart with “Can I?” (previously a hit for Eddie Kendricks), and “We’re All in This Together”, and released an album, Introducing…David Peaston. He also toured with Gerald Alston in Europe, and with Gladys Knight in the US, before moving to the MCA label in 1991, where he issued the album Mixed Emotions. In 1993 he recorded a gospel album with Fontella and Martha Bass entitled Promises: A Family Portrait Of Faith.

Continue to Rest in Peace, David Peaston (February 1st 2012, St. Louis, Missouri).