Scribbler's Throwback of the Week: The Nutty Professor Quartet, Part 3

So now that we've covered Lillo Thomas and Peabo Bryson, it's time for the third member of "The Nutty Professor Quartet": the late, great Lou Rawls.  As a kid, I remember his annual "Parade of Stars" (started back in 1980) in which proceeds from the telethon went to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF).  Unfortunately, I didn't--and still don't--hear that many of his songs on the radio.  He's one of those artists that unless you grew up during his era, you probably one only know like one or two songs of his.  While he's not quite as unsung as Lillo, he's probably not as widely recognized or celebrated as a singer like Teddy P or Peabo in the R&B world--although he has such a uniquely silky smooth voice.

Scribbler's Throwback of the Week: The Nutty Professor Quartet, Part 2

Continuing in my four-part "Throwback of the Week" installment as a tribute to Sherman Klump's kitchen singing scene in the The Nutty Professor (1996), we come to the second person in what I've dubbed "The Nutty Professor Quartet": Peabo Bryson.  During a successful run on Capitol Records between 1977 and 1982, the Greenville, South Carolina native gave us R&B lovers Quiet Storm classics like "Feel the Fire", "I'm So Into You" and the beautiful duet with Roberta Flack, "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love".  To think that those can be considered humble beginnings for a singer that has always known how to strike the balance between silky smooth and powerhouse vocals.