THEO PEOPLES, HOMEGROWN EX-TEMPTATION NOW WITH THE

[Ivory Fair]

THEO PEOPLES, HOMEGROWN EX-TEMPTATION NOW WITH THE FOUR TOPS, AWAITS COMBO CONCERT

·        Kevin Johnson
Of The Post-Dispatch

·        St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO)

·        May 31, 2001

·        Section: GET OUT

·        Edition: FIVE STAR LIFT

·        Page 20

St. Louis singer Theo Peoples may not be one of the most recognized names among Motown Records' long list of classic stars, but he's among the truly unique, standing in a category all his own. Peoples not only sang for years as a latter-day Temptation with that group's founder, Otis Williams, but he's currently singing alongside Levi Stubbs and the other Four Tops.

Peoples, who lives in St. Charles County after returning from California last year, sang with the Temptations from 1992-1998, mimicking the vocals of past Temptations, including Dennis Edwards (who lives locally) and Eddie Kendricks.

That's Peoples' voice on the group's 1998 song "Stay" from the gold "Phoenix Rising" CD. He also sings on "This Is My Promise" from the same CD and wrote that song. Months after leaving the Temptations, he joined the Four Tops, where he remains.

"My time with the Temptations was over, and I sought another career. The Four Tops asked if I wanted to work with them, and I told them it was my pleasure," says Peoples, who already knew the Tops' Stubbs, Abdul "Duke" Fakir and Renaldo "Obie" Benson from the many shows the Tops and the Temptations perform together.

There's another co-headlining Tempts-Tops concert, this time at the Fox Theatre Friday night, when Peoples will have to again stand by and watch a Temptation sing two songs he made famous for the group a few years ago.

Peoples left the Temptations after recording "Stay" and "This Is My Promise," before the group began performing those songs in concert.

"This is my first time as a Top, performing with the Temptations, here in St. Louis. I'm really looking forward to it. I'll be curious to see how it turns out," Peoples said. "The Temptations will probably cover 'Stay' and 'This Is My Promise,' and I wonder how St. Louis will perceive that. I'll be on the side of the stage listening."

Temptation won't force Peoples to bum-rush the stage during the Temptations' set to take over "Stay" and "This Is My Promise."

"I respect the Temptations too much to do that. A song is just a song. I can write many songs," he says graciously.

And the long-running rivalry between the groups is playful anyway, it seems. "We're not out for blood. I wish the Temptations the best, and I hope they give me the same," he says. "If not, I'm not gonna worry about it. I've been through a lot in this business. I've been through the glamorous part, and you can get caught up. I've been through drugs and recovery. That's why I left the group (the Temptations)," says Peoples, who adds his departure was without hard feelings.

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[Ivory Fair]

Peoples, who goes by the one-name Theo professionally, says the Temptations are happy for him and the fact that he wound up on his feet.

"They will always be my friends. I owe a lot to them. They broke me into the business at a professional level. They taught me about entertainment, how to sell a show, how to present myself on and off stage, how to entertain as opposed to just singing. I also owe that to (legendary Motown choreographer) Cholly Atkins. Pops has gotta be 86 years old, and he's still kicking."

But Peoples learned much as a Top as well, especially from paying attention to Stubbs' singing style and phrasings.

"That man is impeccable. He's a great talent," he says. "He and the rest of the group showed me how to relax on stage. The Temptations are more regimented, with a set routine. The Tops are relaxed.

"They want me to be more comfortable with me. They have steps as well, but if I miss them I'm still fine. They want me to relax. I also learned a lot about compassion from them. They're three of the finest gentlemen I've ever met in all my life, and my allegiance is to them," he says of the Tops, who are each old enough to be his father.

"I pretty much feel like they're my big brothers. We joke around, and they treat me like one of the guys. They treat me like I'm 60. And I look at them like they're 40. Age doesn't matter at all," says Peoples, who recorded a CD with the Four Tops a couple of years ago that's awaiting release.

Peoples says there's a distinct difference between being a Temptation ("My Girl," "The Way You Do the Things You Do," "Cloud Nine") and being a Top ("Baby I Need Your Loving," "Are You Man Enough," "Reach Out, I'll Be There").

"The Temptations are noted for their R&B and their steps. They have a whole genre of music, their own particular style. The Four Tops are on the other side of the world. They're doing more rock 'n' roll ... more show tunes, more standards. I've had the pleasure of having had the best of both worlds," he says.

But there's still another world out there Peoples wants to conquer, one more music life to live. He has strong aspirations to be a successful solo singer.

Peoples used to sing at his father's church, the First Baptist Church of Chesterfield, and worked as a solo singer gigging at restaurants, hotels and clubs throughout the '80s. A gig at the Majestic turned magic after the Temptations, who were guests there, caught his act.

Now he'd like to use that exposure with the groups to gain solo fame. His solo recording "Down Time" is all about Peoples, rather than Peoples' version of Tempts-Tops singers. "I have the freedom to let my creativity flow. It's the first project I've done where my hands aren't tied."

The CD has been out for about a year, but distribution of the CD hasn't been all it could be. Airplay is lacking; ironically, "Down Time" single "Listen to Your Heart" gets played in other markets but not in St. Louis.

"I want to be in the mix of Nelly, Cedric the Entertainer and all those others from St. Louis doing great things."