Ann Peebles

Ann Peebles was born 1974 in St. Louis, Missouri. The daughter of a pastor and a singer, she sang at a young age in the church choir and in the family gospel choir, the "Peebles Choir," which her grandfather had founded. As a teenager, she also sang in clubs in her hometown, where she was eventually discovered by Oliver Sain and hired for his R&B revue. While performing in Memphis, she was offered a contract with the Hi Records label in 1968. There she has been the most successful woman.

In addition to being a singer, Ann Peebles began writing songs with Hi Records singer-songwriter Don Bryant. By the early 1970s, she had several successful singles and albums, led by I Can't Stand the Rain (single 1973, album 1974). In 1974, Peebles and Bryant married.

She has been sampled plenty times in Hip Hop by acts like The Wu-Tang Clan, Earl Sweatshirt, Missy Elliot, Eternal Reflection (Hi-tek & Talib), The Beatnuts, Busta Rhymes and many more.