Peabo Bryson sang his heart out all over Long Island

Peabo Bryson, the R&B crooner who took listeners on a magic carpet ride in 1992 with the Grammy-winning single "A Whole New World" from "Aladdin," seemingly flew high on Long Island too. The soulful singer, who died on Tuesday at the age of 75, performed at nearly every local major concert venue, from Westbury to Huntington.

The Westbury Music Fair was a frequent stop for Bryson, including shows with Motown legend Gladys Knight in 2008 and singer-pianist Oleta Adams in 2022. Bryson also brought his "Colors of Christmas" concert to Westbury on several occasions, starting in 1995. The show was done to benefit UNICEF and featured Bryson and other Grammy-winning artists, such as the first lineup that included Melissa Manchester, James Ingram and Roberta Flack. Other performers who joined Bryson at later editions of the holiday show at Westbury included Grammy laureates Marilyn McCoo, Billy Davis Jr., Bill Medley and Christopher Cross.

Bryson also went to Tilles Center with "Colors of Christmas" in 2018, this time with Jon Secada, Deniece Williams and Taylor Dayne, who grew up in Baldwin and Freeport.

One of Bryson's most prestigious Long Island gigs was headlining the Staller Center Gala in Stony Brook in March 2016. He and Vanessa Williams served as pinch hitters at the event after the original guest artist, vocalist Natalie Cole, died on Dec. 31, 2015. Referring to the pairing with Williams, Bryson told Newsday's Steve Parks in a phone interview, "It’s funny that we both had award-winning Disney tunes." ("A Whole New World" won the best original song Oscar in 1993 and Williams' rendition of "Colors of the Wind" from "Pocahontas" took the prize in 1996.)

Although Bryson was not a Motown artist, that didn't prevent him from taking part in the "Standing in the Shadows of Motown Live!" concert, along with Leela James, at The Paramount in Huntington in May 2013. 

Finally, for those who just wanted to see Bryson take the stage by himself, he did an April 2022 concert of ballads at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, where he performed all of his hits, including "If Ever You're in My Arms Again," "Feel the Fire" and "A Whole New World."