Yarbrough and Peoples was an American Urban contemporary duo from Dallas, Texas. The Best of Yarbrough & Peoples (1997, Mercury) Singles.

'Don't Stop the Music' is a song by Yarbrough and Peoples, from the duo's 1980 debut album, The Two of Us. It was released as a single on Mercury Records in 1981. The song reached #26 on the dance charts, #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 #7 in the UK and fared even better on the US R&B chart, where it hit number one, helping to earn a gold record for the duo. The song has been sampled numerous times: In 1994, the song was sampled by rapper K7, in a remix of his song 'Zunga Zeng'. In 1997, the song was sampled by P. Diddy (then known as Puff Daddy) in the song 'Don't Stop What You're Doin',' from the album No Way Out and also included on the soundtrack to the film Soul Food and Playa (which is the group that is features singer/rapper/producer Static Major and producer/composer/singer Smoke E.

Digglera) in the song's chorus for 'Don't Stop the Music', from their debut, Cheers 2 U. In 2002, the song's chorus was used on the top 5 single Gangsta Lovin' by Eve and Alicia Keys, and then by Keyshia Cole for the song 'Let It Go' from her album Just Like You, released in 2007. The song was also sampled in Fat Pat's 'Tops Drop.' 2Pac also sampled this record In 1996 on the unreleased original version of the song 'Don't Stop'. However this song was remixed for his 2006 Pac's Life album. The original song can be found on the internet under the name 'Don't Stop The Music'. The singing duo of Yarbrough & Peoples burst on to the music scene with the million-selling single 'Don't Stop the Music,' a sinewy slab of synth-based R&B/funk that was ahead of its time and had a far-reaching influence in the years following.

The sizzling track held down the number one R&B spot for five weeks and hit number 19 pop on Billboard's charts in the spring of 1981. Calvin Yarbrough and Alisa Peoples first met when they were small children, growing up in Dallas, TX; he was six-years-old and she was four. They were both taking lessons from the same music teacher and attended the same neighborhood church, where both sang solos in the church choir. After their college years, Peoples worked a regular job while Yarbrough played keyboards and sang in a band called Grand Theft. Tulsa, OK, musicians Robert, Ronnie, and Charlie Wilson were in the audience for one of the band's shows and offered the keyboardist/singer a background vocals job on the Leon Russell tour that they were a part of.

Once the tour was over, Yarbrough returned to Dallas, playing local gigs with Grand Theft. Around 1977, Peoples sang a song with the band during one of their club dates. Everyone there knew it was the beginning of musical magic. The Wilson brothers, then known as the Gap Band, were having hit after hit ('Shake,' number four R&B, spring 1979, 'Steppin' (Out),' number ten R&B, late 1979, 'I Don't Believe You Want to Get up and Dance (Oops, Up Side Your Head),' number four R&B, early 1980). When the group came to Dallas to perform, Yarbrough had them listen to an audio tape he and Peoples had recorded. Their debut album The Two of Us went gold, peaking at number 16 on Billboard's album charts. The follow-up, The Third Degree, peaked at number 74 R&B, summer 1981.

Two singles were released with strong 'Don't Stop the Music' leanings: 'Heartbeats' (number ten R&B, late 1982) and 'Feels So Good' (number 20 R&B, spring 1983). Mercurius Homeopathic Software Crackers. Their next album, Be a Winner, produced by Yarbrough, Ellis, and Oliver Scott, and released spring 1984, yielded another number one R&B single.

Mixed by Nick Martinelli and David Todd (who co-mixed Evelyn Champagne King's 'Shame' with Al Garrison), 'Don't Waste Your Time' clocked in at number one R&B, spring 1984. The LP's title track climbed to number 20 R&B in summer 1984. Guilty was the name of Yarbrough & Peoples' best album, issued in late 1985.

The title track 'Guilty' -- not to be confused with the Alexander O'Neal hit -- went to number two R&B around the time of the LP's release. PGD/Polygram Pop/Jazz issued Best of Yarbrough & Peoples (which includes the 12' version of 'Heartbeats') in May 1997, and 'Don't Stop the Music' is on the label's compilation Dance Funk, released November 1997.