These Vocal Duets of the 80’s Prove It Really Was the Golden Age of Duets
I’ll admit it right up front — I’m partial to the 80s. It was an incredible time for music in Hawai‘i, when local artists across all genres were recording, performing, and really making their mark. Live music venues were everywhere, and the scene was vibrant, diverse, and full of possibility. I was fortunate to be part of that era myself, releasing three vinyl albums and four singles before eventually stepping away from the industry.
But it wasn’t just Hawai‘i. The 80s were a musical boom worldwide, especially in the U.S., and nowhere was that more obvious than in the sheer number of unforgettable vocal duets that defined the decade.
While doing research for a new duet I’ll be recording later this year with my longtime friend, singing partner, and collaborator Rachel Gonzales, I realized just how many iconic duets were released during that period. Across genres — pop, R&B, country, rock, and movie soundtracks — at least 27 major duet hits dominated the charts and helped shape the sound of the 80s.
I even contributed one myself. On New Dimensions — my third and final album of the 80s, produced by the legendary Bob Wilson of Seawind — I recorded an original duet called “Hold Me Thru Tomorrow.” I cowrote it with my friend and collaborator Charlene, who many people know from her global hit “I’ve Never Been to Me.” That song has become a timeless classic for female vocalists, and working with her during that era remains one of my favorite memories.
As I dug deeper into the duet landscape of the 80s, I decided to pull everything together into a publicly available Spotify playlist on my Kevin I. artist page. If you’d like to take a nostalgic trip back, look for Playlist #6 — it includes all the duets I researched, plus my duet with Charlene. And when my upcoming duet with Rachel is released later this year, I’ll add it to the playlist as well.
To go along with the playlist, I’m sharing two blog posts that break down all the duets I found. Rather than trying to rank them (an impossible task!), I grouped them into seven genre categories.
This first post covers three of them:
Adult Contemporary / Romantic Pop Ballads
Sophisticated Adult Contemporary / Vocal Artistry
R&B / Soul Power Duets
The second post will feature the remaining four:
Country / CountryPop Crossover
Rock / PopRock / Arena Rock
PopFunk / Contemporary R&B
Movie Theme Duets
Please enjoy the playlist and the lists below — and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. If I missed one of your favorite duets, let me know! There were amazing duets in the 70s and 90s too, but the 80s, at least in my humble opinion, stands apart for its sheer volume and diversity of unforgettable collaborations.
Part 1: Adult Contemporary / Romantic Pop Ballads
This category probably defines the decade’s duet sound for most listeners. These songs were radio staples and still show up everywhere today — weddings, slow dances, movie soundtracks, and latenight radio.
Year Song Artists
1981 Endless Love Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
1983 Tonight, I Celebrate My Love Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack
1985 Separate Lives Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin
1986 Somewhere Out There Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram
1986 The Next Time I Fall Peter Cetera & Amy Grant
1986 Friends and Lovers Gloria Loring & Carl Anderson
1989 After All Peter Cetera & Cher
Personal Perspective
Kevin I. (Iwamoto) with Gloria Loring.
These are the songs that filled wedding receptions, school dances, and quiet moments everywhere. “Separate Lives” stands out because it explores heartbreak rather than romance — one of the most emotionally honest duets of the decade. Look at this list and I guarantee it will bring back memories. Every one of these songs is now considered a classic.
If I were hosting a listening session for singers and musicians, this is the category I’d start with. These recordings show how much can be communicated through subtlety, emotional intelligence, and vocal chemistry. The artistry, dynamics, and arrangements come together beautifully — these pairings are truly legendary.
Sophisticated Adult Contemporary / Vocal Artistry
These duets reward attentive listening. The arrangements are lush, the harmonies nuanced, and the singers rely on phrasing, interpretation, and emotional subtlety rather than sheer vocal power. Many of these recordings have aged exceptionally well because of their strong songwriting and elegant vocal performances.
Year Song Artists
1980 Guilty Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb
1981 What Kind of Fool Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb
1982 Friends in Love Dionne Warwick & Johnny Mathis
1983 How Do You Keep the Music Playing? James Ingram & Patti Austin
1985 Run to Me Dionne Warwick & Barry Manilow
1985 Finder of Lost Loves Dionne Warwick & Glenn Jones
1988 You’re Looking Like Love to Me Roberta Flack & Peabo Bryson
Personal Perspective
This may be the most musically sophisticated category of all. These recordings showcase some of the finest songwriting, arranging, and vocal artistry of the decade. And it is very obvious that the Queen and most in demand for hit vocal duets is Dionne Warwick. Don’t believe me? Count how many times her name shows up on the list I put together in this two part blog series on 80s duets and you’ll be as impressed as I am.
R&B / Soul Power Duets
This is the vocal showcase category — powerhouse singers pushing each other to remarkable heights.
Year Song Artists
1981 Love All the Hurt Away Aretha Franklin & George Benson
1982 Baby, Come to Me James Ingram & Patti Austin
1982 If This World Were Mine Luther Vandross & Cheryl Lynn
1986 On My Own Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald
Personal Perspective
These are some of the most demanding duet performances of the decade. The technical brilliance never overshadows the emotion — and that’s what makes them unforgettable. Great duet partners know when to shine and when to blend, and these artists mastered that balance.
One duet in particular stood out to me: “Love All the Hurt Away.” Aretha Franklin and George Benson deliver one of the most vocally challenging performances ever recorded. The harmonized scatting at the end? Pure insanity — in the best way.
A little personal anecdote: Rachel Gonzales and I were brave (or crazy!) enough to perform this song live at the Waikiki Shell for a charity concert — scatting and all. Did we pull it off? You’ll have to ask someone who was there, because no decent video exists. All I’ll say is this: the best part of that performance for me at least was when it was over. Talk about pressure to perform!
Coming Up Next - Part 2
In my next post, I’ll share my personal picks for the remaining four categories:
Country / CountryPop Crossover
Rock / PopRock / Arena Rock
PopFunk / Contemporary R&B
Movie Theme Duets
Stay tuned — and enjoy the beautiful duets.
Listen to “Hold Me Thru Tomorrow”, written and performed by Kevin I. and Charlene on Spotify!