ORANGEBURG, S.C. - Peabo Bryson's manager and the owner of a South Carolina sound company say South Carolina State University failed to pay them for performances during the school's homecoming last month.

The Grammy-winning singer and R&B group Silk performed on Oct. 27. Bryson's manager, Jeff Alston of Bronx, N.Y.-based Rebel Soul Records, said the singer is owed $16,000. Madison Meadows of Greenville-based Audio Mass said the school still owes him $3,900.

But Edwin Givens, the university's special assistant for legal and government affairs, said the school paid a promoter and his company for the concert.

"S.C. State University paid Dee Consulting and Mr. Darwin Rencher in full as per the terms and conditions of the contract," Givens wrote in a statement.

The school will work with the singer's management to ensure he is compensated, but is "in no way liable for payment due to Mr. Bryson," Givens wrote.

Alston and Meadows said they both signed contracts with Rencher. No telephone listing for Rencher or his company could be found and the university could not provide a working number for him.

But Alston said Bryson was wired a $10,780 deposit directly out of the school's foundation account, suggesting they are responsible for the rest of the payment.

"The strange thing about the entire event is the school's position on the entire nonpayment issue is that they're not liable," Alston said. "When I heard that, I was infuriated because we were clearly engaged by an agent of the school to perform."