Freda Payne
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person
Freda Charcilia Payne (born September 19, 1942<ref>"Freda Payne." Contemporary Black Biography. Vol. 58. Detroit: Gale, 2007. Retrieved August 5, 2011.</ref><ref>"Freda Payne." Almanac of Famous People. Gale Group, 2007. Retrieved August 5, 2011.</ref><ref>"Freda Payne." Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Vol. 98. Gale Group, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2011.</ref><ref group="nb">Some sources give a birth year of 1945, but this appears to be an error as all sources agree that she is older than her sister Scherrie, born 1944.</ref>) is an American singer and actress. Payne is best known for her career in music during the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s. Her most notable record is her 1970 hit single "Band of Gold". Payne was also an actress in musicals and film as well as the host of a TV talk show.<ref name="AMG">Template:Cite web</ref> Payne is the older sister of Scherrie Payne, a former singer with the American vocal group the Supremes. She also acted on Living Single.
Biography
Early life and career
Payne was born in Detroit, Michigan,<ref name="AMG"/> and grew up listening to jazz singers, such as Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday.<ref name="AMG"/> As a teenager, she attended the Detroit Institute of Musical Arts; she soon began singing radio commercial jingles and took part in (and won many) local TV and radio talent shows.<ref name="AMG"/> In 1963, she moved to New York City and worked with many entertainers, including Quincy Jones, Pearl Bailey, and Bill Cosby.<ref name="AMG"/> The next year, her debut album, a jazz recording with arranger Manny Albam titled After the Lights Go Down Low and Much More!!! was released on the Impulse! label.<ref name="AMG"/> (This album was re-issued on CD in Japan in early 2002 and again in the United States in 2005.) In 1965 she toured Europe for the first time, recording an album in Sweden with Don Gardner and Bengt-Arne Wallin. In 1966, she released her second American album, again in the jazz idiom, How Do You Say I Don't Love You Anymore, for MGM Records.<ref name="AMG"/> She also made occasional guest appearances on television shows including The Merv Griffin Show and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.<ref name="AMG"/>
She added theatrical credits to her repertoire: she understudied Leslie Uggams for the Broadway show Hallelujah Baby in 1967,<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/> and appeared with the Equity Theatre in a production of Lost in the Stars.<ref name=Historymakers/> In 1969, her old friends back home in Detroit, Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland, persuaded her to sign with their newly formed record label Invictus.<ref name="AMG"/> During that same year, her first Invictus single, "Unhooked Generation" (a minor R&B hit), was released.<ref name="500 Number One Hits">Template:Cite book</ref> Shortly thereafter, Eddie Holland offered her a song titled "Band of Gold", which he wrote along with Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Ronald Dunbar.<ref name="500 Number One Hits"/> In early 1970, the song became an instant pop smash reaching No. 3 in the US and No. 1 in the UK for six consecutive weeks; it also gave Payne her first gold record.<ref name="AMG"/><ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/> Global sales were estimated at two million.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/> An album of the same name proved to be fairly successful as well.<ref name="AMG"/> Other Invictus singles included "Deeper and Deeper", which reached No. 24 in the US and No. 33 in the UK at the end of 1970; "You Brought the Joy", and the Vietnam War protest song "Bring the Boys Home" (U.S. Billboard Hot 100 No. 12, 1971), her second gold record.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="500 Number One Hits"/> Her other Invictus albums were Contact (1971), The Best of Freda Payne (1972, a compilation which included four new, unissued songs), and her last Invictus album Reaching Out (1973).<ref name="AMG"/>
In 1973, she left Invictus and recorded albums for ABC/Dunhill and Capitol, but she never found the commercial success that she had enjoyed with Invictus.<ref name="AMG"/> She recorded a duet "I Wanna See You Soon" with Capitol stablemates Tavares.<ref name="soul"/> She released three disco albums for Capitol from 1977 to 1979, Stares and Whispers, Supernatural High and Hot.<ref name="Capitol">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Hot">Template:Cite web</ref> The first one features the disco hit "Love Magnet" produced by Frank Wilson (1977).<ref name="Love Magnet">Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1981, she briefly hosted her own talk show Today's Black Woman,<ref name=Historymakers/> and also found work acting in different movies, Broadway and other theatre productions throughout the 1980s.<ref name="AMG"/> Although she was concentrating more on acting by that time, she never gave up music; in 1982, she recorded a single entitled "In Motion" for the Sutra label in New York, and in 1986, she recorded a remake of her old hit "Band of Gold" with Belinda Carlisle.<ref name="soul"/> In 1990, she recorded three songs for Ian Levine's UK Motorcity label: another remake of "Band of Gold", "Memories and Souvenirs", and "Only Minutes Away".<ref name="soul">Template:Cite web</ref> In the mid-1990s, she released three albums for Dove Music: The (Unauthorized) I Hate Barney Songbook: A Parody (1994), An Evening with Freda Payne: Live in Concert which featured her sister Scherrie Payne<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> on background vocals, and her first (and only) Christmas album Christmas with Freda and Friends, which featured a duet between Freda and Scherrie (both 1996).<ref name="AMG"/> She also continued her acting career appearing in the films, Private Obsession (1995), Ragdoll (1999) as the character Gran,<ref name="Ragdoll">Template:Cite web</ref> Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000), and Fire & Ice (made-for-TV, 2001).<ref name="AMG"/>
Later career
In early 2001, Payne released a new album entitled Come See About Me for the Volt Records label (the title track is a remake of the Supremes' hit).<ref name="AMG"/> In early 2003, she performed in a show called Love & Payne, with Darlene Love at Feinstein's at the Regency in New York, and at the Cinegrill in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, getting excellent reviews.<ref name="LandP">Template:Cite web</ref>
During the early 2000s, the following compilation albums of her music were released: Lost in Love (which includes nine of her post-Invictus recordings), Band of Gold: The Best of Freda Payne (both 2000), Unhooked Generation: The Complete Invictus Recordings (2001), and The Best of Freda Payne: Ten Best Series (2002).<ref name="AMG"/> In late 2002, Payne appeared with many R&B stars on the "Rhythm, Love, and Soul" edition of the PBS series American Soundtrack. Her performance of "Band of Gold" was included on the accompanying live album that was released in 2004. On April 22, 2009, Payne appeared on American Idol and sang "Band of Gold".<ref name="Wotnogoogle">Template:Cite web</ref>
In February 2010, Payne joined Kanye West, Jordin Sparks, Jennifer Hudson, Barbra Streisand and many more on We Are the World for Haiti Relief.<ref name="Gotnogoogle">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2011, Payne recorded a duet, "Saving A Life", with British pop star Sir Cliff Richard for inclusion on his Soulicious album. She joined Richard on his "Soulicious" tour of the UK in October of the same year. She sang the new duet with Richard along with her own hit "Band of Gold".Template:Citation needed
In January 2018, she performed "A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald", in the Sitnik Theatre of the Lackland Performing Arts Center, in Hackettstown, New Jersey.<ref name=":0" />
Personal life and honors
Payne was married to American singer Gregory Abbott from 1976 until 1979. Their wedding took place in Chicago.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They spent their honeymoon in Acapulco, Mexico.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Payne and Abbott had a son, Gregory Abbott Jr., who was born on September 19, 1977, Payne's 35th birthday. Payne later had a relationship with American musician Edmund Sylvers (lead singer of the Sylvers) from 1979 until January 1983.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Sylvers wrote and produced her 1982 single "In Motion".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1974, she made the cover of Jet after she was appointed a Dame of Justice of the Order of St John of Jerusalem by the Prince of Rumania.<ref name=Historymakers>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2017, Payne was inducted into the 2017 class of the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, in her hometown of Detroit.
In 2023, the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame awarded Payne a Lifetime Achievement and Legacy Award.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US 200 <ref name="Awards"/> |
US R&B <ref name="Awards"/> | ||
| 1964 | After the Lights Go Down Low and Much More!!! | — | — |
| 1966 | How Do You Say I Don't Love You Anymore | — | — |
| 1970 | Band of Gold | 60 | 17 |
| 1971 | Contact | 76 | 12 |
| 1973 | Reaching Out | — | — |
| 1974 | Payne & Pleasure | — | 55 |
| 1975 | Out of Payne Comes Love | — | — |
| 1977 | Stares and Whispers | — | — |
| 1978 | Supernatural High | — | — |
| 1979 | Hot | — | — |
| 1994 | The (Unauthorized) I Hate Barney Songbook: A Parody | — | — |
| 1996 | Christmas with Freda and Friends | — | — |
| 2001 | Come See About Me | — | — |
| 2007 | On the Inside | — | — |
| 2014 | Come Back to Me Love<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | — | — |
| 2021 | Let There Be Love | — | — |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart | |||
Live albums
- 1965: Freda Payne in Stockholm' with Don Gardner Quintet with Dee Dee Ford and Jimmy Ricks (Swedish release 1965, USA release 1971)
- 1996: An Evening with Freda Payne: Live in Concert
- 1999: Live in Concert
Compilations albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US 200 <ref name="Awards"/> |
US R&B <ref name="Awards"/> | ||
| 1972 | The Best of Freda Payne | 152 | 44 |
| 1991 | Greatest Hits | — | — |
| 2000 | Lost in Love | — | — |
| Band of Gold: The Best of Freda Payne | — | — | |
| 2001 | Unhooked Generation: The Complete Invictus Recordings | — | — |
| 2002 | The Best of Freda Payne: Ten Best Series | — | — |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart | |||
Singles
As a lead artist
| Title | Year | Chart positions | Sales | Certifications | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US <ref name="Awards">Template:Cite web</ref> |
US R&B <ref name="Awards"/> |
AUS <ref name=aus>Template:Cite book</ref> |
UK <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |||||
| "(Desafinado) Slightly Out of Tune" | 1962 | — | — | — | — | rowspan="2" Template:N/A | ||
| "Pretty Baby" | 1963 | — | — | — | — | |||
| "It's Time" | — | — | — | — | After the Lights Go Down Low and Much More!!! | |||
| "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" | 1966 | — | — | — | — | How Do You Say I Don't Love You Anymore | ||
| "The Unhooked Generation" | 1969 | — | 43 | — | — | Band of Gold | ||
| "Band of Gold" | 1970 | 3 | 20 | 5 | 1 |
|
| |
| "Deeper and Deeper" | 24 | 9 | 64 | 33 | ||||
| "Cherish What Is Dear to You (While It's Near To You)" | 1971 | 44 | 11 | — | 46 | Contact | ||
| "Bring the Boys Home" | 12 | 3 | — | — |
|
| ||
| "You Brought the Joy" | 52 | 21 | — | — | ||||
| "The Road We Didn't Take" | 1972 | 100 | — | — | — | |||
| "Through the Memory of My Mind" | — | — | — | — | The Best of Freda Payne | |||
| "Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right" | 1973 | — | 75 | — | — | Reaching Out | ||
| "For No Reason" | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "It's Yours to Have" | 1974 | — | 81 | — | — | Payne & Pleasure | ||
| "I Get Carried Away" | 1975 | — | — | — | — | |||
| "You" | — | — | — | — | Out of Payne Comes Love | |||
| "I Get High (On Your Memory)" | 1976 | — | — | — | — | Stares And Whispers | ||
| "Bring Back the Joy" | 1977 | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Love Magnet" | — | 85 | — | — | ||||
| "Feed Me Your Love" | 1978 | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Happy Days Are Here Again/ Happy Music (Dance the Night Away)" | — | — | — | — | Supernatural High | |||
| "I'll Do Anything for You" | 1979 | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Red Hot" | — | — | — | — | Hot | |||
| "Can't Wait" | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "In Motion" | 1982 | — | 63 | — | — | Template:N/A | ||
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart or was not released | ||||||||
As a featured artist
| Title | Year | Chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Dance <ref name="Dance Belinda">
|
CAN <ref name="CAN Belinda">
| |||
| "I Wanna See You Soon" Template:Small |
1977 | — | — | The Best Of Tavares |
| "L.A. Street Scene (It's A Jubilee)" Template:Small |
1985 | — | — | Template:N/a |
| "Band of Gold" Template:Small |
1986 | 26 | 91 | Belinda |
Filmography
Concerts
- 2006: Flashbacks: Soul Sensation – Compilation
- 2009: Freda Payne: High Standards with Stanley Turrentine and Jerome Richardson
- 2009: Live in Concert with The Stylistics
As an actress
- 1973: Book of Numbers<ref name="IMDB">Template:Cite web</ref>
- 1993: Living Single
- 1997: Sprung<ref name="IMDB"/>
- 1999: Ragdoll<ref name="IMDB"/><ref name="Ragdoll"/>
- 2000: Nutty Professor II: The Klumps<ref name="IMDB"/>
- 2001: Deadly Rhapsody<ref name="IMDB"/>
- 2007: Cordially Invited<ref name="IMDB"/>
- 2014: Ella: First Lady of Song<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 2014: The Divorce
- 2017: Kinky<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
- 2021: Family Reunion (Ursula) S4.E5 Remember My Funny Valentine? Netflix TV Show
See also
- List of soul musicians
- List of disco artists (F–K)
- List of people from Detroit
- List of acts who appeared on American Bandstand
- List of people who appeared on Soul Train
- List of performers on Top of the Pops
Notes
- Biography
<references group="nb" />
- Discography
References
External links
- https://t.me/fp293
- Freda Payne biodata Template:Webarchive, mackavenue.com. Accessed April 3, 2022.
- Template:Discogs artist
- Template:IMDb name
- 1942 births
- Living people
- African-American women singers
- American women pop singers
- American soul singers
- Dames of Justice of the Order of St John
- Actresses from Detroit
- Northern soul musicians
- Impulse! Records artists
- MGM Records artists
- Dunhill Records artists
- Capitol Records artists
- American film actresses
- African-American television talk show hosts
- American television talk show hosts
- American women television personalities
- 20th-century African-American actresses
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century African-American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- Singers from Detroit
- 20th-century American women singers
- 21st-century American women singers
- 20th-century American singers
- 21st-century American singers