Freda Charcilia Payne 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. Payne is the older sister of Scherrie Payne, a former singer with the American vocal group the Supremes.
Scherrie Ann Payne is an American singer. Payne is best known as a member and co-lead singer of the R&B/Soul vocal group the Supremes from 1973 until 1977. Because of her powerful voice and petite stature (5'2"), Payne is sometimes referred to as "the little lady with the big voice". Payne is the younger sister of singer Freda Payne. Payne continues to perform, both as a solo act and as a part of the "Former Ladies of the Supremes" (FLOS).
Lamont Herbert Dozier was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit. He co-wrote and produced 14 US Billboard number-one hits and four number ones in the UK.
Holland–Dozier–Holland was a songwriting and production team consisting of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland. The trio wrote, arranged and produced many songs that helped define the Motown sound in the 1960s. During their tenure at Motown Records from 1962 to 1967, Dozier and Brian Holland were the composers and producers for each song, and Eddie Holland wrote the lyrics and arranged the vocals. Their most celebrated productions were singles for the Four Tops and the Supremes, including 10 of the Supremes' 12 US No. 1 singles, including "Baby Love", "Stop! In the Name of Love", and "You Keep Me Hangin' On".
Invictus Records was an American record label based in Detroit, Michigan. It was created by former top Motown producers Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Edward Holland, Jr.. It was the sister label to the Buddah-distributed Hot Wax Records, which was also owned by Holland-Dozier-Holland.
"Baby I Need Your Loving" is a 1964 hit single recorded by the Four Tops for the Motown label. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song was the group's first Motown single and their first pop Top 20 hit, making it to number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number four in Canada in the fall of 1964. It was also their first million-selling hit single.
"It's the Same Old Song" was recorded by the Four Tops for the Motown label. It was released in 1965 as the second single from their second album. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song is today one of The Tops' signatures, and was reportedly created—from initial concept to commercial release—in 24 hours. It reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the Billboard R&B chart. It also reached #34 in the UK.
"Can I Get a Witness" is a song composed by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland and produced by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier as a non-album single for American recording vocalist Marvin Gaye, who issued the record on Motown's Tamla imprint in September 1963.
Heat Wave is the second studio album released by American Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas. Released in 1963 on Motown's Gordy imprint, intended to capitalize on the success of the title track, which rose to number four on the pop singles chart and number one on the R&B singles chart. The album was produced by Holland–Dozier–Holland and William "Mickey" Stevenson. This was the last album to feature original Vandella Annette Beard.
I Hear a Symphony is the eighth studio album released by American girl group the Supremes on the Motown label in 1966.
"Band of Gold" is a song written and composed by former Motown producers Holland–Dozier–Holland and Ron Dunbar. It was a major hit when first recorded by Freda Payne in 1970 for the Invictus label, owned by H-D-H. The song has been recorded by numerous artists, notably competing 1986 versions by contrasting pop singers Belinda Carlisle and Bonnie Tyler, and a 2007 version by Kimberley Locke.
"A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knocking Everyday)" is a 1963 song issued as the B-side to Motown singing group Martha and the Vandellas' hit single, "Heat Wave", released on the Gordy label.
Four Tops Second Album is a 1965 R&B studio album by vocal quartet the Four Tops. The album, released on the Motown record label, reached No. 3 on Billboard's Black Albums chart and No. 20 on the Billboard Top LPs chart. The album contains three hit singles. "I Can't Help Myself " reached No. 1 on both the Black Singles and Pop Singles charts, while "It's the Same Old Song" reached No. 2 and No. 5 respectively, and "Something About You" reached No. 9 and No. 19. In 1990, Motown bundled the Four Tops' first two albums together in a release titled Four Tops/Four Tops Second Album.
Greatest Hits is a collection of songs recorded by Freda Payne for the label of Invictus Records. Like many collections of Payne's music, it begins with her biggest hit "Band of Gold." It contains all eight singles from that label, along with four album tracks. It mistakenly says that the ninth track is "I'm Not Getting Any Better," as it is actually two songs put together: "I'm Not Getting Any Better" and "Suddenly It's Yesterday." Both of these songs were written by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier. Inside the album cover are liner notes from Eddie Holland along with a brief history of Freda Payne's life and career that mainly focuses on her career with Invictus Records.
The Best of Freda Payne is a 12-track collection of songs recorded by Freda Payne. Although it is a collection of previously recorded tracks, it also includes four unissued songs as well: "How Can I Live Without My Life," "Just a Woman," "You're the Only Bargain I've Got," and "Come Back". Six of the songs on this collection were previously issued as singles for the Invictus label.
Unhooked Generation: The Complete Invictus Recordings is a collection of every single recording that Freda Payne had made for Invictus Records, including single versions of her hits "You Brought the Joy" and "Deeper and Deeper" and an alternate version of her biggest hit "Band of Gold." Like its predecessor Band of Gold: The Best of Freda Payne, it was released by a British distributor and then released in the US as an import. Inside the album cover is an essay on Payne's life and career by Peter Doggett, along with a transcript from a phoned interview of Payne by David Nathan.
Payne & Pleasure is Freda Payne's fifth American released album and her first for the ABC/Dunhill label, released in 1974. The album was produced by McKinley Jackson. It consists of four songs co-written by Lamont Dozier's brother, Reginald ("Reggie"), along with three covers. The album was reissued on CD on November 17, 2009. The reissue contains a biographical essay of Payne's life and career by A. Scott Galloway.
Ronald Dunbar was an American songwriter, A&R director and record producer who worked closely with Holland–Dozier–Holland, and with George Clinton. His co-writing credits include the hit songs "Give Me Just a Little More Time", "Band of Gold", and "Patches", for which he won a Grammy. His Grammy award was sold for $2,350 to the owners of TV show Pawn Stars. It was later returned to the Dunbar family, after it was discovered that the buying and selling of Grammy trophies is not allowed.
Edna Wright was an American singer, best known as the lead singer of Honey Cone, the girl group that went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the song "Want Ads" in 1971. She was the younger sister of singer Darlene Love. Wright sang backup for various artists, including the Righteous Brothers, Ray Charles, and Cher.
Out Here on My Own is the debut studio album by singer Lamont Dozier released on the ABC label.
