The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful American vocal band, with 12 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Most of these hits were written and produced by Motown's main songwriting and production team, Holland–Dozier–Holland. Their breakthrough is considered to have made it possible for future African-American R&B and soul musicians to find mainstream success. Billboard ranked the Supremes as the 16th greatest Hot 100 artist of all time.
Scherrie Ann Payne is an American singer. Payne is best known as a member and the final lead singer of the R&B/Soul vocal group the Supremes from 1973 until 1977. 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).
Edmund Theodore Sylvers was an American singer–songwriter, actor and musician. Sylvers was best known as the lead singer of the American family disco/soul music vocal group The Sylvers, which had popular success with songs such as "Boogie Fever" during the mid- to late-1970s.
Velma Jean Terrell is an American R&B and jazz singer. She replaced Diana Ross as the lead singer of The Supremes in 1970.
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.
Honey Cone was an American R&B and soul girl group formed by lead singer Edna Wright with Carolyn Willis and Shelly Clark in 1968. They are known for their number-one Billboard Hot 100 single, "Want Ads". Honey Cone were the premier female group for Hot Wax Records, operated by Holland–Dozier–Holland after they had departed from Motown Records.
Former Ladies of the Supremes, or FLOS, is a female vocal group that was originally formed in 1986 by former Supremes members Jean Terrell, Cindy Birdsong and Scherrie Payne. It has also included former members Lynda Laurence and Susaye Greene. Though they were not Supremes members, singers Sundray Tucker, Freddi Poole and Joyce Vincent have also sung with the group following the departure of Terrell.
"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.
"Want Ads" is a song that was a million-selling No.1 pop and R&B hit recorded by female group, Honey Cone for their second album Sweet Replies and also appears on their third album Soulful Tapestry. The song, recorded on the Detroit-based Hot Wax label, was written by Greg Perry, General Norman Johnson and Barney Perkins. It was produced by staff producer, Greg Perry, and features a young Ray Parker Jr. ("Ghostbusters") on rhythm guitar.
Band of Gold is the third studio album by Freda Payne. Her first for Invictus Records, it was released in 1970. The title track became an instant smash on the Pop charts in the US and the UK. Other hits included "Unhooked Generation" and "Deeper and Deeper". The tenth track was written by Payne's younger sister, Scherrie Payne. Cover versions include Gary Puckett and the Union Gap's hit "This Girl Is a Woman Now" and Andy Williams' hit "Happy Heart".
Lost in Love is a ten-track collection of songs that were recorded by Freda Payne during the decade of the seventies. With the exception of her biggest hit "Band of Gold," the rest of the tracks were recorded after she left the label of Invictus Records in 1973. Tracks 2 through 9 were all taken from Payne's album Out of Payne Comes Love, while the final selection is from her album Payne & Pleasure, which was released a year before Out of Payne Comes Love.
Band of Gold: The Best of Freda Payne is a 24-track collection of songs that were recorded by Freda Payne for Invictus Records. Originally from the United Kingdom, it was released in the United States as an import. This collection features ten songs from her album Band of Gold, seven from Contact, all four from The Best of Freda Payne, and only three from Reaching Out. Many of the songs were written by Holland, Dozier and Holland themselves, often using the pseudonym Edithe Wayne for copyright reasons. Inside the album cover is a biographical essay about Payne's life and career which concentrates mostly on her career with the Invictus label and was written in August 2000 by Geoff Brown of Mojo.
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.
Contact is Freda Payne's fourth American released album and her second for Invictus Records. The majority of the material on this album contains sad themes, with the exception of "You Brought the Joy." The album begins with a dramatic 11-minute medley of "I'm Not Getting Any Better" and "Suddenly It's Yesterday," both of which were written by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier. Some people thought that Holland and Dozier were trying to compete with Diana Ross's hit "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" as both songs contain spoken segments and dramatic musical arrangements. The only cover song is "He's in My Life", which was an album track by The Glass House featuring Freda's sister Scherrie Payne. It was written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland, jointly with Ron Dunbar.
Donald Charles Baldwin is an American musician, arranger, and composer. He achieved significant commercial success with recordings he wrote, arranged, and performed for Motown Records and Invictus/Hot Wax Records from 1970 to 1980. His Notable works include his recordings with many widely known musical acts, including The Temptations, Commodores, and Bonnie Pointer, as well as record producers Holland-Dozier-Holland and Jeffrey Bowen.
The Glass House was an American R&B/soul group from Detroit, Michigan, United States.
General Norman Johnson was an American R&B singer, frontman of the Chairmen of the Board, songwriter, and record producer. He usually performed as General Johnson, although sometimes he was billed as Norman Johnson. "General Norman" were in fact his given forenames, in that order; General was not a nickname or stage name.
Supernatural High is Freda Payne's eighth studio album and her second for Capitol Records. The first track is a medley of two songs devoted to the subject of happiness - a cover of the old 1929 song "Happy Days Are Here Again" and an original song entitled "Happy Music ." The tracks "Pullin' Back" and "Livin' for the Beat" were co-written by Payne's then-husband, Gregory Abbott. "Storybook Romance" was written by Payne's younger sister, Scherrie. The first track and "I'll Do Anything for You" were two singles that were lifted from the album; they did not chart.
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.
Shelly Clark is an American singer, dancer and actress, best known as a founding member of the 1970s R&B girls group, Honey Cone who had the No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit single, "Want Ads" released in March 1971.
