Scherrie Payne | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Scherrie Ann Payne[ citation needed ] |
Born | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | November 4, 1944
Genres | |
Occupation | Singer |
Instrument | Vocals |
Years active | 1968–present |
Labels | |
Website | scherrieandsusayeformersupremes.com |
Scherrie Ann Payne (born November 4, 1944) 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. [1] Payne continues to perform, both as a solo act and as a part of the "Former Ladies of the Supremes" (FLOS).
Payne was born Scherrie Ann Payne on November 4, 1944, to Frederick Payne and Charcle Lee Farley (c. 1920-1977), [2] [3] in Detroit, Michigan. Payne is a graduate of Central High School, where she graduated in 1961, and Michigan State University, where she also graduated in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science degree. Before she began her career, she taught at the Grayling School of Observation. [4] In 1964, she appeared on the Jet magazine as queen of the co-educational Cass Hall. [5]
Prior to her tenure with The Supremes, Payne was the lead singer for the group Glass House. [6] Other members included Ty Hunter (later with The Originals), Pearl Jones, and Larry Mitchell. The group signed with Invictus Records, formed by longtime Motown songwriters Eddie and Brian Holland, and Lamont Dozier, in 1969, among other popular acts of the early 1970s, including Freda Payne (who had a #1 hit in 1970 with "Band Of Gold"), and Honey Cone, who had a #1 hit with "Want Ads". In an ironic twist of fate, "Want Ads" was originally recorded by Glass House with Scherrie on lead vocals. The Payne sisters together made a new version, but did not like the song and when Honey Cone's lead vocalist Edna Wright walked by in the studio they suggested she should sing it. Unfortunately, The Glass House did not meet this same success. The group saw their biggest hit in 1969 with the Payne-led track "Crumbs Off The Table" [7] which managed the Billboard top 10. Between the years of 1970 and 1972, The Glass House released two albums and nine singles, including Scherrie's solo track "V.I.P.". Record World ranked The Glass House as the fifth 'Top Vocal Combination Group' in their 1970 R&B Awards. [8] However, they never really repeated the success of their first single release. They quietly disbanded in 1972, after the release of their album "Thanks, I Needed That."
As a new member of the Supremes when their popularity was waning, Payne often remained quiet during interviews with the group; mainly because four years later, reporters were still asking about Diana Ross. When she arrived, Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong were the other two members of the group, which were her bandmates. Payne contributed as the lead singer to the group, with Birdsong and Wilson singing background. Payne sung lead on the single "He's My Man" (which also featured vocals by Mary Wilson) and "It's All Been Said Before", both taken from the album The Supremes . An accomplished songwriter, Payne was never able to write any material for The Supremes, which reportedly disappointed her.
Payne began to realize that Motown did not really care as much about the Supremes as they had in the 1960s, due to the changing musical tastes of the era and due to the fact that they were focusing to further the solo career of Ross. Payne's contributions did enable The Supremes to enter the disco era, however, with such dance hits as "I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do The Walking" from the album High Energy , "You're My Driving Wheel", "Let Yourself Go", and "Love I Never Knew You Could Feel So Good". While each of these disco songslanded in the Billboard Dance Top Ten, [9] they did not perform as well on the pop and R&B charts. The single "I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do The Walking" [10] was a #3 hit on the Disco charts, rose in the Billboard Top 40 to #25 on the R&B chart, and #40 on the Pop chart. The final three Supremes (Payne, Wilson and Susaye Greene) officially disbanded in 1977 with a farewell concert in London, with Supremes founding member Mary Wilson announcing that she would embark on a solo career. They then tried to replace her with Joyce Vincent Wilson of Tony Orlando and Dawn, but Motown responded with that the Supremes would not continue with original members. Motown decided to officially retire the Supremes, so Payne and Greene recorded an album together on the Motown label, Partners , under the name "Scherrie and Susaye" in 1979. [11] The album received mixed reviews and the two decided to part in order to embark on solo projects. Prior to the release of Partners, Payne released a solo single for Motown called "Fly" b/w "When I Look at Your Face" in late 1977.
In 1986, Payne joined former members of the Supremes, Jean Terrell and briefly, Cindy Birdsong, to form The Former Ladies Of The Supremes or by its abbreviation, FLOS. [11] When Cindy left to pursue a solo career, Lynda Laurence took her place and they renamed themselves "Jean, Scherrie, & Lynda of the Supremes", recording the single "We're Back', featuring Ali-Ollie Woodson of the Temptations. Throughout the 1980s and the 1990s, they traveled worldwide to continue the Supremes' legacy. When Terrell departed, the group continued with Laurence's sister Sundray Tucker, who was a former member of Stevie Wonder's back-up group, Wonder Love, and this lineup worked prolifically with British record producer Steve Weaver, resulting in a catalogue of 40 new recordings, some of them re-recordings of the Supremes' original hits. Payne and Laurence continued to tour under the FLOS name with third new member Freddi Poole, who joined the group in 1996 replacing Sundray Tucker. In 2000, Payne and Laurence backed Ross on the Return To Love Supremes reunion tour, in which Diana allowed each of them to lead one of the classic Supremes songs. [11] The group celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2006 (with Birdsong, Tucker and Greene in the audience), and around this time began using the group name "Scherrie & Lynda of the Supremes". In September 2009, Vincent joined Payne and Laurence in the group, replacing Freddi Poole, who departed to join the Three Degrees. In 2017, Laurence left the group after 31 years with her tenure in the group, and was replaced by Greene. The group (now consisting of Payne, Greene, and Vincent) was renamed "Scherrie & Susaye, Formerly of The Supremes".[ citation needed ]
As a solo artist, in addition to "V.I.P.", which she recorded while a member of the group Glass House and was featured on their second album, Payne has had club hits, such as a cover version of 10cc's "I'm Not In Love" (featuring her sister [Freda], Edmund Sylvers, and Wilson on backing vocals) in 1982, followed two years later by "One Night Only", a song from Act II of the musical "Dreamgirls", which is a musical based loosely on the history of the Supremes and the advancing of the Motown sound into the disco era. The 12" Megatone Label Disco Single also featured Birdsong on background vocals. Both songs were produced by Rick Gianatos, whom Payne currently records with. Payne recorded a solo album for Superstar International Records which contained several duets with Phillip Ingram. The following year, Payne signed with British producer Ian Levine for his Motown reunion project, Motorcity Records. While with Ian, Payne released two solo singles "Chasing Me Into Somebody Else's Arms" (which was originally recorded in 1979 with Levine and Gianatos) and "Pure Energy" (co-written by Payne and released on Nightmare Records), as well as covers of two of Ross' songs, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "I'm Still Waiting". Other product recorded for Motorcity included "Who's Wrong, Who's Right"; "Hit & Miss"; and "One More Time."[ citation needed ]
In August 2001, Payne was invited to perform at the annual prestigious open-air festival Sunset Junction Street Fair in Los Angeles. She performed Supremes' classics such as "Stoned Love" and "My World Is Empty Without You" in addition to a couple of her own solo hits, "I'm Not In Love" and "Another Life From Now". She made a return to performing at Sunset Junction the following year, performing a similar set. On January 14, 2007, Payne was the special guest star at the "If My Friends Could See Me Now" fund-raiser in Los Angeles, California. She performed her previous hit "One Night Only", from the musical Dreamgirls . Backing her were long-time friends Pam Vincent and [Joyce] Vincent, both formerly of Tony Orlando and Dawn. In 2012, Payne (along with longtime producer Rick Gianatos) recorded and released a version of the Supremes hit "Let Yourself Go" along with a music video. In late 2013, Payne lent her vocals to the Pattie Brooks single "I Like The Way You Move"; she can be seen in the accompanying video as one of the judges. On July 5, 2014, Payne along with Greene performed at the Sheraton in Los Angeles a concert program based on their album "Partners" which was released by Motown in 1979. They were subsequently featured in the magazine Daeida, with a photo shoot; the accompanying article chronicled career highlights with the Supremes and separately as well as the re-release of their "Partners" album on CD.[ citation needed ]
In 2023, Payne was inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame. [12]
From 1973 until 1977, Scherrie dated songwriter Lamont Dozier. [13] By this time, she was rumoured to be in a relationship with Lawrence McCutcheon. [13] [14] Later, she dated Ronnie Phillips(d. 2003). [15] Phillips was the owner of the Dangerous Records label. [16] Together they have one daughter, Shoshanna Payne-Phillips (b. 1985). [16]
Title | Album details |
---|---|
Inside the Glass House |
|
Thanks, I Needed That |
|
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [19] | US R&B /HH [20] | US Record World [21] | CAN [22] | ||
The Supremes |
| 152 | 25 | 179 | — |
High Energy |
| 42 | 24 | 141 | 26 |
Mary, Scherrie & Susaye |
| — | — | 181 | — |
"—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not released |
Title | Album details |
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Supremely Yours | |
Supreme Voices |
|
Title | Album details |
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Bande Originale Du Film "Moi Fleur Bleue" (with Jodie Foster) |
|
Partners (with Susaye Greene) |
|
Incredible |
|
The Best of Driving Wheel Records: Millennium Mixes, Vol. 1 (with Lynda Lawrence and Sundray Tucker) |
|
Vintage Scherrie, Vol. 1 : Remember Who You Are [29] |
|
A-side title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [30] | US Record World [31] | US R&B /HH [32] | US Record World R&B [33] | CAN [34] | |||||||||||||
"Crumbs Off the Table" | 1969 | 59 | 54 | 7 | 5 | 51 | Inside the Glass House | ||||||||||
"I Can't Be You (You Can't Be Me)" | 1970 | 90 | — | 33 | 32 | — | |||||||||||
"Stealing Moments From Another Woman's Life" /"If It Ain't Love, It Don't Matter" | — | — | 44 | 29 | — | Thanks I Needed That /Inside the Glass House | |||||||||||
"Stealing Moments from Another Woman's Life" | 1971 | — | — | 42 | — | — | Thanks I Needed That | ||||||||||
"Touch Me Jesus" | — | — | — | — | — | Inside the Glass House | |||||||||||
"Look What We've Done to Love" | — | 139 | 31 | 35 | — | ||||||||||||
"Playing Games" | 1972 | — | — | — | — | — | Thanks I Needed That | ||||||||||
"Giving Up the Ring" | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
"VIP" | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
"Thanks, I Needed That" | — | — | 47 | 44 | — | ||||||||||||
"—" denotes the single failed to chart or was not released |
A-side title B-side title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [35] | US Cashbox [36] | US Record World [37] | US R&B /HH [38] | US Record World R&B [39] | US Dance [40] | CAN [41] | |||||||||||
"He's My Man" "Give Out, But Don't Give Up" | 1975 | — | — | — | 69 | 65 | 1 | — | The Supremes | ||||||||
"Where Do I Go from Here" "Give Out, But Don't Give Up" | — | — | — | 93 | — | — | — | ||||||||||
"Early Morning Love" 1 "Where Is It I Belong" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
"I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do the Walking"2 [42] "Early Morning Love"4 | 1976 | 40 | 54 | 56 | 25 | 18 | 3 | 53 | High Energy | ||||||||
"High Energy"3 "High Energy" | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | ||||||||||
"You're My Driving Wheel" "You're What's Missing in My Life" | 85 | — | — | 50 | 46 | 5 | — | Mary, Scherrie & Susaye | |||||||||
"Let Yourself Go" "You Are the Heart of Me"4 | 1977 | — | — | — | 83 | — | — | ||||||||||
"Love, I Never Knew You Could Feel So Good" "This Is Why I Believe in You"5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||
"—" denotes the single failed to chart or was not released |
A-side title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US R&B /HH [43] | US Dance [44] | UK [45] | UK Disco [46] | ||||||||||||||
"V.I.P." | 1972 | — | — | — | — | Thanks I Needed That | |||||||||||
"Fly" | 1978 | — | — | — | — | Non album single | |||||||||||
"I'm Not In Love/Girl, You're In Love" | 1982 | — | 35 | 111 | 21 | Non album single | |||||||||||
"One Night Only" | 1984 | — | 41 | — | — | Non album single | |||||||||||
"L.A. Street Scene (It's A Jubilee)" (Donny Osmond featuring Phillip Ingram, Scherrie Payne & Freda Payne) | 1985 | — | — | — | — | Non album single | |||||||||||
"On And On" (with Phillip Ingram) | 1986 | — | — | — | — | Incredible | |||||||||||
"Chasing Me Into Somebody Else's Arms" | — | — | — | — | Non album single | ||||||||||||
"The Right Stuff" | — | — | — | — | Incredible | ||||||||||||
"Incredible" (with Phillip Ingram) | 1987 | 57 | — | — | — | Incredible | |||||||||||
"Testify" | 67 | — | — | — | |||||||||||||
"Pure Energy" | 1989 | — | — | — | — | Non album single | |||||||||||
"Back By Popular Demand" (with Jean Terrell & Lynda Laurence - Formerly Of The Supremes Together w/ The Originals) | 1991 | — | — | — | — | Non album single | |||||||||||
"Stoned Love" (with Jean Terrell & Lynda Laurence) | 1993 | — | — | — | — | Non album single | |||||||||||
"One Night Only 2007" | 2007 | — | — | — | — | Non album single | |||||||||||
"Let Yourself Go" | 2012 | — | — | — | — | Vintage Scherrie, Vol. 1 : Remember Who You Are | |||||||||||
"Remember Who You Are" | 2016 | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
"You Are" (with Sam Green) | 2018 | — | — | — | — | Non album single | |||||||||||
"Unconditional Love" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | Non album single | |||||||||||
"—" denotes the single failed to chart or was not released |
Over the years Scherrie has loaned her vocals as backing vocalist to many established performers, including her sister Freda Payne, on the following listed albums:
For the past four decades Scherrie has also been a songwriter and composer. She has composed a musical entitled Ten Good Years, from which the song "Another Life from Now" was taken; the song features on the Partners album and remains a staple part of Scherrie's rare solo concerts. Songs she has composed or contributed to include:
The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, 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. It is said that their breakthrough 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.
Susaye Greene is an American singer and songwriter. She was the last official member to join the Motown girl group The Supremes, remaining in the group during its final year of existence from 1976 to 1977. She is a successful songwriter as well, having written hit records for Michael Jackson, Deniece Williams, and many others.
Velma Jean Terrell is an American R&B and jazz singer. She replaced Diana Ross as the lead singer of The Supremes in 1970.
Lynda Laurence is an American singer. The youngest daughter of Louise and Ira Tucker, a gospel songwriter, producer, and singer, Laurence's siblings are Sundray Tucker and Ira Tucker Jr.
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.
High Energy is the twenty-eighth studio album by American girl group the Supremes, released in 1976 on the Motown label. The album is the first to feature Susaye Greene; former member of Stevie Wonder's Wonderlove; and is notable for featuring the last Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 pop hit for the group, "I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do the Walking". Of their 1970s releases, High Energy is the second-highest charting album on the US Billboard 200, the first being Right On (1970). In Canada, High Energy is the highest-charting Supremes album since TCB (1968).
The Supremes is the twenty-seventh studio album by The Supremes, released in 1975 on Motown Records.
Mary, Scherrie & Susaye is the twenty-ninth and final studio album by The Supremes, released in 1976 on the Motown label. It featured the final line-up for the Supremes, composed of original Supreme Mary Wilson and latter-day members Scherrie Payne and Susaye Greene. All three Supremes take leads on the album. The album was a mixture of disco dance tracks (Hi-NRG) and R&B ballads. Payne and Greene mostly took over the dance tracks while Wilson performed the ballads. The album was released in October 1976, nine months before the trio disbanded.
Partners is a 1979 album by Scherrie & Susaye released on Motown Records. Following the disbanding of the Supremes in 1977, former group members Scherrie Payne and Susaye Greene recorded the album, sharing songwriting, arranging and production duties. Ray Charles performed on "Luvbug" whilst Joyce Vincent Wilson is featured on background vocals.
"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.
Mary Wilson is the debut solo album by the founding Supremes member, Mary Wilson, released on the Motown label in 1979.
Joyce Vincent Wilson is an American singer, best known as part of the group Tony Orlando and Dawn.
On June 12, 1977, The Supremes performed their final concert together at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London, England.
"I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do the Walking" is a disco-styled soul single composed by the Holland brothers Eddie and Brian, members of the former Holland–Dozier–Holland team and was released as a single by Motown vocal group The Supremes in 1976 on the Motown label. It was the first single since "Your Heart Belongs to Me" in 1962 to feature four Supremes. It is also notable for being the last top forty single the group would score before they disbanded in 1977.
At Their Best is a 1978 album by The Supremes. It includes most of their singles from 1970 through 1976 and featured, at the time, two never-before released songs: "The Sha-La Bandit" and "Love Train". It was released first in the United Kingdom in February 1978, including 14 tracks. It was later released in the US in June 1978, with some of the tracks removed and the track order amended.
The Supremes ('70s): Greatest Hits and Rare Classics is a 1991 compilation album by The Supremes, released on the Motown label. The compilation features a majority of the group's 1970's hits, as well as one solo song by Jean Terrell "I Had To Fall In Love", which was released in 1978 on A&M Records, and two solo tracks by Scherrie Payne, "When I Looked At Your Face" and "Another Life From Now". Three tracks "Everybody's Got the Right to Love" "Floy Joy" and "Automatically Sunshine" also appear in alternate versions.
Let Yourself Go, the follow-up box set to This Is the Story: The '70s Albums, Vol. 1 – 1970–1973: The Jean Terrell Years, comprises The Supremes' albums from 1974 to 1977, featuring original member Mary Wilson, longtime member Cindy Birdsong, newest member Scherrie Payne, and final Supreme Susaye Greene. Included in this set are The Supremes' final three studio albums released in their entirety on CD for the first time. Also included are several unreleased and alternate takes.
"You're My Driving Wheel" is a dance/disco song by The Supremes. The song was released on September 30, 1976 as the first single from their album Mary, Scherrie & Susaye. Along with the tracks, "Let Yourself Go" and "Love I Never Knew", "You're My Driving Wheel" peaked at number five on the disco chart. On the Soul chart, the single peaked at number fifty and number eighty-five on the Hot 100.
"Let Yourself Go" is a disco song recorded by the Supremes. It was written by Harold Beatty, Eddie Holland and Brian Holland. The song was released on January 25, 1977 as the second single from The Supremes' Mary, Scherrie & Susaye album, and the last one by the group officially released in the US, ever. The song peaked at #83 on the US R&B charts.
"Love, I Never Knew You Could Feel So Good" is a song by The Supremes. The song was released in the UK in March, 1977 as the third and last single from their album Mary, Scherrie & Susaye. The song is the last official single ever released by The Supremes.
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