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 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, Michigan. He co-wrote and produced 14 US Billboard number-one hits and four number ones in the UK.
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.
"Heat Wave" is a 1963 song written by the Holland–Dozier–Holland songwriting team. It was first made popular by the Motown vocal group Martha and the Vandellas. Released as a 45 rpm single on July 9, 1963, on the Motown subsidiary Gordy label, it hit number one on the Billboard Hot R&B chart—where it stayed for four weeks—and peaking at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Give Me Just a Little More Time" is the debut single for Chairmen of the Board, released in 1970 through Capitol Records on Holland–Dozier–Holland's Invictus Records label.
"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.
"Leaving Here" is a song written in 1963 by Motown songwriters Holland–Dozier–Holland. Written at the beginning of the partnership, it is notable in several recordings. It was originally released as a single in December 1963 by H-D-H lyricist Eddie Holland and peaked at number 76 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number 27 on the Billboard R&B chart.
"Patches" is a country soul song written by General Johnson and Ron Dunbar and best known in the 1970 hit version by Clarence Carter. It won the 1971 Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Song.
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".
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.
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.
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: 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 the frontman of Chairmen of the Board and an American rhythm and blues songwriter and record producer.
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.
Soulicious is a 2011 studio album by Cliff Richard featuring duets with some of soul music's most respected names. Guest artists include Freda Payne, Dennis Edwards from The Temptations, Candi Staton, Percy Sledge, Roberta Flack, Deniece Williams, Brenda Holloway, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr from The 5th Dimension, Russell Thompkins Jr from The Stylistics, Billy Paul and Peabo Bryson.
