Freda Payne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Freda Payne
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Payne in 1997
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| Born |
Freda Charcilia Payne
September 19, 1942 |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1961–present |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Partner(s) | Edmund Sylvers (1979–1983) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Scherrie Payne (sister) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Labels | |
Freda Charcilia Payne, born on September 19, 1942, is a talented American singer and actress. She became famous for her music from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s. Her biggest hit song was "Band of Gold" in 1970. Freda Payne also acted in musicals and movies. She even hosted her own TV talk show. Freda is the older sister of Scherrie Payne, who used to sing with the famous group the Supremes. Freda also appeared on the TV show Living Single.
Contents
Freda Payne's Life and Music Career
Early Life and Start in Music
Freda Payne was born in Detroit, Michigan. Growing up, she loved listening to jazz singers like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. As a teenager, she studied at the Detroit Institute of Musical Arts. Soon, she started singing for radio commercials. She also won many local TV and radio talent shows.
In 1963, Freda moved to New York City. There, she worked with many famous entertainers, including Quincy Jones and Bill Cosby. The next year, she released her first album, a jazz recording called After the Lights Go Down Low and Much More!!!. This album was released by Impulse! label. In 1965, she toured Europe for the first time. She recorded an album in Sweden with Don Gardner. In 1966, she released her second American jazz album, How Do You Say I Don't Love You Anymore, with MGM Records. She also appeared on TV shows like The Merv Griffin Show.
Rise to Stardom with Invictus Records
Freda also started acting in plays. In 1967, she was an understudy for the Broadway show Hallelujah Baby. In 1969, her friends from Detroit, Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland, asked her to join their new record label, Invictus. Her first song with Invictus, "Unhooked Generation," was a small hit.
Soon after, Eddie Holland offered her a song called "Band of Gold". He wrote it with Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Ronald Dunbar. In early 1970, this song became a huge pop hit! It reached No. 3 in the US and No. 1 in the UK for six weeks. It also became Freda's first gold record, selling about two million copies worldwide. The album with the same name was also very successful.
Other popular songs from Invictus included "Deeper and Deeper" and "You Brought the Joy." She also released the Vietnam War protest song "Bring the Boys Home" in 1971. This song reached No. 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was her second gold record. Her other albums with Invictus were Contact (1971) and Reaching Out (1973).
In 1973, Freda left Invictus. She recorded albums for ABC/Dunhill and Capitol. However, she did not have the same big success she had with Invictus. She recorded a duet called "I Wanna See You Soon" with the group Tavares. From 1977 to 1979, she released three disco albums for Capitol: Stares and Whispers, Supernatural High, and Hot. The first album included the disco hit "Love Magnet."
Acting and Later Music Work
In 1981, Freda briefly hosted her own talk show called Today's Black Woman. She also found work acting in different movies and theater shows throughout the 1980s. Even though she was acting more, she never stopped making music. In 1982, she recorded a song called "In Motion." In 1986, she re-recorded her hit "Band of Gold" with Belinda Carlisle.
In the 1990s, she released three albums for Dove Music. These included The (Unauthorized) I Hate Barney Songbook: A Parody (1994) and An Evening with Freda Payne: Live in Concert (1996). Her sister Scherrie Payne sang background vocals on this live album. Freda also released her first Christmas album, Christmas with Freda and Friends (1996), which featured a duet with Scherrie. She continued her acting career in films like Private Obsession (1995), Ragdoll (1999), and Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000).
Recent Career Highlights
In 2001, Freda released a new album called Come See About Me with Volt Records. The main song on the album was a new version of the Supremes' hit. In 2003, she performed in a show called Love & Payne with Darlene Love in New York and Los Angeles. They received great reviews.
Many collections of her music were released in the early 2000s. These included Lost in Love (2000) and Unhooked Generation: The Complete Invictus Recordings (2001). In 2002, Freda appeared on the PBS show "American Soundtrack." She sang "Band of Gold," and her performance was included on the live album released in 2004. On April 22, 2009, Freda Payne appeared on American Idol and sang "Band of Gold" again.
In February 2010, Freda Payne joined many stars like Kanye West and Jennifer Hudson to record "We Are the World" for Haiti Relief. In 2011, she recorded a duet called "Saving A Life" with British pop star Sir Cliff Richard. This song was on his Soulicious album. She also joined him on his "Soulicious" tour in the UK, singing their duet and her own hit "Band of Gold."
In January 2018, she performed a special show called "A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald" in New Jersey.
Freda Payne's Family and Awards
Freda Payne was married to singer Gregory Abbott from 1976 to 1979. They got married in Chicago and spent their honeymoon in Acapulco, Mexico. Freda and Gregory had a son named Gregory Abbott Jr., who was born on September 19, 1977, which was also Freda's 35th birthday. Later, Freda had a relationship with musician Edmund Sylvers from 1979 to 1983.
In 2017, Freda Payne was honored in her hometown of Detroit. She was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame. In 2023, the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame gave Freda Payne a Lifetime Achievement and Legacy Award for her amazing career.
Discography
Studio Albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US 200 |
US R&B |
||
| 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 | — | — |
| 2021 | Let There Be Love | — | — |
| "—" means the album did not appear on the charts | |||
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
Compilation Albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US 200 |
US R&B |
||
| 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 | — | — |
| "—" means the album did not appear on the charts | |||
Singles
As a Lead Artist
| Title | Year | Chart positions | Sales | Certifications | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
US R&B |
AUS |
UK |
|||||
| "(Desafinado) Slightly Out of Tune" | 1962 | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| "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 |
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| "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 | — | — |
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| "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 | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| "—" means the single did not appear on the charts or was not released | ||||||||
As a Featured Artist
| Title | Year | Chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Dance |
CAN |
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| "I Wanna See You Soon" (Tavares featuring Freda Payne) |
1977 | — | — | The Best Of Tavares |
| "L.A. Street Scene (It's A Jubilee)" (Donny Osmond featuring Phillip Ingram, Scherrie Payne and Freda Payne) |
1985 | — | — | Non-album single |
| "Band of Gold" (Belinda Carlisle featuring Freda Payne) |
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
- 1993: Living Single
- 1997: Sprung
- 1999: Ragdoll
- 2000: Nutty Professor II: The Klumps
- 2001: Deadly Rhapsody
- 2007: Cordially Invited
- 2014: Ella: First Lady of Song
- 2014: The Divorce
- 2017: Kinky
- 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
