Freda Payne

Biography

Freda Charcilia Payne (born September 19, 1942) 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 popular record is her 1970 hit single "Band of Gold×Band of Gold1970 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Band of Gold2:53A2I Left Some Dreams Back There3:17A3Deeper and Deeper3:00A4Rock Me in the Cradle3:03A5Unhooked Generation2:28A6Love on Borrowed Time2:57B1Through the Memory of My Mind2:39B2This Girl Is a Woman Now2:58B3The World Don’t Owe You a Thing2:56B4Now Is the Time to Say Goodbye3:08B5Happy Heart2:48B6The Easiest Way to Fall2:36". 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. She also acted on Living Single.

Early life and career

Payne was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up listening to jazz singers, such as Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. As a teenager, she attended the Detroit Institute of Musical Arts; she soon began singing radio commercial jingles and took part in (and won many) local TV and radio talent shows. In 1963, she moved to New York City and worked with many entertainers, including Quincy Jones, Pearl Bailey, and Bill Cosby. The next year, her debut album, a jazz recording with arranger Manny Albam titled After the Lights Go Down Low and Much More!!!×After the Lights Go Down Low and Much More!!!1964 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1After the Lights Go Down Low3:292Sweet Pumpkin3:003Blue Piano2:514The Things We Love to Do2:365Awaken My Lonely One2:166Sweet September2:387I Cried for You4:038'Round Midnight4:279Out of This World3:1510Lonely Woman4:0711I Wish I Knew3:5512It's Time1:54 was released on the Impulse! label. (This album was re-issued on CD in Japan in early 2002 and again in the United States in 2005.) In 1965 she toured Europe for the first time, recording an album, Freda Payne in Stockholm, in Sweden with Don Gardner and Bengt-Arne Wallin. In 1966, she released her second American album, again in the jazz idiom, How Do You Say I Don't Love You Anymore×How Do You Say I Don't Love You Anymore1966 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1(How Do You Say) I Don't Love You Anymore2:372Yesterday3:033San Juan2:294You Never Should Have Loved Me2:415Let It Be Me3:156On Easy Street2:037You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'3:168It's Here for You2:579Feeling Good3:1210Sad Sad September1:5511If You Love Me2:3512Too Late2:11, for MGM Records. She also made occasional guest appearances on television shows including The Merv Griffin Show and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
She added theatrical credits to her repertoire: she understudied Leslie Uggams for the Broadway show Hallelujah Baby in 1967, and appeared with the Equity Theatre in a production of Lost in the Stars. In 1969, her old friends back home in Detroit, Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland, persuaded her to sign with their newly formed record label Invictus. During that same year, her first Invictus single, "Unhooked Generation×Unhooked Generation5 November 2001 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 41 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Unhooked Generation2:322The Easiest Way to Fall2:373Band of Gold2:564I Left Some Dreams Back There3:195Deeper and Deeper3:036Rock Me in the Cradle (Of Your Lovin' Arms)3:057Love on Borrowed Time2:598Through the Memories of My Mind2:429This Girl Is a Woman Now2:5910The World Don't Owe You a Thing2:5911Now Is the Time to Say Goodbye3:1012Happy Heart2:5113Cherish What Is Dear to You (While It's Near to You)3:5814I Shall Not Be Moved2:4615I'm Not Getting Any Better6:1516Suddenly It's Yesterday5:0017You Brought the Joy2:5818He's in My Life3:4919You've Got to Love Somebody (Let It Be Me)3:03Disc 21Instrumental Prelude0:552The Road We Didn't Take4:203Bring the Boys Home3:324Odds and Ends3:475Mama's Gone3:286How Can I Live Without My Love2:587Just a Woman2:368Come Back2:529You're the Only Bargain I've Got3:4310We've Gotta Find a Way Back to Love3:0711Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right3:2312Rainy Days and Mondays4:4413If You Go Away6:3514Right Back Where We Started From3:5015Mood for Love3:0816Reaching Out3:2117For No Reason2:3818The Man of My Dreams4:1519Mother Misery's Favourite Child5:1120You Brought the Joy (US single version)2:5721Band of Gold (alternative version)3:4222Deeper and Deeper (single version)3:18" (a minor R&B hit), was released. Shortly thereafter, Eddie Holland offered her a song titled "Band of Gold×Band of Gold1970 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Band of Gold2:53A2I Left Some Dreams Back There3:17A3Deeper and Deeper3:00A4Rock Me in the Cradle3:03A5Unhooked Generation2:28A6Love on Borrowed Time2:57B1Through the Memory of My Mind2:39B2This Girl Is a Woman Now2:58B3The World Don’t Owe You a Thing2:56B4Now Is the Time to Say Goodbye3:08B5Happy Heart2:48B6The Easiest Way to Fall2:36", which he wrote along with Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Ronald Dunbar. In early 1970, the song became an instant pop smash reaching No. 3 in the US and No. 1 in the UK for six consecutive weeks; it also gave Payne her first gold record. Global sales were estimated at two million. An album of the same name proved to be fairly successful as well. Other Invictus singles included "Deeper and Deeper", which reached No. 24 in the US and No. 33 in the UK at the end of 1970; "You Brought the Joy", and the Vietnam War protest song "Bring the Boys Home" (U.S. Billboard Hot 100 No. 12, 1971), her second gold record. Her other Invictus albums were Contact×Contact1971 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1I'm Not Getting Any Better6:16A2Suddenly It's Yesterday4:57A3You Brought the Joy2:57A4Bring the Boys Home3:25A5You've Got to Love Somebody (Let It Be Me)3:03B1Instrumental Prelude0:54B2The Road We Didn't Take4:16B3Odds and Ends3:48B4Cherish What Is Dear to You (While It's Near to You)3:58B5I Shall Not Be Moved2:45B6Mama's Gone3:28 (1971), The Best of Freda Payne×The Best of Freda Payne1997 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 22 tracks1Band of Gold2:572Cherish What Is Dear to You3:593Come Back2:504The Easiest Way to Fall2:385The Unhooked Generation2:316Through the Memory of My Mind2:417He's in My Life3:468I Left Some Dreams Back There3:189Rock Me in the Cradle of Love3:0310You've Got to Love Somebody3:0311Odds and Ends3:5012How Can I Live Without My Love2:5513Bring the Boys Home3:3014I Shall Not Be Moved2:4615You're the Only Bargain I've Got3:4016Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right3:1717Mama's Gone3:2318The Road We Didn't Take4:2019You Brought the Joy2:5720Now Is the Time to Say Goodbye3:0921Love on Borrowed Time2:5722Deeper and Deeper3:03 (1972, a compilation which included four new, unissued songs), and her last Invictus album Reaching Out×Reaching Out1973 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right3:18A2Reaching Out3:15A3For No Reason2:33A4The Man of My Dreams4:09A5Mother Misery's Favorite Child5:02B1We've Gotta Find a Way Back to Love3:05B2Mood for Love3:03B3Rainy Days and Mondays4:36B4If You Go Away6:22B5Right Back Where I Started From3:40 (1973).

In 1973, she left Invictus and recorded albums for ABC/Dunhill and Capitol, but she never found the commercial success that she had enjoyed with Invictus. She recorded a duet "I Wanna See You Soon" with Capitol stablemates Tavares. She released three disco albums for Capitol from 1977 to 1979, Stares and Whispers×Stares and Whispers1977 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1Master of Love7:56A2Love Magnet6:23A3Stares and Whispers3:24B1Feed Me Your Love3:35B2I Get High (On Your Memory)3:09B3Loving You Means So Much to Me3:21B4Bring Back the Joy3:50, Supernatural High×Supernatural High16 October 1978 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracksA1Happy Days Are Here Again / Happy Music (dance the Night Away)5:52A2Pullin' Back3:35A3Tell Me Please3:40A4Just the Thought of You (Supernatural High)6:15B1Livin' for the Beat3:48B2Falling in Love4:00B3I'll Do Anything for You4:18B4Storybook Romance5:30 and Hot. The first one features the disco hit "Love Magnet" produced by Frank Wilson (1977).
In 1981, she briefly hosted her own talk show Today's Black Woman, and also found work acting in different movies, Broadway and other theatre productions throughout the 1980s. Although she was concentrating more on acting by that time, she never gave up music; in 1982, she recorded a single entitled "In Motion" for the Sutra label in New York, and in 1986, she recorded a remake of her old hit "Band of Gold" with Belinda Carlisle. In 1990, she recorded three songs for Ian Levine's UK Motorcity label: another remake of "Band of Gold", "Memories and Souvenirs", and "Only Minutes Away". In the mid-1990s, she released three albums for Dove Music: The (Unauthorized) I Hate Barney Songbook: A Parody (1994), An Evening with Freda Payne: Live in Concert which featured her sister Scherrie Payne on background vocals, and her first (and only) Christmas album Christmas with Freda and Friends×Christmas With Freda And Friends1996 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1What Is Christmas to You4:092Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas5:103The Christmas Song4:454Lets Have Christmas Every Day of the Year4:285Santa Baby2:486The Perfect Time of the Year4:587Silver Bells4:098Oh Little Town of Bethlehem4:499Oh Holy Night/Silent Night Medley5:5110What Christmas Means to Me3:2411This Christmas3:53, which featured a duet between Freda and Scherrie (both 1996). She also continued her acting career appearing in the films, Private Obsession (1995), Ragdoll (1999) as the character Gran, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000), and Fire & Ice (made-for-TV, 2001).

Later career

In early 2001, Payne released a new album entitled Come See About Me×Come See About Me27 February 2001 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Let’s Make Beautiful Music4:122(It Looks Like) I’ll Never Gonna Fall in Love Again4:343First Impression3:064I Live for New York City5:025At This Moment3:436You Turned the Tables on Me4:147I Couldn’t Live Without Your Love4:548Come See About Me3:539You Complete Me4:2510Nice to Be With You5:3411Just Like That4:06 for the Volt Records label (the title track is a remake of the Supremes' hit). In early 2003, she performed in a show called Love & Payne, with Darlene Love at Feinstein's at the Regency in New York, and at the Cinegrill in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, getting excellent reviews.
During the early 2000s, the following compilation albums of her music were released: Lost in Love (which includes nine of her post-Invictus recordings), Band of Gold: The Best of Freda Payne (both 2000), Unhooked Generation: The Complete Invictus Recordings (2001), and The Best of Freda Payne: Ten Best Series (2002). In late 2002, Payne appeared with many R&B stars on the "Rhythm, Love, and Soul" edition of the PBS series American Soundtrack. Her performance of "Band of Gold×Band of Gold1970 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Band of Gold2:53A2I Left Some Dreams Back There3:17A3Deeper and Deeper3:00A4Rock Me in the Cradle3:03A5Unhooked Generation2:28A6Love on Borrowed Time2:57B1Through the Memory of My Mind2:39B2This Girl Is a Woman Now2:58B3The World Don’t Owe You a Thing2:56B4Now Is the Time to Say Goodbye3:08B5Happy Heart2:48B6The Easiest Way to Fall2:36" was included on the accompanying live album that was released in 2004. On April 22, 2009, Payne appeared on American Idol and sang "Band of Gold".
In February 2010, Payne joined Kanye West, Jordin Sparks, Jennifer Hudson, Barbra Streisand and many more on We Are the World for Haiti Relief. In 2011, Payne recorded a duet, "Saving A Life", with British pop star Sir Cliff Richard for inclusion on his Soulicious album. She joined Richard on his "Soulicious" tour of the UK in October of the same year. She sang the new duet with Richard along with her own hit "Band of Gold".
In January 2018, she performed "A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald", in the Sitnik Theatre of the Lackland Performing Arts Center, in Hackettstown, New Jersey.

Personal life and honors

Payne was married to American singer Gregory Abbott from 1976 until 1979. Their wedding took place in Chicago. They spent their honeymoon in Acapulco, Mexico. Payne and Abbott had a son, Gregory Abbott Jr., who was born on September 19, 1977, Payne's 35th birthday. Payne later had a relationship with American musician Edmund Sylvers (lead singer of the Sylvers) from 1979 until January 1983. Sylvers wrote and produced her 1982 single "In Motion".
In 1974, she made the cover of Jet after she was
appointed a Dame of Justice of the Order of St John of Jerusalem by the Prince of Rumania.
In 2017, Payne was inducted into the 2017 class of the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, in her hometown of Detroit.
In 2023, the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame awarded Payne a Lifetime Achievement and Legacy Award.

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

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