Song:Band Of Gold
Album:Band Of Gold: The Best Of Freda Payne
Freda Payne started out as a jazz singer but had her biggest hit with the 1970 top five smash Band Of Gold. She continued to have success on the R & B charts in the 70s and has also done some acting. She was born Sept. 19, 1945 in Detroit. She grew up admiring singers like Ella Fitzgerald and started out as a teen singing radio jingles. Berry Gordy tried to sign her to Motown and Duke Ellington offered her a job after featuring her on shows in Pittsburgh. Her mom turned them down. After touring with Quincy Jones and then Bill Cosby, She made her recording debut on Impulse Records in 1963. Freda recorded an album for MGM in 1966. But she had her biggest success with the legendary production team of Holland/Dozier/Holland. They left Motown and started Invictus Records in 1969. Band Of Gold reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970. HDH was going through a lawsuit with Berry Gordy at the time so they used the pseudonym Edyth Wayne for songwriting credits. Ron Dunbar co-wrote the song and convinced Freda to sing it. He's been a long time associate of George Clinton. Band Of Gold has been covered by several singers. Country singer Charly McClain had a hit with it in 1983 and former American Idol contestant Kimberley Locke had a dance hit with it in 2007. Freda never matched that success on the pop charts but had a lot of success on the R & B charts on Dunhill & Capitol after she left Invictus in 1973. This Music Club comp has all her hits. She had her own talk show in the 80s and has acted on stage and screen including the 2000 film The Nutty Professor: The Klumps. She last recorded on her own label in 2007 and sang Band Of Gold on the 2009 season of American Idol. Here's Freda Payne performing Band Of Gold on Soul Train 1970.
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