Peaches & Herb
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Peaches & Herb are a vocalist duo, once comprising Herb Fame, and Francine "Peaches" Hurd Barker (April 28, 1947 - August 13, 2005). Herb has remained a constant in "Peaches & Herb" since its creation in 1966, while six different women have filled the role of "Peaches".
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[edit] History
Herb Fame (born Herbert Feemster, October 1, 1942, in Anacostia, Washington, D.C.), sang in church and neighborhood groups as a child. After graduation from high school, he worked in a local record store where he met record producer Van McCoy and was signed to Columbia subsidiary Date Records by McCoy and A&R executive Dave Kapralik.[1] Francine "Peaches" Barker (born Francine Edna Hurd, April 28, 1947, in Washington, D.C.), using the stage name Francine Day,[2] started a singing trio initially dubbed The Darlettes and later renamed The Sweet Things after a change of record label to Date Records.[3] Having produced two releases for the trio, McCoy decided to record Feemster/Fame and Hurd/Day together at Kapralik's suggestion.[4][5][6] The resulting single, "We're in This Thing Together," was distributed to radio stations but went nowhere for months until December 1966 when a St. Louis disc jockey broadcast the single's B-side, a revival of the 1934 hit, "Let's Fall in Love".[7][8]
The new duo, christened "Peaches & Herb", had a string of successful singles and albums over the next two years such as "Let's Fall in Love", "Close Your Eyes", "For Your Love", and "Love Is Strange". Despite burgeoning success and a media image as the "Sweethearts of Soul", Barker chose to semi-retire from the duo after two years because of the rigors of touring. Marlene Mack (aka Marlene Jenkins) who had sung on the Jaynetts' hit Sally Go 'Round the Roses and had recorded as Marlina Mars, [1] replaced Barker on stage, but Barker remained on all of the duo's recordings for Date Records. During this period, the semi-retired "Peaches" also worked as a solo artist using her married name, Francine Barker. She released three singles in total on the Columbia Records label,[9] including "Angels in the Sky" and "Mister DJ".
Fame retired the act in 1970 when, for personal reasons, he enrolled in the police academy of Washington, D.C. and thereafter joined the city's police department.[10] Peaches & Herb lay dormant until Fame decided to re-enter the music business in 1976. In his search for a new "Peaches", Herb again enlisted the assistance of Van McCoy, who suggested that Linda Greene would be suitable for the position. Fame met Greene and concurred, thereby leading to formation of the most successful of the "Peaches & Herb" incarnations to date.
Fame and Greene recorded seven albums altogether, including one album released only in Argentina. Their first album, Peaches & Herb, was recorded for MCA Records and produced by Van McCoy, but it generated only one charted hit, "We're Still Together". Peaches & Herb signed with MVP/Polydor and released 2 Hot, which went gold. Its first single was "Shake Your Groove Thing" which went gold and peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1979. The follow-up single, viewed as the album's "secret weapon" by producer/songwriter Freddie Perren, was the triple platinum hit "Reunited".[1] This song, evoking the 1960s Peaches & Herb hit "United", reached #1 on both the Hot 100 and the Billboard R&B chart. It was also a chart-topper in Canada. "Reunited" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1980. Subsequent releases with Polydor produced several more hits including the lasting wedding staple, "I Pledge My Love". After changing labels again to the Entertainment Company, Fame and Greene released their seventh album in 1983. Scoring only one minor hit, Greene and Fame decided to make no more albums and retired their partnership. Once again, Fame returned to law enforcement and joined the US Marshals Service in 1986 as a deputized court security officer at the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.[10] Greene returned to her family and, together with her husband Stephen Tavani, went on to release three gospel albums and start the charity, WOW (Winning Our World).[11]
While remaining employed at the court, Fame again revived the brand in 1990. For the fourth "Peaches" he chose Patrice Hawthorne, fresh from television exposure on the Natalie Cole-hosted talent show "Big Break".[12] The duo appeared infrequently in concerts, but did not release any recordings. Hawthorne remains a Philadelphia bandleader of her own orchestra, CTO Soho.
Due to unpaid royalties, Fame's financial state was far from wealthy despite years of hits and selling nine million records with Greene. Thus, in 2001, Fame and Greene hired attorneys Oren Warshavsky and Steven Ames Brown through Artists Rights Enforcement Corporation. The attorneys brought a lawsuit against MVP Records, then headed by Christine Perren. Perren's testimony at trial revealed a series of contradictions in MVP's defense, with the result that Fame and Greene received royalties, income, and a reaffirmation of their artists' rights. Those rights have since been vigorously defended.[13][14]
Having financial security, Fame would then have been able to leave the court and focus solely on his music career. Instead, he banked significant funds and continued enjoying the work.[10] A fifth "Peaches", Wanda Makle, subsequently performed with Fame in weekend appearances,[15] and in 2008 they were reported to be planning a recording together.[16] Those plans dissolved, and instead Makle was ultimately dropped in favor of the sixth "Peaches", Meritxell Negre from Barcelona, Spain.
Negre, who was introduced to Fame by known producer, Bill Davis, is the first-ever non-black Peaches and second recording artist to co-record a Peaches and Herb album.[17] Together, Fame and Negre recorded "Colors of Love", the first album from Peaches & Herb since 1983, making her only the third recording artist to co-record a Peaches & Herb album. Combined with Fame’s classic, zesty tenor flair, Negre’s soulful, alto-soprano range seamlessly replaces Linda Greene after the Peaches & Herb album, “Remember” 25 years later.[18] "Colors of Love" was released in May 2009 by Imagen Records, approximately three months after Negre's stage debut as "Peaches".[19]
[edit] Discography
[edit] LPs / CDs
| Title | Label | Year of Release | Country of Release | Peak Billboard Chart Position* | Peaches: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For Your Love | Date | 1967 | USA | 13 | Francine Barker |
| Let's Fall in Love | 30 | ||||
| Peaches & Herb | MCA | 1977 | - | Linda Greene | |
| 2 Hot | MVP / Polydor | 1978 | 2 | ||
| Twice the Fire | 1979 | 31 | |||
| Demasiado Candente | Argentina | - | |||
| Worth the Wait | 1980 | USA | 12 | ||
| Sayin' Something | 1981 | 16 | |||
| Remember | The Entertainment Co. / Columbia | 1983 | - | ||
| Colors of Love | Imagen | 2009 | NA | Meritxell Negre |
*Based on Billboard's Hot 100, R&B, and Disco/Dance singles charts. [Source: Billboard Top Pop Hits and Billboard Top R&B Hits by Joel Whitburn;"
[edit] Greatest Hits / Best Of / Compilations
| Title | Label | Year of Release | Country of Release | Peak Billboard Chart Position* | Peaches: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greatest Hits | Date | 1968 | USA | 18 | Francine Barker |
| Greatest Hits | Epic | 1979 | - | ||
| Sweathearts of Soul | Origianal Sound Entertainment | 1994 | - | ||
| Reunited: At Their Best | PSM | 1995 | - | Linda Greene | |
| Best of Peaches & Herb | MVP / Polydor | 1996 | - | ||
| Reunited | Rotation / MVP / Polydor | 2001 | EU | - | |
| 20th Century Masters | MVP / Polydor | 2002 | USA | - | |
| Two of a Kind | Collectables | 2005 | - | Francine Barker | |
| Old School Cruzin' With Peaches & Herb | Thump | - | |||
| The Best of Peaches & Herb: Love Is Strange | Epic / Legacy | 2007 | - |
*Based on Billboard's Hot 100, R&B, and Disco/Dance singles charts. [Source: Billboard Top Pop Hits and Billboard Top R&B Hits by Joel Whitburn;"
[edit] 7" Singles / Radio Promos
| Title | Label | Year | Country of Release | US Billboard Chart * | UK Chart Position #[20] | NL (Dutch) | Peaches: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close Your Eyes | Date | 1967 | USA | 8 | - | - | Francine Barker |
| For You Love | 20 | - | - | ||||
| Two Little Kids b/w We've Got to Love One Another | 31 | - | - | ||||
| Let's Fall in Love | 21 | - | - | ||||
| Love Is Strange b/w It's True I Love You | 13 | - | - | ||||
| United b/w Thank You | 1968 | 46 | - | - | |||
| Let's Make a Promise b/w Me & You | 75 | - | - | ||||
| The Ten Commandments of Love | 55 | - | - | ||||
| Let Me Be the One b/w I Need Your Love So Desperately | 1969 | 74 | - | - | |||
| When He Touches Me (Nothing Else Matters | 49 | - | - | ||||
| Darling How Long b/w Cupid | - | - | - | ||||
| The Sound of Silence | 1970 | 100 | - | - | |||
| Just a Game, Love b/w Satisfy My Hunger | - | - | - | ||||
| God Save This World | Columbia | 1971 | - | - | - | ||
| I'm Counting on You | MCA | 1977 | - | - | - | Linda Greene | |
| Shake Your Groove Thing b/w All Your Love (Give It Here) | MVP / Polydor | 1978 | 5 | 26 | 22 | ||
| Reunited b/w Easy As Pie | 1 | 4 | 2 | ||||
| Reunited b/w We Got Love | Germany | - | - | - | |||
| We Got Love b/w Four's a Traffic Jam | USA | 44 | - | 14 | |||
| Roller Skatin' Mate | 1979 | 66 | - | - | |||
| I Pledge My Love b/w (I Want Us)Back Together | 19 | - | - | ||||
| Howzabout Some Love b/w Put It There | Spain | - | - | - | |||
| Sacude Tu Alegria b/w Todo Tu Amor | Argentina | - | - | - | |||
| Fun Time | 1980 | USA | - | - | - | ||
| All Night Celebration | - | - | - | ||||
| Hearsay | - | - | - | ||||
| Freeway | 1981 | - | - | - | |||
| Bluer Than Blue | - | - | - | ||||
| Remember | The Entertainment Co. / Columbia | 1983 | - | - | - | ||
| In My World b/w Keep on Smiling | - | - | - |
*Based on Billboard's Hot 100, R&B, and Disco/Dance singles charts. [Source: Billboard Top Pop Hits and Billboard Top R&B Hits by Joel Whitburn;"
# Based on Complete UK Hit Singles 1952 - 2006 publised by Collins UK
"I Pledge My Love" also reached number one on the New Zealand Singles Chart for a week in 1980.
[edit] 12" Singles / Maxi Singles
| Title | Label | Year of Release | Country of Release | Peak Billboard Chart Position* | Peaches: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shake Your Groove Thing | MVP / Polydor | 1978 | USA | - | Linda Greene |
| Roller Skatin' Mate | 1979 | - | |||
| Fun Time | 1980 | - | |||
| Freeway | 1981 | - | |||
| Shake Your Groove Thing (Serious Rope Remixes) | Mother / MVP / Polydor | 1994 | UK | - |
*Based on Billboard's Hot 100, R&B, and Disco/Dance singles charts. [Source: Billboard Top Pop Hits and Billboard Top R&B Hits by Joel Whitburn;"
[edit] Latest Singles: “Colors of Love” CD
| Title | Label | Year of Release | Country of Release | Peak Billboard Chart Position* | Peaches: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Higher | Imagen | 2009 | USA | - | Meritxell Negre |
| What You Gonna Do? | 2009 | - | |||
| Tell Me That You Love Me | 2009 | - | |||
| Spend the Night | 2009 | - | |||
| Dance Floor | 2009 | - | |||
| Girl You Got a Home | 2009 | - | |||
| Take It Slow | 2009 | - | |||
| If You Say You Love Me | 2009 | - | |||
| Any Day | 2009 | - | |||
| Say That You Love Me | 2009 | - |
Peaches & Herb © Copyright-Highway Star Productions llc TA/Imagen Records (896492002000) Record Label: Imagen Records
[edit] Legacy
The disco song "Shake Your Groove Thing" has featured prominently in many films such as An Extremely Goofy Movie, Monster, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Connie and Carla and Marock,[21] as well as in an advertisement campaign by Intel in the late 1990s. The song was covered by Alvin and the Chipmunks with Drew Seeley for their album Undeniable. Also, the cast of That 70s Show sang it in the episode "That 70s Musical".
In June 2009, rock band Faith No More opened their set at Brixton Academy with their own cover of "Reunited" the song alluding to the band's own eleven year break up and subsequent reunion. They subsequently did the same for their headlining slot at Download Festival on June 12.
[edit] See also
- Music of Washington, D.C.
- List of Soul Train episodes (seasons 1-9)
- List of artists who reached number one in the United States
- List of acts who appeared on American Bandstand
- List of Polydor Records artists
- List of performers on Top of the Pops
- List of artists who reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Peaches and Herb" Web page at the Soultracks Web site, accessed May 30, 2009
- ^ "Some More Soul Than Has Been Missed" Web page at the soulwalking Web site, accessed May 30, 2009
- ^ "Francine Barker" Web page at the Spectropop Remembers Web site, accessed May 30, 2009
- ^ "Peaches & Herb" Web page at the NME Web site, accessed May 30, 2009
- ^ Hogan, Ed, "Biography", article in the "Peaches & Herb" Web page at the All Music Web Site, accessed May 30, 2009
- ^ "Reunited" Web page at the Super Seventies Rocksite Web site, accessed May 30, 2009
- ^ "Bio" Web page at the Peaches and Herb Web site, accessed May 30, 2009
- ^ Hogan, Ed, "Biography", article in the "Peaches & Herb" Web page at the All Music Web Site, accessed May 30, 2009
- ^ "Francine Barker" Web page at the Spectropop Remembers Web site, accessed May 30, 2009
- ^ a b c du Lac, J. Freedom, "For R & B Star, Day Job's the Real High Note", article in The Washington Post, May 29, 2009, accessed May 30, 2009
- ^ Christian, Margena, "Where are … Peaches & Herb?", article in Jet, May 5, 2008, accessed May 30, 2009
- ^ "Patty's Biography" Web page at the Patrice Hawthorne Web site, accessed May 30, 2009
- ^ Nydailynews,com
- ^ Pr-inside.com
- ^ The Arkansas Democrat Gazette, "MUSIC: Magic Springs lines up peachy show", article in The Arkansas Democrat Gazette, July 18, 2008, accessed May 30, 2009
- ^ Christian, Margena, "Where are … Peaches & Herb?", article in Jet, May 5, 2008, accessed May 30, 2009
- ^ Web page at the MeritxellMusic “Meritxell Negre” Web site accessed September 25, 2009.
- ^ Web page at the Soulmusic.com” Web Site accessed September 28, 2009
- ^ "News & Press" Web page at the Imagen Records Web site, accessed May 30, 2009
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 421. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Allocine.fr
