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The Three Degrees

January 20, 2023

For other uses, see The Three Degrees (disambiguation).

The Three Degrees is an American female vocal group formed circa 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1] Although 16 women have been members over the years, the group has always been a trio. The current line-up consists of Valerie Holiday, Helen Scott, and Freddi Poole. The group were particularly successful in the UK, achieving 13 Top 50 hit singles between 1974 and 1985.

The Three Degrees
The group's lineup since 2011 (from left to right: Valerie Holiday, Freddi Poole and Helen Scott)
Background information
OriginPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres
Years activec. 1963–present
Labels
Members
Past members
Websitewww.thethreedegrees.com

The original members were Fayette Pinkney, Shirley Porter and Linda Turner. Porter and Turner were eventually replaced by Janet Harmon and Helen Scott and then subsequently by Sheila Ferguson, Sundray Tucker, Sonia Goring and Valerie Holiday. The line-up from 1967 to 1976 was Pinkney, Valerie Holiday and Sheila Ferguson, who would go on to sing lead on most of the group's biggest hits. This line-up topped the US Hot 100 as featured vocalists on the MFSB single "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" in 1974, and had seven UK Top 40 hits, including the 1974 single "When Will I See You Again", which was a huge international hit, reaching the Top 5 in seven countries, including number two in the US and topping the UK Singles Chart.[2] When Pinkney left the group in 1976, she was replaced by a returning Helen Scott. This line-up had four UK Top 20 hits, including "Woman in Love", which reached number three in 1979. Ferguson left for a solo career in 1986.

The group's most stable line-up was from 1989 to 2010, with Cynthia Garrison joining Holiday and Scott. They achieved a final UK chart entry, reaching number 54 in 1998 with a dance cover of "Last Christmas". Garrison left the band at the end of 2010 due to health reasons, and was replaced by Freddi Poole in 2011. The group's 2016 album, Strategy: Our Tribute to Philadelphia, was their first studio album release with Poole as a member. Valerie Holiday is the longest serving Degree with almost 56 years of continuous service to her name. [3][4], whilst Scott is the only remaining original member, despite a hiatus from the group from 1966 to 1976 and another temporary hiatus due to catching COVID-19, during which Tabitha King is filling in.

Career

1960s

The Three Degrees were formed around 1963 in Philadelphia according to founder member, the late Fayette Pinkney: "it's about '63, last year in high school...and it was fun!". They were discovered by producer and songwriter Richard Barrett,[1] who produced the original line-up on their first song, "Gee Baby (I'm Sorry)", for Swan Records, in 1965.[1] Turner and Porter both left the group, leaving Fayette Pinkney the only original member. They were eventually replaced by Helen Scott and Janet Harmon [1] Barrett also became manager of Sheila Ferguson, who had been friends with Scott since high school.[1] Barrett signed Ferguson to Swan Records in 1965.[1] The Three Degrees released a number of singles, including "I'm Gonna Need You" and a cover version of "Maybe" in 1966. Fayette, Janet and Helen were often joined by Sheila on their Swan recordings and the Group often backed Sheila on her solo records during that time.

When Scott left the group in 1966 to start a family,[1] Ferguson filled in for her. She remained for 20 years and was lead singer on most of the group's best-selling tracks. Harmon left by 1967 and after Sundray Tucker and Sonia Goring came and went, she was eventually replaced by Valerie Holiday.[1] Barrett signed them to recording contracts over the next three years with Warner Bros., Metromedia, and Neptune record labels,[1] the latter owned by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, who would work with the group five years later. The group's close harmony singing made them a popular nightclub act, but a hit record still eluded them.

1970s

By 1970, they were signed to Roulette Records and they released their first album, Maybe.[1] The title song, this time with Valerie Holiday taking the lead, took them to No. 4 on the US R&B chart. The singles, "I Do Take You" and "You're the Fool" followed, as did their second album, So Much Love. This success landed them a cameo appearance in the 1971 film, The French Connection, where they performed a cover of Jimmy Webb's "Everybody Gets to Go to the Moon", filmed during one of their appearances at the Copacabana nightclub in New York City.[1]

In 1973, when their contract with Roulette ended, Barrett signed them to Philadelphia International Records under Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, where they had their greatest successes.[1] The first song they recorded for the label was with the studio band MFSB, titled "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)", which was the theme song for Soul Train.[1] In October 1973, the group also made an appearance on the American television sitcom Sanford and Son (season 3, episode 4), singing their song "I Didn't Know".[1]

Their first album for the Philadelphia International label, The Three Degrees, spawned three hits: "Dirty Ol' Man" (which went gold in the Netherlands and Belgium), "Year Of Decision" (which made it to No. 13 in the UK Singles Chart),[5] but it was the third single, "When Will I See You Again", that propelled the trio into the mainstream. It topped the UK Chart for two weeks in August 1974 (the first time this had been achieved by an all-female group since The Supremes in 1964,[5]) and became the fourth best-selling single of the year.[6] It also reached No. 2 in the US, where it sold over two million copies and earned the trio a gold record in December 1974[1][2] (at that time, Platinum certifications had not been assigned to singles).

The Three Degrees also recorded two live albums: one in Leicester in the UK, and the other in Tokyo in Japan, and released both in 1975. The trio's second studio album for the Philadelphia label, The Three Degrees International, was marketed internationally under different titles and in various languages. In Continental Europe, it was called With Love, and it spawned the hit single "Take Good Care Of Yourself", which reached the UK Top 10. The UK release of the album was actually titled Take Good Care Of Yourself and peaked at No. 6 in the UK Albums Chart, their highest ever chart placing for an album there.[5] Two other songs from the album were big successes in Japan: "Midnight Train" and "Nigai Namida [ja]", the latter having been recorded in Japanese.

In 1976, the Three Degrees parted company with Gamble and Huff and moved to CBS Sony/Epic Records where they released the concept album, A Toast Of Love, purely for the Far East market, although a single of the title track was released internationally. In 1976, Fayette Pinkney was replaced by former band member Helen Scott.[1] The album, Standing Up For Love,[1] released in 1977 was their last release for CBS/Epic.

In 1978, The Three Degrees signed to Ariola Records in Europe and the US and began working with Giorgio Moroder, who had become famous as a disco producer following his work with Donna Summer. Further success was to follow, and they released two disco-styled albums on Ariola (New Dimensions in 1978, and 3D in 1979) which delivered four UK Top 20 hits between them: "Givin' Up Givin' In", "Woman in Love", "The Runner" and "My Simple Heart". The group performed for Prince Charles at his 30th birthday party in 1978, and were guests at the pre-wedding party for his marriage to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.[1] Their own television special, The Three Degrees at The Royal Albert Hall (aka An Evening with The Three Degrees), was recorded in October 1979 in which the trio were backed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

1980s

In 1980, the compilation album Gold was released and became a UK Top 10 hit. Featuring one side of their hits on the Ariola label between 1978 and 1979, and one side of live recordings from their 1979 Royal Albert Hall television special, this would be the trio's second "best of" compilation to make the UK Top 10 in less than two years, after CBS released A Collection of their 20 Greatest Hits in early 1979 (which featured their pre-Ariola material, and peaked at number 8 in the UK Albums Chart).

Between 1982 and 1985, The Three Degrees released two albums on their own 3D label; Album of Love and Live in the UK.[1] On that label they also released "Liar", a single written by Sheila Ferguson.[1] A third BBC Television show was also recorded in 1982, titled Take 3 Degrees, which included performances of their greatest hits, and also songs that the group were performing in their latest show, such as "I Can't Turn You Loose" and "Celebration".

They returned to the UK charts in 1985 with "The Heaven I Need" which was produced by Stock/Aitken/Waterman on Supreme Records, though the single narrowly missed the UK Top 40.[1] The band expressed surprise the song did not chart higher, and spoke of their regret that their working relationship with the production team did not continue.[7]

In 1986, Miquel Brown filled in for Scott while the latter was pregnant. That same year Ferguson decided to leave the group to focus on her family life and raising her daughters. [8] [1] Scott and Holiday replaced Ferguson with Vera Brown of The Ritchie Family in 1986, and then Rhea Harris in 1987. In 1989, Scott and Holiday, along with new recruit Victoria Wallace, recorded the album Three Degrees ... And Holding on Ichiban Records.[1] A single, "A Tender Lie" was also released. Following the album, the group recorded a live CD at London's Dominion Theatre, with Billy Paul and Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes in 1989.[1] The group followed this with another tour of the UK and Japan at the end of the year. Since Ferguson left the group, Holiday permanently took over as the lead singer of the group since then.

In a 2006 documentary interview, which featured Ferguson and Holiday speaking about their time together in the group, it was revealed that when Ferguson decided to leave the group, she spoke to the group members on a phone call about her decision instead of in person, and both parties felt that the conversation ended abruptly. In addition, Holiday commented feeling upset that this specific conversation should have been in person, and not on a phone call, and Holiday commented that it was difficult to find a replacement for Ferguson. Since then, Ferguson has had limited contact with the members of the group, and Ferguson has never had any public appearances with The Three Degrees. In a 2011 interview on the British TV show, Lorraine, with The Three Degrees, they commented they may from time to time run into Ferguson in their home city of Philadelphia, as members of The Three Degrees, as well as Ferguson, come back to their home city to visit family members and friends. Often their encounters with Ferguson are only for brief moments; as one of the members Helen Scott had mentioned it is like ships that pass in the night.[9][10][11]

1990s onwards

In December 1989, Cynthia Garrison replaced Wallace forming the longest running line-up of the group. In 1993, they were asked to record a new version of "When Will I See You Again" with Thomas Anders (of Modern Talking). He supplied three tracks for their album Out of the Past Into the Future, marking their return to Ariola Records and their most successful album for 15 years, Two further singles were released from the album, the re-recording of "Dirty Ol' Man" and new song "Hurry Hurry". In 1996 they released a new best of album, Best & New Hits: When Will I See You Again, which included four re-recorded hits and six new songs.[12] A seasonal album, Christmas With The Three Degrees, was also recorded in 1998. This album included a cover of Wham's "Last Christmas", which was released as a remixed dance single which gave the group their 15th (and final) UK top 60 single, reaching number 54.

Scott, Holiday and Garrison continued to tour. They made their first US TV appearance in over 20 years in 2003 on the PBS show, Rhythm, Love, and Soul with Aretha Franklin, Lou Rawls and Mary Wilson. They were also part of the 'Best Disco In Town 2004 Tour' with The Pointer Sisters, Chic, The Emotions, and Evelyn "Champagne" King. They also took part in the 2007 'Best Disco In Town' tour of the United Kingdom in May 2007.

In 2008, the group released the album Helen, Valerie, Cynthia: The Greatest Hits, which included completely new recordings of the group's biggest hits and some fan favourites.[13]

The group, together with founder member Fayette Pinkney, received various honours during 2007 and 2008, through BEMA (The Black Entertainment and Music Association) and the City of Philadelphia for their contribution to music over five decades, creating, for the first time, The Four Degrees.

Fayette Pinkney died on June 27, 2009, in Lansdale Hospital, Pennsylvania, after a short illness, at the age of 61.[14]

In 2009, the group released their first studio album in over ten years, Undercover 2009. It contained a selection of eight cover versions of classic songs by ABBA, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon and Bee Gees.[15] The following year they released a new single "Holding Back".[16]

In January 2011, Freddie Pool replaced Cynthia Garrison, who was suffering from Piriformis syndrome, as the Degrees had touring commitments to fulfill.

In 2016, the Three degrees released their first studio album with member Freddie Pool entitled Strategy: Our Tribute To Philadelphia, through Cherry Red Records.[17]

The Holiday/Scott/Garrison version of The Three Degrees was the longest running formation of the group (1989–2010).


Members timeline

Discography

Main article: The Three Degrees discography

Filmography

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "Biography by Ed Hogan". AllMusic. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  2. ^ a b Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 351. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  3. ^ "The Three Degrees". Visitbirmingham.com. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  4. ^ "YouTube Live: Helen Scott of The Three Degrees". Retrieved October 12, 2022 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 558. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  6. ^ "1970s Singles Chart Archive". everyHit.com. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
  7. ^ "A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman: Ep 7: My Heart Goes Bang (Get Me To The Doctor) to They Say It's Gonna Rain on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  8. ^ "THREE DEGREES - Interview ('Be My Baby' 2006)". YouTube.
  9. ^ "Three Degrees' UK Tour 2011 (24 Dates)". YouTube.
  10. ^ "Sheila Ferguson takes on the iconic role of Mama Morton in the hit musical Chicago". Express.co.uk. February 2, 2022.
  11. ^ "The Three Degrees "Be My Baby", documentary about the Girl Group Story [2006]". YouTube.
  12. ^ "Three Degrees : discography". 3degrees.eg2.fr. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
  13. ^ "iTunes - Music : Greatest Hits Of The Three Degrees by Cynthia Garrison, Helen Scott & Valerie Holiday". itunes.apple.com. October 7, 2008. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
  14. ^ Doc Rock. "The Dead Rock Stars Club 2009 January to June". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
  15. ^ "iTunes - Music - The Three Degrees - Undercover 2009 by The Three Degrees". itunes.apple.com. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
  16. ^ "iTunes Store". itunes.apple.com. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
  17. ^ "The Three Degrees announce a new album Strategy: Our Tribute To Philadelphia to be released on 4 March on SoulMusic Records". Cherryred.co.uk. January 5, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  18. ^ "TV Guide Website". Tvguide.com. Retrieved May 14, 2020.

Further reading

  • The Three Degrees in-depth interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' February 2011
  • The Three Degrees interview, 'Yuzu Melodies' April 2013
  • Clemente, John (2000). Girl Groups — Fabulous Females That Rocked The World. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. p. 276. ISBN 0-87341-816-6

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Three Degrees.
  • Official website
  • The Three Degrees at AllMusic
  • The Three Degrees at IMDb

January 20, 2023
three, degrees, other, uses, disambiguation, american, female, vocal, group, formed, circa, 1963, philadelphia, pennsylvania, although, women, have, been, members, over, years, group, always, been, trio, current, line, consists, valerie, holiday, helen, scott,. For other uses see The Three Degrees disambiguation The Three Degrees is an American female vocal group formed circa 1963 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania 1 Although 16 women have been members over the years the group has always been a trio The current line up consists of Valerie Holiday Helen Scott and Freddi Poole The group were particularly successful in the UK achieving 13 Top 50 hit singles between 1974 and 1985 The Three DegreesThe group s lineup since 2011 from left to right Valerie Holiday Freddi Poole and Helen Scott Background informationOriginPhiladelphia Pennsylvania U S GenresR amp BPhiladelphia souldiscoYears activec 1963 presentLabelsPhiladelphia InternationalEpicAriolaSwan RecordsRoulette Records3D RecordsIchiban RecordsNeptune RecordsMetromediaWarner BrothersMembersHelen Scott Valerie Holiday Freddi PoolePast membersFayette Pinkney Linda Turner Shirley Porter Janet Harmon Sheila Ferguson Sundray Tucker Sonia GoringMiquel Brown Vera Brown Rhea Harris Victoria Wallace Cynthia GarrisonWebsitewww wbr thethreedegrees wbr comThe original members were Fayette Pinkney Shirley Porter and Linda Turner Porter and Turner were eventually replaced by Janet Harmon and Helen Scott and then subsequently by Sheila Ferguson Sundray Tucker Sonia Goring and Valerie Holiday The line up from 1967 to 1976 was Pinkney Valerie Holiday and Sheila Ferguson who would go on to sing lead on most of the group s biggest hits This line up topped the US Hot 100 as featured vocalists on the MFSB single TSOP The Sound of Philadelphia in 1974 and had seven UK Top 40 hits including the 1974 single When Will I See You Again which was a huge international hit reaching the Top 5 in seven countries including number two in the US and topping the UK Singles Chart 2 When Pinkney left the group in 1976 she was replaced by a returning Helen Scott This line up had four UK Top 20 hits including Woman in Love which reached number three in 1979 Ferguson left for a solo career in 1986 The group s most stable line up was from 1989 to 2010 with Cynthia Garrison joining Holiday and Scott They achieved a final UK chart entry reaching number 54 in 1998 with a dance cover of Last Christmas Garrison left the band at the end of 2010 due to health reasons and was replaced by Freddi Poole in 2011 The group s 2016 album Strategy Our Tribute to Philadelphia was their first studio album release with Poole as a member Valerie Holiday is the longest serving Degree with almost 56 years of continuous service to her name 3 4 whilst Scott is the only remaining original member despite a hiatus from the group from 1966 to 1976 and another temporary hiatus due to catching COVID 19 during which Tabitha King is filling in Contents 1 Career 1 1 1960s 1 2 1970s 1 3 1980s 1 4 1990s onwards 2 Members timeline 3 Discography 4 Filmography 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksCareer Edit1960s Edit The Three Degrees were formed around 1963 in Philadelphia according to founder member the late Fayette Pinkney it s about 63 last year in high school and it was fun They were discovered by producer and songwriter Richard Barrett 1 who produced the original line up on their first song Gee Baby I m Sorry for Swan Records in 1965 1 Turner and Porter both left the group leaving Fayette Pinkney the only original member They were eventually replaced by Helen Scott and Janet Harmon 1 Barrett also became manager of Sheila Ferguson who had been friends with Scott since high school 1 Barrett signed Ferguson to Swan Records in 1965 1 The Three Degrees released a number of singles including I m Gonna Need You and a cover version of Maybe in 1966 Fayette Janet and Helen were often joined by Sheila on their Swan recordings and the Group often backed Sheila on her solo records during that time When Scott left the group in 1966 to start a family 1 Ferguson filled in for her She remained for 20 years and was lead singer on most of the group s best selling tracks Harmon left by 1967 and after Sundray Tucker and Sonia Goring came and went she was eventually replaced by Valerie Holiday 1 Barrett signed them to recording contracts over the next three years with Warner Bros Metromedia and Neptune record labels 1 the latter owned by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff who would work with the group five years later The group s close harmony singing made them a popular nightclub act but a hit record still eluded them 1970s Edit By 1970 they were signed to Roulette Records and they released their first album Maybe 1 The title song this time with Valerie Holiday taking the lead took them to No 4 on the US R amp B chart The singles I Do Take You and You re the Fool followed as did their second album So Much Love This success landed them a cameo appearance in the 1971 film The French Connection where they performed a cover of Jimmy Webb s Everybody Gets to Go to the Moon filmed during one of their appearances at the Copacabana nightclub in New York City 1 In 1973 when their contract with Roulette ended Barrett signed them to Philadelphia International Records under Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff where they had their greatest successes 1 The first song they recorded for the label was with the studio band MFSB titled TSOP The Sound of Philadelphia which was the theme song for Soul Train 1 In October 1973 the group also made an appearance on the American television sitcom Sanford and Son season 3 episode 4 singing their song I Didn t Know 1 Their first album for the Philadelphia International label The Three Degrees spawned three hits Dirty Ol Man which went gold in the Netherlands and Belgium Year Of Decision which made it to No 13 in the UK Singles Chart 5 but it was the third single When Will I See You Again that propelled the trio into the mainstream It topped the UK Chart for two weeks in August 1974 the first time this had been achieved by an all female group since The Supremes in 1964 5 and became the fourth best selling single of the year 6 It also reached No 2 in the US where it sold over two million copies and earned the trio a gold record in December 1974 1 2 at that time Platinum certifications had not been assigned to singles The Three Degrees also recorded two live albums one in Leicester in the UK and the other in Tokyo in Japan and released both in 1975 The trio s second studio album for the Philadelphia label The Three Degrees International was marketed internationally under different titles and in various languages In Continental Europe it was called With Love and it spawned the hit single Take Good Care Of Yourself which reached the UK Top 10 The UK release of the album was actually titled Take Good Care Of Yourself and peaked at No 6 in the UK Albums Chart their highest ever chart placing for an album there 5 Two other songs from the album were big successes in Japan Midnight Train and Nigai Namida ja the latter having been recorded in Japanese In 1976 the Three Degrees parted company with Gamble and Huff and moved to CBS Sony Epic Records where they released the concept album A Toast Of Love purely for the Far East market although a single of the title track was released internationally In 1976 Fayette Pinkney was replaced by former band member Helen Scott 1 The album Standing Up For Love 1 released in 1977 was their last release for CBS Epic In 1978 The Three Degrees signed to Ariola Records in Europe and the US and began working with Giorgio Moroder who had become famous as a disco producer following his work with Donna Summer Further success was to follow and they released two disco styled albums on Ariola New Dimensions in 1978 and 3D in 1979 which delivered four UK Top 20 hits between them Givin Up Givin In Woman in Love The Runner and My Simple Heart The group performed for Prince Charles at his 30th birthday party in 1978 and were guests at the pre wedding party for his marriage to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 1 Their own television special The Three Degrees at The Royal Albert Hall aka An Evening with The Three Degrees was recorded in October 1979 in which the trio were backed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 1980s Edit In 1980 the compilation album Gold was released and became a UK Top 10 hit Featuring one side of their hits on the Ariola label between 1978 and 1979 and one side of live recordings from their 1979 Royal Albert Hall television special this would be the trio s second best of compilation to make the UK Top 10 in less than two years after CBS released A Collection of their 20 Greatest Hits in early 1979 which featured their pre Ariola material and peaked at number 8 in the UK Albums Chart Between 1982 and 1985 The Three Degrees released two albums on their own 3D label Album of Love and Live in the UK 1 On that label they also released Liar a single written by Sheila Ferguson 1 A third BBC Television show was also recorded in 1982 titled Take 3 Degrees which included performances of their greatest hits and also songs that the group were performing in their latest show such as I Can t Turn You Loose and Celebration They returned to the UK charts in 1985 with The Heaven I Need which was produced by Stock Aitken Waterman on Supreme Records though the single narrowly missed the UK Top 40 1 The band expressed surprise the song did not chart higher and spoke of their regret that their working relationship with the production team did not continue 7 In 1986 Miquel Brown filled in for Scott while the latter was pregnant That same year Ferguson decided to leave the group to focus on her family life and raising her daughters 8 1 Scott and Holiday replaced Ferguson with Vera Brown of The Ritchie Family in 1986 and then Rhea Harris in 1987 In 1989 Scott and Holiday along with new recruit Victoria Wallace recorded the album Three Degrees And Holding on Ichiban Records 1 A single A Tender Lie was also released Following the album the group recorded a live CD at London s Dominion Theatre with Billy Paul and Harold Melvin amp the Bluenotes in 1989 1 The group followed this with another tour of the UK and Japan at the end of the year Since Ferguson left the group Holiday permanently took over as the lead singer of the group since then In a 2006 documentary interview which featured Ferguson and Holiday speaking about their time together in the group it was revealed that when Ferguson decided to leave the group she spoke to the group members on a phone call about her decision instead of in person and both parties felt that the conversation ended abruptly In addition Holiday commented feeling upset that this specific conversation should have been in person and not on a phone call and Holiday commented that it was difficult to find a replacement for Ferguson Since then Ferguson has had limited contact with the members of the group and Ferguson has never had any public appearances with The Three Degrees In a 2011 interview on the British TV show Lorraine with The Three Degrees they commented they may from time to time run into Ferguson in their home city of Philadelphia as members of The Three Degrees as well as Ferguson come back to their home city to visit family members and friends Often their encounters with Ferguson are only for brief moments as one of the members Helen Scott had mentioned it is like ships that pass in the night 9 10 11 1990s onwards Edit In December 1989 Cynthia Garrison replaced Wallace forming the longest running line up of the group In 1993 they were asked to record a new version of When Will I See You Again with Thomas Anders of Modern Talking He supplied three tracks for their album Out of the Past Into the Future marking their return to Ariola Records and their most successful album for 15 years Two further singles were released from the album the re recording of Dirty Ol Man and new song Hurry Hurry In 1996 they released a new best of album Best amp New Hits When Will I See You Again which included four re recorded hits and six new songs 12 A seasonal album Christmas With The Three Degrees was also recorded in 1998 This album included a cover of Wham s Last Christmas which was released as a remixed dance single which gave the group their 15th and final UK top 60 single reaching number 54 Scott Holiday and Garrison continued to tour They made their first US TV appearance in over 20 years in 2003 on the PBS show Rhythm Love and Soul with Aretha Franklin Lou Rawls and Mary Wilson They were also part of the Best Disco In Town 2004 Tour with The Pointer Sisters Chic The Emotions and Evelyn Champagne King They also took part in the 2007 Best Disco In Town tour of the United Kingdom in May 2007 In 2008 the group released the album Helen Valerie Cynthia The Greatest Hits which included completely new recordings of the group s biggest hits and some fan favourites 13 The group together with founder member Fayette Pinkney received various honours during 2007 and 2008 through BEMA The Black Entertainment and Music Association and the City of Philadelphia for their contribution to music over five decades creating for the first time The Four Degrees Fayette Pinkney died on June 27 2009 in Lansdale Hospital Pennsylvania after a short illness at the age of 61 14 In 2009 the group released their first studio album in over ten years Undercover 2009 It contained a selection of eight cover versions of classic songs by ABBA Stevie Wonder Paul Simon and Bee Gees 15 The following year they released a new single Holding Back 16 In January 2011 Freddie Pool replaced Cynthia Garrison who was suffering from Piriformis syndrome as the Degrees had touring commitments to fulfill In 2016 the Three degrees released their first studio album with member Freddie Pool entitled Strategy Our Tribute To Philadelphia through Cherry Red Records 17 The Holiday Scott Garrison version of The Three Degrees was the longest running formation of the group 1989 2010 Members timeline EditDiscography EditMain article The Three Degrees discography Maybe 1970 The Three Degrees 1973 International 1975 A Toast of Love 1976 Standing Up for Love 1977 New Dimensions 1978 3D 1979 Album of Love 1982 And Holding 1989 Out of the Past into the Future 1993 Christmas with the Three Degrees 1998 Undercover 2009 2009 Strategy Our Tribute to Philadelphia 2016 Filmography EditThe French Connection 1971 Sanford and Son Season 3 Episode 4 titled Presenting the Three Degrees aired October 5 1973 18 Birds of Prey 2020 See also EditList of funk musicians List of disco artists S Z List of people from Philadelphia List of artists who reached number one in the United States List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles ChartReferences Edit a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Biography by Ed Hogan AllMusic Retrieved February 9 2009 a b Murrells Joseph 1978 The Book of Golden Discs 2nd ed London Barrie and Jenkins Ltd p 351 ISBN 0 214 20512 6 The Three Degrees Visitbirmingham com Retrieved October 12 2022 YouTube Live Helen Scott of The Three Degrees Retrieved October 12 2022 via YouTube a b c Roberts David 2006 British Hit Singles amp Albums 19th ed London Guinness World Records Limited p 558 ISBN 1 904994 10 5 1970s Singles Chart Archive everyHit com Retrieved May 5 2013 A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman Ep 7 My Heart Goes Bang Get Me To The Doctor to They Say It s Gonna Rain on Apple Podcasts Apple Podcasts Retrieved August 6 2021 THREE DEGREES Interview Be My Baby 2006 YouTube Three Degrees UK Tour 2011 24 Dates YouTube Sheila Ferguson takes on the iconic role of Mama Morton in the hit musical Chicago Express co uk February 2 2022 The Three Degrees Be My Baby documentary about the Girl Group Story 2006 YouTube Three Degrees discography 3degrees eg2 fr Retrieved May 5 2013 iTunes Music Greatest Hits Of The Three Degrees by Cynthia Garrison Helen Scott amp Valerie Holiday itunes apple com October 7 2008 Retrieved May 5 2013 Doc Rock The Dead Rock Stars Club 2009 January to June Thedeadrockstarsclub com Retrieved May 5 2013 iTunes Music The Three Degrees Undercover 2009 by The Three Degrees itunes apple com Retrieved May 5 2013 iTunes Store itunes apple com Retrieved May 5 2013 The Three Degrees announce a new album Strategy Our Tribute To Philadelphia to be released on 4 March on SoulMusic Records Cherryred co uk January 5 2016 Retrieved June 5 2017 TV Guide Website Tvguide com Retrieved May 14 2020 Further reading EditThe Three Degrees in depth interview by Pete Lewis Blues amp Soul February 2011 The Three Degrees interview Yuzu Melodies April 2013 Clemente John 2000 Girl Groups Fabulous Females That Rocked The World Iola Wisconsin Krause Publications p 276 ISBN 0 87341 816 6External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Three Degrees Official website The Three Degrees at AllMusic The Three Degrees at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Three Degrees amp oldid 1134694588, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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