Peaches & Herb
Peaches & Herb
Peaches & Herb | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Washington D.C., United States |
| Genres | Disco · funk · R&B · soul |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Labels | Date Records, Columbia Records, Imagen Records, Polydor Records |
| Associated acts | Van McCoy |
| Website | Peaches & Herb.com [25] |
| Members | Wanda Makle Herb Fame |
| Past members | Francine "Peaches" Hurd Barker Marlene Mack Linda Greene Patrice Hawthorne Miriamm Wright Meritxell Negre |
Peaches & Herb are an American vocalist duo. Herb Fame (born October 1, 1942) has remained a constant as "Herb" since the duo was created in 1966; seven different women have filled the role of "Peaches", most notably Francine "Peaches" Hurd Barker (April 28, 1947 – August 13, 2005), the original "Peaches" who lent her nickname to the duo, and Linda Greene, the third "Peaches" who appeared on the duo's biggest hits "Shake Your Groove Thing" (1978) and "Reunited" (1979).
Peaches & Herb | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Washington D.C., United States |
| Genres | Disco · funk · R&B · soul |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Labels | Date Records, Columbia Records, Imagen Records, Polydor Records |
| Associated acts | Van McCoy |
| Website | Peaches & Herb.com [25] |
| Members | Wanda Makle Herb Fame |
| Past members | Francine "Peaches" Hurd Barker Marlene Mack Linda Greene Patrice Hawthorne Miriamm Wright Meritxell Negre |
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 (April 28, 1947 – August 13, 2005), 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".[5][7]
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,[8] 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,[3] 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.[9] 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. Linda's early musical training (while growing up in Washington, D.C.) was at The Sewell Music Conservatory.
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 under the management of Paul J. Cohn, released 2 Hot, which went gold. The album's first single, "Shake Your Groove Thing", 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" (originally recorded and made a hit by The Intruders), reached #1 on both the Hot 100, the Billboard R&B chart, and 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 U.S. Marshals Service in 1986 as a deputized court security officer at the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.[9] Greene returned to her family and, together with her husband Stephen Tavani, went on to release three gospel albums and start the charity WOW [26] (Winning Our World).[10] Formerly Greene, Linda now goes by Linda Peaches Tavani, and anticipates a solo album release in the coming years.
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.[11] The duo appeared infrequently in concerts, and 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.[12][13] 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.[9]
A fifth "Peaches"—singer, songwriter, and advocate for breast cancer prevention, Miriamm—joined the duo in 2002. Miriamm began touring with Herb and was introduced to the world as the new "Peaches" when she joined Herb in the PBS televised "Rhythm, Love & Soul" Fundraising drive. They shared the stage with greats such as Aretha Franklin, Gloria Gaynor and Lou Rawls, among others. Their performance re-introduced Peaches and Herb and their on-stage chemistry was so well received, it sparked another invitation to the duo for the follow-up star-studded installment of the PBS show featuring R&B greats such as Irene Cara, Heatwave, and Anita Ward. Both performances currently air periodically throughout the year. Miriamm currently performs as a free-lance vocalist and has founded a breast cancer foundation, EPW Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc., in honor of her mother, Edith P. Wright, providing support to families facing breast cancer.
Negre, who was introduced to Fame by producer Bill Davis, is the first-ever non-black "Peaches" and third recording artist to co-record a Peaches and Herb album.[15] Together, Fame and Negre recorded Colors of Love, the first album from Peaches & Herb since 1983. Combined with Fame's classic, zesty tenor flair, Negre's soulful, alto-soprano range seamlessly replaces Linda Greene 25 years after the Peaches & Herb album Remember.[16] Colors of Love was released in May 2009 by Imagen Records, approximately three months after Negre's stage debut as "Peaches".[17]
Fame has since returned to touring with Wanda Tolson.
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Peaches & Herb among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.[18]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Label | Year of release | Country of release | Peak Billboard chart position* | Peaches: | LP | CD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For Your Love | Date | 1967 | USA | 13 | Francine Barker | LP | – |
| Let's Fall in Love | 30 | LP | – | ||||
| Peaches & Herb | MCA | 1977 | – | Linda Greene | LP | – | |
| 2 Hot | MVP / Polydor | 1978 | 2 | LP | CD | ||
| Twice the Fire | 1979 | 31 | LP | – | |||
| Demasiado Candente | Argentina | – | LP | – | |||
| Worth the Wait | 1980 | USA | 120 | LP | CD | ||
| Sayin' Something | 1981 | 16 | LP | – | |||
| Remember | The Entertainment Co. / Columbia | 1983 | 204 | LP | CD | ||
| Colors of Love | Imagen | 2009 | NA | Meritxell Negre | – | CD |
*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.]
Compilation albums
| 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 | Original 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 | – | ||
| Greatest Hits | Wounded Bird | 2009 | – | ||
| Golden Duets | – |
*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.]
7" Singles and promos
| Title | Label | Year | Country of release | US Billboard chart * | US R&B Chart | US AC Chart | UK chart position #[19] | NL (Dutch) | Peaches: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close Your Eyes b/w I Will Watch Over You | Date | 1967 | USA | 8 | 4 | – | – | – | Francine Barker |
| For Your Love b/w I Need Your Love So Desperately | 20 | 10 | – | – | – | ||||
| Two Little Kids b/w We've Got to Love One Another | 31 | 25 | – | – | – | ||||
| Let's Fall in Love b/w We're in This Thing Together | 21 | 11 | – | – | – | ||||
| Love Is Strange b/w It's True I Love You | 13 | 16 | – | – | – | ||||
| United b/w Thank You | 1968 | 46 | 11 | – | – | – | |||
| Let's Make a Promise b/w Me & You | 75 | 34 | – | – | – | ||||
| The Ten Commandments of Love b/w What a Lovely Way (To Say Goodnight) | 55 | 25 | – | – | – | ||||
| Let Me Be the One b/w I Need Your Love So Desperately | 1969 | 74 | 40 | – | – | – | |||
| When He Touches Me (Nothing Else Matters) | 49 | 10 | – | – | – | ||||
| Darling How Long b/w Cupid | – | – | – | – | – | ||||
| The Sound of Silence | 1970 | 100 | – | – | – | – | |||
| It's Just a Game, Love b/w Satisfy My Hunger | 110 | 50 | – | – | – | ||||
| God Save This World | Columbia | 1971 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| I'm Counting on You | MCA | 1977 | – | – | – | – | – | Linda Greene | |
| We're Still Together | 107 | 98 | – | – | – | ||||
| Shake Your Groove Thing | MVP / Polydor | 1978 | 5 | 4 | – | 26 | 22 | ||
| Reunited b/w Easy As Pie | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | ||||
| Reunited b/w We've Got Love | Germany | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| We've Got Love b/w Four's a Traffic Jam | USA | 44 | 25 | 43 | – | 14 | |||
| Roller Skatin' Mate | 1979 | 66 | 30 | – | – | – | |||
| I Pledge My Love b/w (I Want Us) Back Together | 19 | 37 | 33 | – | – | ||||
| Howzabout Some Love b/w Put It There | Spain | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| Sacude Tu Alegria b/w Todo Tu Amor | Argentina | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| Funtime | 1980 | USA | – | 37 | – | – | – | ||
| All Night Celebration | – | – | – | – | – | ||||
| One Child Of Love b/w Hearsay | – | 51 | – | – | – | ||||
| Freeway b/w Picking Up the Pieces | 1981 | – | 37 | – | – | – | |||
| Bluer Than Blue b/w Go with the Flow | – | 45 | – | – | – | ||||
| Remember | The Entertainment Co. / Columbia | 1983 | – | 35 | – | – | – | ||
| 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 published by Collins UK. "I Pledge My Love" also reached number one on the New Zealand Singles Chart for a week in 1980.
12" and 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.]
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, Marock, Sausage Party and The Country Bears,[20] as well as in an advertisement campaign by Intel in the late 1990s.
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.
See also
Music of Washington, D.C.
List of Soul Train episodes
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