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For|the Tara Blaise song|The Three Degrees (song)Other uses|Third degree (disambiguation)Infobox musical artist|name = The Three Degrees|background = group_or_band|image =|caption =|origin = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , United States|U.S. |genre = Philadelphia soul , rhythm and blues|R& B , Disco |years_active = 1963–present|label = Philadelphia International Records|Philadelphia International , Epic Records|Epic , Ariola Records|Ariola , various|current_members = Valerie Holiday Helen Scott Freddie Pool|past_members = Fayette Pinkney Linda Turner Shirley Porter Janet Harmon Sheila Ferguson Sundray Tucker Sonia Goring Miquel Brown Vera Brown Rhea Harris Victoria Wallace Cynthia Garrison The Three Degrees are an United States|American female vocal group, formed in 1963 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania .cite web |first= |last= |url=Allmusic|class=artist|id=p5647|pure_url=yes |title=Biography by Ed Hogan |publisher=Allmusic.com |accessdate=9 February 2009 The group has always been a trio, although there have been a number of personnel changes and a total of fifteen women have represented the group so far. The original members were Fayette Pinkney , Shirley Porter and Linda Turner. The most successful line-up was Fayette with Sheila Ferguson and Valerie Holiday, these three being responsible for recording the 1974 single " When Will I See You Again ", which was a huge international hit, peaking at #2 in the US and topping the UK Singles Chart .
Career
1960s
The Three Degrees were formed around 1963 in Philadelphia. They were discovered by record producer|producer and songwriter Richard Barrett (musician)|Richard Barrett . Barrett was responsible for groups of the 1950s such as The Chantels , Little Anthony and the Imperials , and The Valentines . Barrett sound recording and reproduction|recorded the original line-up on their first song , entitled "Gee Baby (I'm Sorry)", for Swan Records , in 1965. Turner and Porter both left the group, leaving Fayette Pinkney the only original member. Turner and Porter were replaced by Helen Scott (Performer)|Helen Scott and a variety of other ladies before Janet Harmon joined in the mid 1960s. Barrett also began managing and producing Sheila Ferguson , who was a high school friend of Scott. Barrett also signed Ferguson to Swan Records in 1965. The Three Degrees released a number of single (music)|singles , including "I'm Gonna Need You" and a cover version of "Maybe" in 1966.
By 1966, with many performances lined up, Scott decided to leave the group to start a family. Ferguson filled in for Scott and would remain in the group for 20 years. Ferguson sang backing vocalist|backup on all the group's Swan recordings as did the Three Degrees for her solo singles. By 1967, Harmon left and was eventually replaced by Valerie Holiday. Barrett signed them to recording contract s over the next three years with Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros. , Metromedia , and Neptune Records|Neptune record labels ; the latter of which was owned by Gamble and Huff|Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff who would work with group five years later. Their 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 . The title song, this time with Valerie Holiday taking the lead vocals, took them to #4 on the United States|US Hot R& B/Hip-Hop Songs|R& B record chart|charts . 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 (film)|The French Connection , filmed during one of their appearances at the Copacabana (nightclub)|Copacabana nightclub in New York City|New York , and also an engagement at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas , Nevada with EngelbertHumperdinck (singer)|Engelbert Humperdinck .
In 1973, when their contract with Roulette had ended, Barrett signed them to Philadelphia International Records under Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, where they were to have their greatest successes. The first song they recorded there was with the recording studio|studio band MFSB , entitled " TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) " which was the theme music|theme song for Soul Train . In October 1973, the group also made an appearance on the United States|American television sitcom Sanford and Son (Season 3, Episode 4), singing their song "I Didn't Know". Their first album for the Philadelphia International label, simply titled The Three Degrees (album)|The Three Degrees , spawned three hits: "Dirty Ol' Man" (which went music recording sales certification|gold in the Netherlands and Belgium ), "Year Of Decision" (which made it to #13 in the UK Singles Chart ),cite book | first= David | last= Roberts | year= 2006 | title= British Hit Singles & Albums | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | isbn= 1-904994-10-5 | page= 558 but it was the third single, " When Will I See You Again ", that propelled the trio (music)|trio into the mainstream . It topped the UK Chart for two weeks in August 1974 (the first time this been done by an all-female group so since The Supremes in 1964), and became the 4th best selling single of the year. http://www.everyhit.co.uk/chart3.html EveryHit.co.uk Best Selling Singles of the 1970s It also reached #2 in the US, selling over two million copies and earning the trio a music recording sales certification|gold record in December 1974cite book | first= Joseph | last= Murrells | year= 1978 | title= The Book of Golden Discs | edition= 2nd | publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd | location= London | page= 351 | isbn= 0-214-20512-6 (at that time, Platinum certifications has not been assigned to singles).
The Three Degrees also recorded two live album s: one from Leicester in the UK, and the other from 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 #6 in the UK Album Chart, their highest ever chart placing for an album there. Two other songs from the album were big successes in Japan: "Midnight Train" and "Nigai Namida", the latter having been recorded in Japanese language|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, Pinkney decided to leave the group and return to full-time education and was replaced by former band member Helen Scott. In 1977, they released the album, Standing Up For Love , though this would be 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 (The Three Degrees album)|3D in 1979) which delivered four UK Top 20 hits between them: "Givin' Up Givin' In", "Woman In Love"(originally recorded by Twiggy in 1977), "The Runner" and "My Simple Heart". They also performed at Buckingham Palace for Charles, Prince of Wales|Prince Charles' s 30th birthday party in 1978, and later were guests at the pre-wedding party for his marriage to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. 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 1978–79, 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 #8 in the UK Album Chart).
Between 1982 and 1985, The Three Degrees released two albums on their own 3D label; Album of Love and Live in the UK . On that label they also released a single written by Sheila Ferguson, entitled "Liar". 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 record chart|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.
In 1986, Miquel Brown filled in for Scott whilst the latter was pregnant. That same year Ferguson decided to leave the group. Scott and Holiday replaced her with Vera Brown in 1986 and then Rhea Harris in 1987. In 1989, Scott and Holiday, along with new recruit Victoria Wallace, recorded an album entitled Three Degrees...And Holding on Ichiban Records . A single, "A Tender Lie" was also released. Following the album, the group recorded a live Compact disc|CD at London 's Dominion Theatre , with Billy Paul and Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes in the summer of 1989. The group followed this with another tour of the UK and Japan at the end of the year.
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 titled "Best & New Hits: When Will I See You Again" which included four re-recorded hits and 6 brand new songs http://3degrees.eg2.fr/page_discographique_originale_uk.htm Three Degrees Discography..
A seasonal album, Christmas With The Three Degrees , was also recorded in 1998.
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 (singer)|Mary Wilson . They were also part of the 'Best Disco In Town 2004 Tour' with The Pointer Sisters , Chic (band)|Chic , The Emotions , and Evelyn King (singer)|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 groups biggest hits and some fan favourites http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/cynthia-garrison-helen-scott/id291008814 itunes.apple.com - accessed November 2011.
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. http://www.thedeadrockstarsclub.com/2009.html Thedeadrockstarsclub.com - accessed June 2009
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 the likes of Abba , Stevie Wonder , Paul Simon and Bee Gees http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-three-degrees-undercover/id332698203 itunes.apple.com - accessed November 2011. The following year they released a new single "Holding Back" http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/holding-back/id388634316 itunes.apple.com - accessed November 2011.
In January 2011, Freddie Pool replaced Cynthia Garrison due to the latter having Piriformis syndrome , as the Degrees had touring commitments to fulfill.
The Holiday/Scott/Garrison version of The Three Degrees has been the longest running version of 21 years duration.
Cover versions
Big Fun (boyband)|Big Fun covered "The Heaven I Need" on their 1990 album, A Pocketful of Dreams .
Mirrorball sampled "Giving Up, Giving In" as "Given Up", and this was released as a single in 1999. It reached #12 in the UK Singles Chart.
Sheena Easton covered "Giving Up, Giving In" on her album Fabulous (album)|Fabulous , and released the track as single in 2000. It reached #54 in the UK Singles Chart.cite book
| first= David | last= Roberts | year= 2006 | title= British Hit Singles & Albums | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | isbn= 1-904994-10-5 | page= 177
The Nolans also covered "Giving Up, Giving In" on their album, ''I'm In The Mood Again (2009).
UK girl group, Bananarama , covered "The Runner" on their album, Viva (Bananarama album)|Viva (2009).
Members timeline
1963-63
1963–66
1966–67
1967-67
1967–76
1976–86
1986-86
1986–87
1987–88
1988–89
1989–2010
2011–present
Fayette Pinkney
Fayette Pinkney
Fayette Pinkney
Fayette Pinkney
Fayette Pinkney
Helen Scott
Miquel Brown
Helen Scott
Helen Scott
Helen Scott
Helen Scott
Helen Scott
Linda Turner
Janet Harmon
Janet Harmon
Sundray Tucker / Sonia Goring
Valerie Holiday
Valerie Holiday
Valerie Holiday
Valerie Holiday
Valerie Holiday
Valerie Holiday
Valerie Holiday
Valerie Holiday
Shirley Porter
Helen Scott
Sheila Ferguson
Shelia Ferguson
Sheila Ferguson
Sheila Ferguson
Sheila Ferguson
Vera Brown
Rhea Harris
Victoria Wallace
Cynthia Garrison
Freddie Pool
Sundray Tucker (Cindy Scott) had a brief spell with the trio in 1967 (alongside Ferguson and Pinkney) as did Sonya Goring of The Chantels , who also stood in for some shows during the same year before being replaced by Valerie Holiday, who still remains active in the Group after 45 years.
Miquel Brown filled in for Scott whilst she was pregnant in 1986 (alongside Ferguson and Holiday)
Discography
Studio albums
Year
Album
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Record label
US
US R& B
UK cite web
1970
Maybe
139
16
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Roulette Records
1973
The Three Degrees (album)
28
33
12
Philadelphia International Records
1975
International (The Three Degrees album)
99
31
6
1975
So Much Love
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56
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Roulette Records
1976
A Toast of Love
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Epic Records
1977
Standing Up for Love
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1978
New Dimensions
169
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34
Ariola Records
1979
3D (The Three Degrees album)
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61
1982
Album of Love
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3D
1989
...And Holding
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76
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Ichiban Records
1993
Out of the Past Into the Future
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Bertelsmann Music Group
1998
Christmas With The Three Degrees http:/ / itunes.apple.com/ us/ album/ christmas-with-the-three-degrees/ id283648763 itunes.apple.com - accessed November 2011
Best & New Hits: When Will I See You Againhttp:/ / 3degrees.eg2.fr/ page_discographique_originale_uk.htm- Three Degrees Discography
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Legacy Recordings
2002
Super Hits
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2008
Helen, Valerie, Cynthia: The Greatest Hits http:/ / itunes.apple.com/ gb/ album/ cynthia-garrison-helen-scott/ id291008814 itunes.apple.com - accessed November 2011
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Essential Media Group LLC
"& mdash;" denotes the album failed to chart
Singles
Year
Single
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US
US R& B
US A/ C
UK
1965
"Gee Baby (I'm Sorry)"
80
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"I'm Gonna Need You"
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"Close Your Eyes"
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"Eve of Tomorrow" (with Tony Mammarella )
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1966
"Look in My Eyes"
97
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" Maybe (The Chantels song)
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"Tales Are True"
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"Love of My Life"
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1968
"Contact"
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1969
"Down in the Boondocks"
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"Feeling of Love"
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1970
"What I See"
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"Melting Pot"
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"Maybe" (re-recorded version)
29
4
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"I Do Take You"
48
7
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1971
"You're the One"
77
19
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"There's So Much Love All Around Me"
98
33
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" Ebb Tide (song)
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1972
"I Wanna Be Your Baby"
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"I Won't Let You Go"
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1973
"Dirty Ol' Man"
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58
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1974
"Year of Decision"
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74
& mdash;
13
" TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) " (with MFSB )
1
1
1
22
"Love Is the Message" (with MFSB)
85
42
& mdash;
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" When Will I See You Again "
2
4
1
1
"Get Your Love Back"
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34
1975
"I Didn't Know"
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18
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"Trade Winds"
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46
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"Take Good Care of Yourself"
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64
24
9
"Long Lost Lover"
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40
" Free Ride (song)
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1976
"A Toast of Love"
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36
"What I Did for Love"
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1977
"Standing Up for Love"
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1978
"Giving Up, Giving In"
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39
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12
1979
"Woman in Love"
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27
50
3
"The Runner"
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10
"Golden Lady"
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56
"Jump the Gun"
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48
"My Simple Heart"
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9
1980
"Set Me Free"
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"Without You"
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1984
"Liar"
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1985
"The Heaven I Need"
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42
"This Is the House"
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1989
"Tie U Up"
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"Make It Easy on Yourself"
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"Lock It Up"
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1993
"When Will I See You Again 93" (With Thomas Anders )http:/ / www.discogs.com/ Thomas-Anders-Featuring-Three-Degrees-When-Will-I-See-You-Again-The-Remixes/ master/ 140158 discogs.com - accessed November 2011
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1993
"Dirty Ol' Man 93"http:/ / www.discogs.com/ Three-Degrees-Dirty-Ol-Man/ master/ 246635 discogs.com - accessed November 2011
List of artists who reached number one in the United States
List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
References
Reflist
Further reading
http://bluesandsoul.com/feature/639/the_three_degrees_degrees_in_motion/ The Three Degrees in-depth interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' February 2011
External links
http://www.thethreedegrees.com/ The Three Degrees official website
Allmusic|class=artist|id=p5647|label=The Three Degrees
The Three DegreesSoul Train DEFAULTSORT:Three Degrees, The Category:American dance music groups Category:American vocal groups Category:Epic Records artists Category:American girl groups Category:Musical groups established in 1963 Category:Musical groups from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:Philadelphia International Records artists Category:American soul musical groups
de:The Three Degrees es:The Three Degrees nl:The Three Degrees no:The Three Degrees sv:The Three Degrees uk:The Three Degrees zh:?????
