Fayette Regina Pinkney (January 10, 1948 – June 27, 2009) was an American singer and one of the original members of musical group

The Three Degrees The Three Degrees is an American female vocal group formed circa 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although 16 women have been members over the years, the group has always been a trio. The current line-up consists of Helen Scott, Valerie Holi ...

Early life and career

Born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Pennsylvania, Pinkney was one of three young teenagers brought together by manager Richard Barrett to form

in 1963. She was a part of the group until she was sacked by the manager Richard Barrett from the group in 1976, and was with them through their great years—with Roulette and

Philadelphia International Records Philadelphia International Records (PIR) was an American record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1971 by songwriting and production duo Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff along with their longtime collaborator Thom Bell. I ...

—and sang on many of their greatest hits, such as "

When Will I See You Again "When Will I See You Again" is a song released in 1974 by American soul group The Three Degrees from their third album, ''The Three Degrees''. The song was written and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Sheila Ferguson sang the lead, acc ...

" and "Take Good Care of Yourself". She traveled to London in January 1979 to record her only solo album, ''One Degree'', which she did in just two weeks, to great acclaim from both her peers and fans. Fayette subsequently earned a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in psychology from

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

and a Master's degree in human services from Lincoln University in 1984. She later worked as a counselor and vocal coach and, in addition to singing with her church's inspirational choir, she traveled with a group called the Intermezzo Choir Ministry.

Personal life and death

In 1994, Pinkney gave birth to a daughter, Ayana Alexandria, who died two days later due to

sudden infant death syndrome Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden unexplained death of a child of less than one year of age. Diagnosis requires that the death remain unexplained even after a thorough autopsy and detailed death scene investigation. SIDS usuall ...

. On June 27, 2009, Pinkney died of acute

respiratory failure Respiratory failure results from inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, meaning that the arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide, or both cannot be kept at normal levels. A drop in the oxygen carried in the blood is known as hypoxemia; a rise ...

after a short and sudden illness at the age of 61.

Discography

*''One Degree'' (Chopper Records, 1979)

References

External links

*
The Three Degrees
* 20th-century African-American women singers American rhythm and blues singers American soul musicians Deaths from respiratory failure Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) alumni Musicians from Philadelphia Temple University alumni 1948 births 2009 deaths Singers from Pennsylvania 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers Burials at Ivy Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women {{US-RnB-singer-stub