The Three Degrees are an American female vocal group formed circa 1963 in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. Although 12 women have been members over the years, the group has always been a trio. The current line-up consists of Helen Scott, Valerie Holiday and Freddi Poole. The group were particularly successful in the UK, achieving 13 Top 50 hit singles between 1974 and 1985. The original members were Fayette Pinkney, Shirley Porter and Linda Turner. By mid-1963, Porter and Turner were replaced by Janet Harmon and Helen Scott; Scott was replaced by

Sheila Ferguson Sheila Diana Ferguson (born October 8, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and author, who has worked primarily in the United Kingdom. Between 1966 and 1986, she was a member of the American female soul music group The Three Degree ...

in 1966, while Harmon was replaced by Valerie Holiday in 1967. This line-up of Pinkney, Holiday and Ferguson became the most successful in the group's history; together from 1967 to 1976, they topped the ''Billboard'' 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. 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 for 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 Pool as a member. Helen Scott is the only Degree living from their early beginnings on Swan Records in 1963..

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, who produced the original line-up on their first song, "Gee Baby (I'm Sorry)", for

Swan Records Swan Records was a mid-20th century United States–based record label, founded in 1957 and based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It had a subsidiary label called Lawn Records. History Swan Records had enjoyed chart success with several U.S. ar ...

, in 1965. Turner and Porter both left the group, leaving Fayette Pinkney the only original member. They were eventually replaced by Helen Scott and Janet Harmon Barrett also became manager of

, who had been friends with Scott since high school. Barrett signed Ferguson to Swan Records in 1965. The Three Degrees released a number of singles, including "I'm Gonna Need You" and a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

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, 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 brief stints by Sundray Tucker and Sonia Goring, she was replaced by Valerie Holiday that same year. Barrett signed the trio to recording contracts over the next three years with

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

Metromedia Metromedia, Inc. (also often MetroMedia) was an American media company that owned radio station, radio and television stations in the United States from 1956 to 1986 and controlled Orion Pictures from 1988 to 1997. Metromedia was established in ...

, and

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record labels, the latter owned by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, who would work with the group five years later. At this point, the group's close

harmony In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...

singing made them a popular

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

act, but a hit record still eluded them.

1970s

Grand Gala du Disque Populaire 1974 - The Three Degrees 927-0060

By 1970, they were signed to

Roulette Records Roulette Records was an American record company and label founded in 1957 by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Kahl, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed ...

and they released their first album, ''Maybe''. The title song, this time with Valerie Holiday taking the lead, took them to No. 4 on the US R&B

chart A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphics, graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can repres ...

. 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 Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946) is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He achieved success at an early age, winning the Grammy Award for Song of the Year at the age of 21. During his career, he established himself as one of Am ...

's "Everybody Gets to Go to the Moon", filmed during one of their appearances at the Copacabana nightclub in New York City. 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. 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 Theme music is a musical composition which is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...

for '' Soul Train''. 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". Their first album for the Philadelphia International label, ''

The Three Degrees The Three Degrees are an American female vocal group formed circa 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although 12 women have been members over the years, the group has always been a trio. The current line-up consists of Helen Scott, Valerie Ho ...

'', spawned three hits: "Dirty Ol' Man" (which went

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

and

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

), "Year Of Decision" (which made it to No. 13 in the UK Singles Chart), 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 The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful Amer ...

in 1964,) and became the fourth best-selling single of the year. It also reached No. 2 in the US, where it sold over two million copies and earned the trio a

gold record Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

in December 1974 (at that time, Platinum certifications had not been assigned to singles). The Three Degrees also recorded two live albums: one in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

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 Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous mainland of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by som ...

, 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. Two other songs from the album were big successes in Japan: "Midnight Train" and "", 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 concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

, ''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. The album, ''Standing Up For Love'', released in 1977 was their last release for CBS/Epic. In 1978, The Three Degrees signed to

Ariola Records Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola Express, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international ...

in Europe and the US and began working with

Giorgio Moroder Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer and music producer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering Euro disco and electronic dance music. His work ...

, who had become famous as a disco producer following his work with

Donna Summer Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...

. 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 future British monarch

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

at his 30th birthday party in 1978, and were guests at the pre-wedding party for his marriage to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981; whilst he was the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

. His Majesty is arguably the most famous fan of the band and their 1978 hit, "Givin' Up, Givin' In", is said to be his favourite song. 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 The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...

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''. On that label they also released "Liar", a single written by Sheila Ferguson. A third

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It p ...

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 A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent t ...

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. 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. 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. 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. 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 Paul Williams (December 1, 1934 – April 24, 2016), known professionally as Billy Paul, was an American soul music, soul singer, known for his 1972 Record chart, No. 1 single "Me and Mrs. Jones". His 1973 album and single ''War of the Gods (alb ...

and Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes in 1989. The group followed this with another tour of the UK and Japan at the end of the year. 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 said that it had been difficult to find a replacement for Ferguson. Since then, Ferguson has had limited contact with the members of the group and has never had any public appearances with The Three Degrees. In a 2011 interview on the British TV show, ''

Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...

'', with The Three Degrees, they commented they may from time to time run into Ferguson in the United States. Often their encounters with Ferguson are only for brief moments; as Helen Scott had mentioned – it is like ships that pass in the night.

1990s–present

In December 1989, Cynthia Garrison replaced Victoria 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 Modern Talking was a German pop duo consisting of arranger, songwriter and producer Dieter Bohlen and singer Thomas Anders. They have been referred to as Germany's most successful pop duo, and have had a number of hit singles, reaching the to ...

). 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 1993 they released a new best of album, ''Best & New Hits: When Will I See You Again'', which included 5 re-recorded hits and 5 cover songs. A seasonal album, ''Christmas With The Three Degrees'', was also recorded in 1998. This album included a cover of

Wham! Wham! were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981 consisting of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They were one of the most successful pop acts during the 1980s, selling more than 30 million certified records worldwide from 1982 to ...

'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 The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

show, ''Rhythm, Love, and Soul'' with

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

, Lou Rawls and Mary Wilson. They were also part of the 'Best Disco In Town 2004 Tour' with

the Pointer Sisters The Pointer Sisters are an American female vocal group from Oakland, California, who achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. They have had a repertoire with many genres, they have sold around 50 million records throughout their ...

, Chic,

the Emotions The Emotions are an American soul/ R&B vocal group from Chicago. The group started out in gospel music but transitioned into R&B and disco music. The Emotions were named by VH1 as one of the 18 most influential girl groups of all time. Hist ...

, and

Evelyn "Champagne" King Evelyn "Champagne" King (born July 1, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her first hit was disco single "Shame", which was released in 1977 during the height of disco's popularity. King had other hits from the early t ...

. 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. The group, together with 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. Pinkney died on June 27, 2009, in a hospital in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, after a short illness at the age of 61. Her 1979 solo album, ''One Degree'', was re-released on CD shortly after her death. 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 ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...

and

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...

. The following year they released a new single "Holding Back". In January 2011, Freddi Poole replaced Cynthia Garrison who was suffering from

Piriformis syndrome Piriformis syndrome is a condition which is believed to result from nerve compression at the sciatic nerve by the piriformis muscle. It is a specific case of deep gluteal syndrome. The largest and most bulky nerve in the human body is the s ...

. In 2016, the Three Degrees released their first studio album with member Freddi Poole entitled ''Strategy: Our Tribute To Philadelphia'', through Cherry Red Records. Victoria Wallace died in October 2023. Cynthia Garrison died on January 22, 2024.

Members timeline

ImageSize = width:1600 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:110 bottom:80 top:10 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:1963 till:2022 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:1 start:1963 Colors = id:Vocals value:green legend:Vocals id:Album value:black legend:Studio_Album LineData = color:Album layer:back at:07/01/1970 at:10/01/1973 at:02/07/1975 at:05/21/1976 at:02/01/1977 at:10/01/1978 at:10/12/1979 at:01/01/1982 at:08/01/1989 at:01/01/1993 at:01/01/1998 at:01/01/2009 at:03/04/2016 BarData = bar:Fayette text:Fayette Pinkney bar:Linda text:Linda Turner bar:Shirley text:Shirley Porter bar:Helen text:Helen Scott bar:Janet text:Janet Harmon bar:Sheila text:Sheila Ferguson bar:Valerie text:Valerie Holiday bar:Vera text:Vera Brown bar:Rhea text:Rhea Harris bar:Victoria text:Victoria Wallace bar:Cynthia text:Cynthia Garrison bar:Freddi text:Freddi Poole PlotData = width:11 bar:Fayette from:start till:08/31/1976 bar:Linda from:start till:06/01/1963 bar:Shirley from:start till:06/01/1963 bar:Helen from:06/01/1963 till:06/01/1966 bar:Helen from:08/01/1976 till:end bar:Sheila from:06/01/1966 till:06/01/1986 bar:Janet from:06/01/1963 till:06/01/1967 bar:Valerie from:01/06/1967 till:end bar:Vera from:06/01/1986 till:06/01/1987 bar:Rhea from:06/01/1987 till:06/01/1988 bar:Victoria from:06/01/1988 till:10/01/1989 bar:Cynthia from:10/01/1989 till:12/31/2010 bar:Freddi from:01/01/2011 till:end

Worldwide Discography

* ''Maybe'' (1970) * ''

'' (1973) * '' International'' (1975) * '' Take Good Care Of Yourself'' (1975) UK. * ''With Love'' (1975) Benelux. * '' So Much Love'' (1975) * '' The Three Degrees Live'' (1975) * '' The Three Degrees Live in Japan'' (1975) * ''A Toast of Love'' (1976) * '' Standing Up for Love'' (1977) * '' New Dimensions'' (1978) * '' 3D'' (1979) * ''Album of Love'' (1982) * ''The Three Degrees Live in the UK'' (1984) * ''…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

* '' The French Connection'' (1971) * '' Sanford and Son'' ( Season 3, Episode 4 titled “Presenting the Three Degrees” aired October 5, 1973) * ''

Birds of Prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...

'' (2020)

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Three Degrees, The American dance music groups African-American girl groups American disco girl groups American soul musical groups Epic Records artists Musical groups established in 1963 Musical groups from Philadelphia Philadelphia International Records artists Swan Records artists Vocal trios 1963 establishments in Pennsylvania