Fayette Pinkney (January 10, 1948 – June 27, 2009) – If And When (1973)
An elegant soul symphony production by The Three Degrees, co-written by Bunny Sigler and Joe Jefferson and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.
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Fayette Pinkney was one of the original members of legendary Philly vocal group The Three Degrees, currently the longest running female vocal trio in U.S. music history. She sang on their biggest hits “When Will I See You Again” and “TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia),” the theme song to Soul Train.
Fayette Regina Pinkney was born in Philadelphia, PA. During her senior year at Overbrook High School in 1963, she and two classmates were discovered by producer and songwriter Richard Barrett, who had previously discovered and promoted several other young R&B groups including the Chantels and Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers.
The Three Degrees released a number of singles during the sixties on labels including Swan Records, Warner Brothers, Metromedia, and Neptune Records, which was a short-lived label founded by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff in 1969. They were a popular live act, but lacked a hit record. Their first album, titled Maybe, came out on Roulette in 1970. The title track finally gave them a #4 R&B hit.
In 1973, their contract with Roulette ended and they signed with Gamble and Huff’s new label Philadelphia International Records (PIR). The first song they recorded was “TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia),” which was written by Gamble and Huff to be the new theme song for Soul Train. The PIR studio band MFSB were the backing musicians on the track.
When the single was released on February 6, 1974, credited to MFSB feat. The Three Degrees, it immediately took off, hitting #1 on both the Billboard pop and R&B charts by April. It was the first TV theme song to top the U.S. charts, and the second disco song to do so (following the success of “Love’s Theme” by Barry White’s Love Unlimited Orchestra which had hit #1 on February 9, 1974).
Although he wanted the song to be used as his show’s theme, creator and host Don Cornelius refused to allow the title or lyrics to contain any reference to “Soul Train” when it was initially released. Gamble and Huff were forced to adopt “TSOP” as an alternate title. The version recorded for the show had The Three Degrees singing the words “Soul Train, Soul Train” to open the track, but this was not the version on the single. After it topped the charts, Cornelius later admitted this had been a huge mistake on his part.
Their first full-length album on Philadelphia International Records was self-titled The Three Degrees. Produced by Gamble and Huff, it came out in late 1973. The members of MFSB were the studio musicians, with arranging handled by Norman Harris, Richie Rome, Lenny Pakula and Bobby Martin. It was recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, and engineered by Sigma Sound owner Joe Tarsia.
The album yielded four singles, the biggest of which was the third, “When Will I See You Again.” Released on September 6, 1974, it went to #2 pop and #4 R&B that fall. But the album’s masterpiece was the beautiful, seven minute-long epic soul symphony production “If And When.”
This song was co-written by Bunny Sigler and Joe Jefferson, original member of Nat Turner Rebellion and cousin to Norman Harris. Jefferson co-wrote two other tracks on the album. It was arranged by MFSB organist Lenny Pakula.
In 1974-75, they gave several memorable performances in Europe backed by full orchestras, including one broadcast by the BBC in 1975. A highlight of these shows was invariably “If And When.”
David Bowie was a big fan of the group. In March, 1974 they appeared live at a record company showcase at London’s Mayfair Hotel, and Bowie was in the audience.
He was paying close attention to the soul music explosion that was happening in the U.S., and especially the dancefloor-friendly Philly Sound being created by Gamble and Huff-produced acts like The O’Jays, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, and The Three Degrees. That summer, between breaks in his U.S. tour supporting the Diamond Dogs album, Bowie began recording his Young Americans LP at Sigma Sound Studios, beginning on August 11, 1974.
In October, he gave an interview to Fan Magazine, headlined “The People Who Turn Me On.” He said, “As you probably know my big kick at the moment is soul music. My next album will be much more in the soul style than any of my records so far.”
A young Luther Vandross and Ava Cherry were among the background singers on Young Americans, which also featured Sly & The Family Stone drummer Andy Newmark. It marked Puerto Rican guitarist Carlos Alomar’s first collaboration with Bowie, which led to the two of them making music together for more than three decades.
In the interview, Bowie continued:
“There's so much good soul music around at the moment that it's had a big influence on me. One of the groups who has influenced me most is The Three Degrees. I don't just mean their chart hits but also their albums. They've recorded some really great albums. The vocal range they achieve is incredible. Just listening to them turns me on.”
On the last day of the Young Americans recording sessions at Sigma Sound in November 1974, Fayette Pinkney visited the studio, listened to the finished tracks, and was memorably photographed with Bowie (who coincidentally died on January 10, 2016 at age 69).
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