Freddie Perren (May 15, 1943 – December 16, 2004) – Don't It Feel Good To Be Free (1974)

A very talented member of The Corporation, Motown’s anonymous songwriting and production team, Perren wrote and co-produced this beautiful song for Edwin Starr.

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Legendary songwriter, arranger, composer and producer Freddie Perren was one of the four members of The Corporation, the songwriting and production team behind the Jackson 5’s early hits, and co-wrote “I Want You Back.” He also co-wrote Gloria Gaynor’s classic disco anthem “I Will Survive.” Follow his legacy account @fpbeatsngrooves on Twitter (maintained by his son, Derek Perren) for rare photos and unreleased tracks from Perren.

Frederick James Perren was born and raised in Englewood, New Jersey. He went to college at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and graduated in 1966 with a degree in music education. Two years later in 1968 he moved to California with one of his Howard classmates, Fonce Mizell. There they met songwriter Deke Richards, and the three of them co-wrote a song that was originally titled “I Wanna Be Free.” It later became “I Want You Back,” the Jackson 5’s first big hit.

Along with himself, Berry Gordy made Richards, Perren and Mizell members of The Corporation, the entity he set up as an anonymous Motown songwriting and production team. It was intended to keep the other members from becoming stars in their own right, as had happened with Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland, Motown’s star producers who split with the label in 1968.  Gordy also wanted to ensure he retained 25% of all songwriting royalties, although his artistic contribution to most of The Corporation’s songs was minimal.

The Corporation also co-wrote “ABC” and “The Love You Save,” the Jackson 5’s next two singles, released in 1970, which both followed “I Want You Back” to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. They continued to co-write material for the group over the next several years.

In 1974, Perren wrote the beautiful “Don't It Feel Good To Be Free” for Edwin Starr.  It appeared on the soundtrack to Hell Up In Harlem (1974), which Perren and Mizell co-produced and arranged. The film was the sequel to Black Caesar (1973), both of which starred Fred Williamson as fictional Black mob boss Tommy Gibbs. It was originally supposed to be scored by James Brown, who did the Black Caesar soundtrack, but American International Pictures cut a deal with Motown instead, and the songs Brown had written ended up on his best-selling album The Payback (1973).

The Hell Up In Harlem soundtrack featured bassists Chuck Rainey, Jim Hughart, and Funk Brother James Jamerson; Joe Clayton on congas; Ed Greene behind the drums; guitarists Greg Poree, Jay Graydon, and Funk Brother Dennis Coffey; Jerry Peters, Mike Melvoin, and Jazz Crusader Joe Sample on keyboards; Gary Coleman, Gene Estes, Jack Arnold, and Sandra Crouch on percussion; and Fonce Mizell's brother Larry on harp. The two brothers would later form their own formidable production team and influence the shape of seventies jazz-funk on seminal albums by Donald Byrd, Bobbi Humphrey, and many more.

In 1977, Perren produced and arranged the soundtrack to the cult comedy film Record City (1978), released by American International Pictures.

A low-budget, over-the-top, but ultimately forgettable film, Perren nonetheless filled its soundtrack with disco gems. The numerous superb tracks he wrote or co-wrote included “Mucho Macho,'“ featuring vocals by Fritz Diego; “Steppin’ Out” with Ric and Robyn Wyatt on vocals; and the flawless instrumental disco funk jam “Shine On,” credited to Freddie Perren and the Team Players.

Along with ex-Motown songwriter Dino Fekaris, Perren co-wrote and co-produced “I Will Survive” (1978) by Gloria Gaynor, which was initially released as a B-side before it took off in discos and was re-issued as an A-side single. New York City’s Xenon nightclub was the backdrop for a promotional video shot for the track, featuring a roller disco routine by Sheila Reid-Pender from the local skate group The Village Wizards.

Recorded in just 35 minutes, the song became one of the late disco era’s biggest anthems, hitting #1 on both dance charts and the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1979. It went platinum and received the 1980 Grammy Award for Best Disco Recording, the only year the award was ever given.

Happy Heavenly 80th Birthday to the great Freddie Perren.

Further info:

"Freddie Perren (1943 - 2004)," obituary by Jay Lustig, (NJ) Star-Ledger, 2004.

"A forgotten Motown songwriter," Worcester Telegram, February 26, 2017

#soul #funk #disco #FreddiePerren