Singer Valerie Holiday Talks Sheila Ferguson's Departure from The Three Degrees

When you hear the name, The Three Degrees, you immediately think of their most famous song, "When Will I See You Again", and the vision of three beautiful ebony women, perfectly coordinated in both their dance routines and their vocal harmonies. True, "When Will I See You Again" was a major hit record throughout the world, topping the chart in the U.S.A., the U.K., Japan and most European countries, earning the trio every conceivable accolade at the time -- not to mention enough Gold records to make Fort Knox a little envious!

More than four decades on, the threesome have retained all three of their major qualities -- their beauty, their sparkling choreography and their precise vocal qualities. And, in between, they have amassed an impressive list of hit records.

Today, the line-up consists of Valerie Holiday, Tabitha King and Freddie Pool.

The actual beginning of the group dates back more than 4 decades, when their then-manager, the enigmatic Richard Barrett brought three young teenagers together in Philadelphia. After a couple of years of constant rehearsing and local record hops, the group made its first mark on the recording scene by way of the Philly-based Swan Records.

During the Swan years, the group's line up was Helen, Fayette Pinkney and Janet Harmon. Their biggest success on Swan was probably "Gee Baby", which featured Fayette on lead vocals. "Those original recordings were quite different from the way we record now," Helen reflects. "We would record with a 'live' band, all in one room at the same time. Only towards the end of the years with Swan did we record our vocals after the band had finished recording the tracks. Many of the musicians went on to become members of MFSB and I remember when Kenny Gamble would come by the office and the studio to tout his songs!

Soon thereafter Helen got married and left the group. By this time, they had signed with New York-based Roulette Records and the line-up was Fayette, Valerie Holiday and Sheila Ferguson and this line-up was to remain intact for their glory years with Roulette and Philadelphia International.

In 1972, they aligned their recording fate with Gamble and Huff's Philadelphia International label and hit immediate paydirt in 1972 with "Dirty Ol’ Man". Soon after came "TSOP", which featured the ladies with MFSB. The following year came 'When Will I See You Again". "The whole Philadelphia Sound was the brainchild of Kenny (Gamble) and Leon (Huff)," Valerie explains. "They wrote and produced most of the hits...Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the O'Jays, Billy Paul, the Intruders. In all honesty, we weren't aware of the potential of the label when we first signed but at our first session with them, we felt the magic. It was different from anything we had ever experienced before.

During their 3 year stint with Philadelphia International, they enjoyed a good measure of success with "Year Of Decision", "Take Good Care Of Yourself" and, again with MFSB, "Love Is The Message".

In 2015, the threesome returned to the recording studios to record their tribute to the music of their home city. Entitled “Strategy: Our Tribute to Philadelphia”, the album features their unique rendition of some of the best known and most revered songs from the golden era of the city – such as “Love Train”, “Ain’t No Stoppin Us Now”, “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” as well as their slant on “Me & Mr. Jones”, “You’ll Never Find Another Love” and an update on their own “TSOP”. Fans of the threesome and the press have all offered their thumbs on the CD!

So it is that after almost six decades of existence, the Three Degrees can still make the claim as being the longest running female vocal group in history....see the Guinness Book of Records for confirmation of this fact! And they show no signs of slowing down!

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