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| Peaches and Herb |
| Though "Peaches and Herb" was billed as a duo, their member rotation is more similar to a group's. Herb has remained the only constant with, at last count, four "Peaches" stepping up to the microphone.
The original "Peaches," Francine Hurd Barker, (died 8-13-2005), a Washington, D.C., native, earned the childhood nickname "Peaches" because of her genteel manner. She sang in neighborhood groups and in her teens became the lead singer for a group named The Keynotes. Starting her own group, The Darlettes, they auditioned for and were signed to D.C.-area label Date Records, where their name was changed to The Sweet Things. Herb Fame, born Herbert Feemster on October 1, 1942, in Washington, D.C., began singing in church at seven and continued singing through the years in neighborhood groups. After high school graduation, Herb began working at a record store. His friend, Howard University student Freddie Perren, worked at another record store, Sabin's right around the corner. One day in January 1965, producer Van McCoy came into the store Herb worked in to ask about doing in-store promotion for a group he was working with called The Sweet Things. Herb convinced McCoy to grant him an audition, and a week later the young record store employee was signed to a contract with Date Records. McCoy took Herb and The Sweet Things to New York for their first recording sessions, but while they were there, decided to use some extra studio time to record a duet with Herb and the lead singer of The Sweet Things, Francine Barker. Impressed with the results McCoy convinced Date Records to release a 45 rpm of "We're In This Thing Together." The original A-side failed to generate much interest. Then a disc jockey at St. Louis, Missouri, radio station KATZ flipped the single over and began playing the B-side, "Let's Fall In Love." It was soon moving up the Hot 100, peaking at number 21 in March of 1967. Before the year was over, Peaches & Herb had three more hits: "Close Your Eyes" (number 8 in May), "For Your Love" (Number 20 in August) and "Love Is Strange" (number 11 in November). The duo released two hit albums in 1967 "Let's Fall In Love" and "For Your Love." By the years end the duo had earned the nickname The Sweethearts Of Soul. This same year, Francine Barker tired of the rigors of touring and bowed out, she was replaced with Marlene Mack. And the hits continued: "Two Little Kids" (number 31 in January 1968), "When He Touches Me (Nothing Else Matters)" (number 10 R&B in 1969) and "It's Just A Game, Love" (from the Jim Brown movie "The Split"), (which stalled at number 50 R&B in 1970). It was Peaches and Herb's last charting single on Date Records. Despondent over the act's failing chart success, Herb abruptly quit Peaches and Herb and got a job with the Washington, D.C. Police Department in July 1970. Then in 1976, Herb decided to re-enter the music business. Linda Greene was home in Washington D.C. that year after working as a model. "I bumped into Van and told him I was at home now and wished I could get into the music business. I thought I was ready to handle something like that" she told the Associated Press. Van mentioned Linda's name to Herb's manager and the two met and hit it off. Van, who was currently under contract to MCA Records, brought the "new" Peaches & Herb over to the label and produced their 1977 self-titled release. The duo charted in June with "We're Still Together" but the albums sales were dismal and it sank without a trace. The following year, they signed with Herb's old friend, songwriter/producer Freddie Perren's production company MVP Productions. Perren had produced and co-written million-selling hits by The Jackson 5, The Miracles, and The Sylvers, among others. Through him, the duo inked a deal with Polydor Records. The duo became hot again...."2 Hot," in fact, as their 1978 album delineated. The first single, "Shake Your Groove Thing" was their biggest hit yet, thanks to a promotional-only 12" it went to number one in the clubs and number 5 on the Hot 100 in March of 1979. Earning them their first Gold Record. The album went Gold and then Platinum also. The creamy ballad "Reunited" seemed an unlikely follow-up to the disco-oriented "Shake." The naysayers watched in shock as "Reunited" entered the Hot 100 on March 17, 1979 and within seven weeks shot to number one. The single went Gold and then Platinum, surpassing "Shake's" success. The single established them as one of the hottest acts of 1979 and won them a berth on Bob Hope's three-hour special taped in China. They made history by being the first black entertainers to perform in China. Their second Polydor Records album produced the club smash "Roller-Skatin' Mate" and helped "Twice The Fire" to achieve Gold status in early 1980. The ballad "I Pledge My Love" from the album went to number 19 on the Hot 100. 1980's "Worth The Wait" had only minor success with the 12" single of "Funtime" and 1981's "Sayin' Something" did even worse producing no club or Hot 100 hits. A split with Perren and a move to Columbia Records in 1983 did little to revive their dying careers. Perhaps they couldn't "Shake" their disco image? Linda bowed out and Herb went back to the Police department. In July 1992, Herb, now with a new Peaches, Patrice Hawthorne, "Reunited" with writer/producer/arranger and friend Freddie Perren. The result is a new and exciting Peaches & Herb sound. Their new material is a blend of their signature duet ballads and compelling, hot dance material with "a little groove on the side." As the crush for anything related to the "disco era" grew in the 1990's so too did their touring schedule. Their resurgance in popularity can be attributed to the inclusion of "Shake Your Groove Thing" in the 1994 blockbuster movie, "The Adventures Of Priscilla-Queen Of The Desert." No matter how many "Peaches" there is, the name "Peaches & Herb" will forever be linked to one of disco's all-time greatest hits. |
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