SPECIAL TO FORGOTTEN HITS:
FREDA PAYNE’S “BAND OF GOLD” MEMOIR, WRITTEN WITH MARK BEGO / FORGOTTEN HITS
We've been telling you about Mark Bego's latest book (his 67th!!!), "Band Of Gold" (Yorkshire Publishing), a frank funny and fascinating look back at the life and times of “Band of Gold” singer FREDA PAYNE.
While she is best known for the Number One hit song “Band of Gold” in 1970, she has been the star of several Broadway touring productions, and a popular fixture on television, stage, and the movies.
Film producers often use “Band of Gold” in their soundtrack albums (“Now and Then,” 1995, immediately comes to mind) and the song was most recently heard in Spike Lee’s latest movie, “Da Five Bloods.” In 2021, Academy Award winning director Quentin Tarantino called Freda’s “Band of Gold” album one of his Top Ten favorite LPs of all time.
Mark Bego has made a career out of celebrity bios and this book is no exception. In “Band of Gold,” Payne and Bego delve into the singer’s enduring career ... working with the songwriting / producing trio of Holland - Dozier - Holland, as well as her work and relationships with such names as Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, The Supremes, Ella Fitzgerald, Michael Jackson, Sarah Vaughn, Bobby Darin, Jerry Lewis, Lena Horne, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Sammy Davis, Jr., Eddie Murphy, Edgar Bronfman Jr., Berry Gordy Jr., Natalie Cole, and Johnny Mathis. And, that’s just the beginning!
Freda tells how she was nearly signed to Motown Records by Berry Gordy, Jr.; was pursued by Duke Ellington; was fired by Pearl Bailey; and eventually rose to fame both on the Broadway stage, and on the record charts.
The very-conversational memoir also features a foreword by the late-Mary Wilson, who knew both Freda and Mark Bego. The book ... out officially on November 2nd ... is a compelling and intimate look at the behind-the-scenes world of show business.
Thanks to a connection made with PR Guru David Salidor, who oversees both artists, we are proud to bring you both Mark Bego and Freda Payne today, who reveal their creative process for all our readers in this exclusive Forgotten Hits interview:
FH: How did you both meet?
Mark Bego (MB): Actually, the first time I met Freda, was in the 1970’s when I was the Nightlife Editor of CUE magazine in New York City, and Freda was performing at The Playboy Club in Manhattan. She was headlining their nightclub room.
FH: Freda, although it may have seemed like it at the time to many of us uneducated fans who first discovered you when we fell in love with and bought the record "Band Of Gold," you were not an overnight success by any stretch. What did it feel like to suddenly connect in such a big way when “Band of Gold” was a massive hit worldwide hit?
Freda Payne (FP): It felt wonderful to finally have a huge international hit record of my own. I had been in the record business for seven years before “Band Of Gold.” Although I had recorded three separate albums for three different labels, I didn’t score a recognizable hit from any of them. Finally, I had my big breakthrough, with Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland writing and producing the song. With that one hit record, and my other recordings on Invictus, finally my career had a focal point.
FH: Invictus Records ... tell us about that label and how you came to be on it.
FP: Actually, I was sitting in the apartment I shared with a friend, when singer Tamiko Jones phoned me to tell me that she was sitting in her apartment with a friend of mine from Detroit. It turned out to be Brian Holland, and he basically offered me a recording deal over the telephone. He told me that Holland - Dozier - Holland had left Motown and started their own label. The next thing I knew, I was in Detroit recording my first album, “Band of Gold” for Invictus Records.
FH: And then after that came the follow-up hit, “Bring The Boys Home,” another Top Five Hit in 1971.
FP: “Deeper and Deeper” and “Cherish What Is Dear To You (While It’s Near To You)” were the singles that followed “Band of Gold” ... and then came “Bring the Boys Home.” It was included on my “Contact” album, which was nominated for a Grammy Award, and became the most successful album of my career.
[Ed Note: You'll find Freda Payne's complete Hit List at the end of this piece - kk]
FH: Mark, you’ve done several books on female singers (Cher, Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt) ... What made Freda the next subject?
MB: Well, to tell you the truth, we had been talking about it for a couple of years, and we had started it a couple of times. Finally, after I did “Supreme Glamour” with Mary Wilson, it was Mary who encouraged me to make that my next book. We had all been friends for a long time, and finally the right time presented itself.
FH: Freda, you’ve had such a distinguished career – and now you’re doing a tribute show to Ella Fitzgerald … what are you most comfortable doing?
Freda: After over 60 years in show business, I still love to get in front of an audience to sing my songs, and I am proud and thankful to say, “My career continues to grow and evolve.” Theater. Recordings. Movies. Concerts. I am ready for them all, and I enjoy them all.
You can pick up a copy of this brand new book (out November 2nd) here:
And be sure to stay tuned for details as to how you can win an autographed copy of this brand new book! (kk)
THE FREDA PAYNE HIT LIST:
1970 - Band Of Gold (#1)
1970 - Deeper And Deeper (#18)
1971 - Cherish What Is Dear To You (#27)
1971 - Bring The Boys Home (#5)
1971 - You Brought The Joy (#29)
A Golden Memory From FH Reader Frank B ...
