Starting her career off early singing radio commercial
jingles in her hometown of Detroit, Payne quickly caught the attention of
music executives and artists. At the age of 17, Pealr Bailey gave Payne her
first professional job, and she went on to share the stage with legends like
Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Sammy Davis, Jr., Billy Eckstein, Quincy
Jones, Bill Cosby, and many others.
Her first love being jazz music, Payne felt this
was the way to become a great jazz singer like those she had admired, Ella
Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holiday. But fame evaded her until she
became reunited with her hometown friends Brian and Eddie Holland and Lamont
Dozier. They were setting out to establish their own record label. The
company was named Invictus Records.
"Band Of
Gold"
was an international hit, followed by"Bring The Boy's Home." Other songs
that successfully entered the pop charts were "Deeper and Deeper", "Cherish
What's Dear To You", and "You Brought The Joy."
Over the course of her career, Payne recorded 14
albums which include "Stares and Whispers", Supernatural High", "Red Hot",
and "Payne and Pleasure
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"Band of Gold" was released in April 1970,
and by July was one of the top-selling singles. It clung to the charts for
twenty weeks, and quickly earned Freda her first gold record. A few months
later, "Deeper and Deeper" became a second Top 30 hit.
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Quincy Jones invited her to sing with his
band at the Apollo. She toured Europe with him, performing in Norway, Sweden,
Germany, Spain, and England.
