The Indie Artist of the week

Freda Payne

WWF got to talk with the legendary and enchanting Freda Payne, renowned for her 1970 hit Band of Gold, which was written by the iconic song-writing trio Holland, Dozier and Holland. In addition to topping the music charts with dance tunes like Love Magnet and classics like Deeper and Deeper that has that Funk Brothers Motown sound, Payne has lived an extraordinary life having found success in music, theater, film, and television. She starred in the hit Broadway musical Hallelujah Baby, understudying for the great Leslie Uggams and was able to go on a whopping 5 times. She has appeared in multiple films including Private Obsession (1995), Ragdoll (1999), and Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000). She even hosted her own talk show, Today’s Black Woman, in 1981. Despite her incredible diversity as a triple threat (dancer/singer/actress), Payne’s true love as she tells it, is jazz. She has been rubbing elbows with the likes of Duke Ellington, Berry Gordy, Quincy Jones, and Sarah Vaughn since she was 14 years old. Ms. Payne is truly a living legend, and has lived to carry the torch for our great musical past, many of whose hero’s and heroines hail from her hometown, the great city of Detroit—the Motor City!  And let me tell you, she has done it with tremendous style, panache, and talent. Please enjoy the inspiring words and stories from the fabulous Freda Payne.