The Three Degrees
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- "Their first single "Dirty Ol' Man" did not make any noise in the U.S but went gold in Holland and Belgium. It was also banned in the UK by the BBC." --Sholem Stein
The Three Degrees are a female Philly soul and disco vocal musical group formed in 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although always fronted by a three person line-up, there has been a number of personnel changes and a total of twelve women have represented the group so far. The original members were Fayette Pinkney, Shirley Porter, and Linda Turner. They were discovered by Richard Barrett. They are best known for their hit song, "When Will I See You Again".
The Three Degrees were formed around 1963 in Philadelphia, PA. They were discovered by producer and songwriter Richard Barrett. Barrett was responsible for Groups of the 1950s such as the Chantels, Little Anthony and the Imperials, and his own group the Valentines. Barrett recorded the original line-up on their very first song entitled "Gee Baby (I'm Sorry)" for Swan Records. Linda and Shirley both left the group and were replaced by Helen Scott and a variety of other ladies before Janet Harmon joined in the mid-60s. Barrett also began managing and producing Sheila Ferguson who was a high school friend of Helen's. Barrett also signed Sheila to Swan Records in 1965. The Three Degrees released a lot of singles like "I'm Gonna Need You" and a remake of "Maybe" with Helen taking the lead vocals. By 1966, with many performances lined up, Helen decided to leave the Group and start a family, not knowing she would return 10 years later. Sheila Ferguson filled in for Helen and would remain in the group for 20 years. Sheila sang backup on all the Three Degrees' Swan recordings as did the Three Degrees for her solo singles making her seem like a fourth degree. By 1967, Janet Harmon left the Group and was eventually replaced by a young beauty queen from Boston named Valerie Holiday. Barrett signed the Group to small deals over the next 3 years with Warner Brothers, Metromedia, and the Neptune Label which was owned by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff who would work with group 5 years later. Although these were quality recordings, namely "Contact" and "What I See", they failed to make any real impact due to poor marketing and distribution. Their close harmony singing, together with their stunning looks and sheer professionalism was, however, making them an extremely popular nightclub act, even though that much sought-after hit record was, for the time being, remaining elusive.
