How Many Peaches
Here’s a riddle for you: How many Peaches does it take to make a Peaches & Herb?
Since the soul duo started in 1966, only Herb Fame has remained a constant member. After finishing high school, Herb worked at a record store in D.C., where he met record producer Van McCoy(THE HUSTLE) and was signed to Columbia’s subsidiary, Date Records.
Francine Hurd, also a D.C. native, founded the soul trio The Sweet Things, which was signed to Date Records. After producing two of their releases, McCoy decided to record Herb and Peaches together.
Beginning in 1967, Francine and Herb, recording as Peaches & Herb, produced a string of successful singles. CLOSE YOUR EYES and LOVE IS STRANGE are considered their biggest hits.
Despite their growing success and media image as the "Sweethearts of Soul," two years later, Francine decided to semi-retire from the duo because of the demands of touring.
And thus, the saga of ever-changing Peaches begins. Ultimately, there will be seven different Peaches.
Marlene Mack, who sang on the Jaynetts' hit SALLY GO ‘ROUND THE ROSES, replaced Francine on stage, but Barker continued working in the studio and singing on all of the duo's recordings for Date Records. The semi-retired "Peaches" also worked as a solo artist under her married name, Francine Barker. She released three singles for Columbia, including the minor hits ANGELS IN THE SKY and MISTER DJ.
Around the same time as Francine’s solo career, in 1970, Herb decided to retire from the act and enroll in Washington D.C.’s police academy, then later joined the city's police department.
Five years into pounding the pavement as a beat cop, Herb Fame seems to have missed, well, fame. In his search for a new "Peaches", Herb again enlisted the assistance of Van McCoy, who suggested that Linda Greene could work. And she did.
Linda Greene Tavani, the third “Peaches," appeared on the duo's biggest hits SHAKE YOUR GROOVE THING (1978) and REUNITED (1979). Herb and Linda recorded seven albums together, including one LP released only in Argentina.
This incarnation of Peaches & Herb signed with MVP, a subsidiary of Polydor, and released the album 2 Hot, which went gold. The album's first single, SHAKE YOUR GROOVE THING, also went gold, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1979.
The follow-up single, regarded as the album's "secret weapon" by producer and songwriter Freddie Perren, was the triple platinum hit REUNITED. Evoking the 1960s Peaches & Herb hit UNITED (originally recorded and made famous by The Intruders), it reached number one on both the Hot 100 and the Billboard R&B chart. REUNITED was nominated for a Grammy Award for Song of the Yearin 1980.
Later releases with Polydor produced several more hits, including the enduring wedding staples I PLEDGE MY LOVE and WE’VE GOT LOVE.
Once again, the music industry was beating down Herb Fame, and he returned to law enforcement, joining the U.S. Marshals Service in 1986 as a deputized court security officer.
But, only four years later, while still employed at the court, Herb returned to song. This time, he revived Peaches & Herb as a legacy band. For the fourth "Peaches," he chose Patrice Hawthorne, fresh from TV’s Natalie Cole-hosted talent show Big Break. As a legacy band, they toured extensively but did not record any new music.
Herb's financial situation was far from affluent despite a string of hits and selling nine million records. So, in 2001, Herb Fame and Linda Green (the third “Peaches”) hired lawyers to sue MVP Records for unpaid royalties. The duo were successful in obtaining royalties, income, and a reaffirmation of their artist rights.
Financially secure, Herb was able to find and hire his fifth “Peaches.” Miriamm, a singer, songwriter, and advocate for breast cancer prevention, was introduced as the new "Peaches" when she joined Herb in the PBS televised "Rhythm, Love & Soul" fundraising drive in 2002. Their on-stage chemistry was so well-received that this version of the group appeared on several PBS specials.
At the same time, Herb hired Wanda Makle for weekend appearances. Yes, he was still working in courtroom security.
For several years, there was talk of recording a new album with this version of Peaches & Herb. But eventually, Wanda was dismissed, and Meritxell Negre from Barcelona, Spain, became Peaches' sixth member. Meritxell was the first non-black "Peaches" and only the third recording artist to co-record a Peaches & Herb album. Colors of Love, the first album from Peaches & Herb since 1983, was released in May 2009 by Imagen Records but failed to gain traction.
Herb Fame still performs occasionally, and when he does, it's with “Peaches” number six, Wanda Markle.
SHAKE YOUR GROOVE THING has been covered at least ten times and features in the soundtracks of more than seven animated and feature films, including The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
In 2009, Faith No More opened their set at Brixton Academy with their own cover of REUNITED, the song alluding to the band's own eleven-year breakup and reunion. REUNITED has been sampled in over 11 songs and covered at least 24 times, including by Bob James.
Choose from our available Peaches & Herb singles
Please enjoy Peaches (Linda Greene) & Herb lip synching SHAKE YOUR GROOVE THING on Season 8, Episode 24 of TV’s Soul Train.
Today’s Rare Recent Arrival
The Lost Legend’s LOVE FLIGHT.
This beauty was a single-owner. Frank bought the record in a carrying case from a 70-something who hadn't played anything from his small collection since high school.
Pressed at Joe Talbot and Ronnie Yearwood’s Precision Recording Plant in Nashville.
Recorded at Pat Costa’s Eastern Sound Studio in Methuen, Massachusetts. And released on the Onyx label, a project that seems to have been owned by Pat as well. While offering often adventurous singles, the label offered a little bit of everything from jazz to garage rock. Their early years seem focused on recording and selling local garage bands, like The Lost Legends, and nearby high school bands.
Not much is known about The Lost Legend besides the fact that they hailed from writer/ poet Jack Kerouac’s hometown of Lowell.
Full of confidence and experimentation, LOVE FLIGHT is a rarely seen masterwork in psychedelia and garage. It’s all here: the fuzzed-out guitar, the stripped-down drums, the long break beneath an echoed vocal. And, of course, young men crying out for love.
See You Soon.
And thank you for the three-day weekend, Organized Labor. Happy holiday!
