PEACHES & HERB

Peaches & Herb are best remembered for their 1979 smash, “Reunited,” but their early hits predated it by twelve years.

Herb Fame (real name: Feemster) was born in Washington, DC, on October 1, 1942. As a child, he sang both in church and in neighborhood vocal groups. After high school, Fame worked in a record store, where he met Van McCoy, a songwriter and producer. McCoy, along with A&R (artists and repertoire) executive Dave Kapralik, signed Fame to Date Records, a Columbia subsidiary.

Francine “Peaches” Hurd was born April 28, 1947. As Francine Day, she formed a vocal trio called the Darlettes. After they signed with Date Records, they changed their name to the Sweet Things. McCoy produced two singles on the trio, after which he got the idea to record Herb Fame and Peaches Hurd as a duo.

The year 1967 was an excellent one for Peaches & Herb. Their national chart debut—a remake of the Five Keys’ doo-wop ballad, “Close Your Eyes”--went top ten on both the Rhythm & Blues and pop charts. They followed it with a successful remake of Mickey & Sylvia’s “Love Is Strange.” In all, the duo charted five times in 1967, followed by three additional hits in 1968. Peaches & Herb were nicknamed “The Sweethearts of Soul.”

Francine Hurd grew weary of touring and went into semi-retirement. Fame replaced her on tours with Marlene Mack, who had performed on the Jaynetts' 1963 hit, “Sally Go ‘Round the Roses.” Hurd continued to sing on the duo’s records and also made solo recordings under her married name, Francine Barker.

Herb Fame disbanded the act in 1970, at which time he entered the Washington, DC, police academy. He worked as a police officer until 1976, when Fame re-entered the music business. In search of a new “Peaches,” Fame turned to his old producer, Van McCoy, who suggested Linda Greene. The duo’s self-titled debut album, produced by McCoy, came out on MCA in 1977 but was not terribly successful.

By 1978, Peaches & Herb were on MVP/Polydor, where the act enjoyed its biggest hit in ten years. The disco single, “Shake Your Groove Thing,” hit #4 on the Soul chart and #5 pop in March 1979. And their follow-up became the duo’s all-time biggest hit. A romantic ballad that hearkened back to the original Peaches & Herb of the ‘60s, “Reunited” spent a month at #1 on both the Soul and pop charts. It also went triple platinum and received a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year.

Herb Fame and Linda Greene severed their partnership in 1983. For the second time, Fame left the music business to work in law enforcement, joining the U.S. Marshals Service in 1986 as a deputized court security officer. In 1990, he revived the Peaches & Herb name while keeping his job at the court. Patrice Hawthorne became the fourth “Peaches.” The duo performed, but never recorded, together.

Despite the hits he had with Linda Greene, Fame was far from rich due to unpaid royalties. So in 2001, he and Greene hired attorneys through the Artists Rights Enforcement Corporation. They sued MVP Records, securing Fame and Greene royalties, income, and a reaffirmation of their rights as artists.

A fifth “Peaches,” Miriamm, joined the act in 2002. She appeared with Fame in the PBS-TV special, “Rhythm, Love & Soul.” Subsequently, Wanda Makle performed with Fame as Peaches #6, but he dropped her for a seventh “Peaches,” Meritxell Negre from Spain. Together, they recorded Colors of Love, the first Peaches & Herb album since 1983.

Charted singles:

“Close Your Eyes” (1967) R&B #4, Pop #8
“For Your Love” (1967) R&B #10, Pop #20
“Two Little Kids” (1967) R&B #25, Pop #31
“Let’s Fall In Love” (1967) R&B #11, Pop #21
“Love Is Strange” (1967) R&B #16, Pop #13
“United” (1968) R&B #11, Pop #46
“Let’s Make a Promise” (1968) R&B #34, Pop #75
“The Ten Commandments of Love” (1968) R&B #25, Pop #55
“Let Me Be the One” (1969) R&B #40, Pop #74
“When He Touches Me (Nothing Else Matters)” (1969) R&B #10, Pop #49
“The Sound of Silence” (1970) Pop #100
“It’s Just a Game, Love” (1970) R&B #50, Pop #110
“We’re Still Together” (1977) R&B #98, Pop #107
“Shake Your Groove Thing” (1978) R&B #4, Pop #5
“Reunited” (1979) R&B #1 (4 weeks), Pop #1 (4 weeks)
“We’ve Got Love” (1979) R&B #25, Pop #44
“Roller Skatin’ Mate” (1979) R&B #30, Pop #66
“I Pledge My Love” (1980) R&B #37, Pop #19
“Funtime” (1980) R&B #37
“One Child of Love” (1980) R&B #51
“Freeway” (1981) R&B #37
“Bluer Than Blue” (1981) R&B #45
“Remember” (1983) R&B #35