Freda Payne Tribute

Here is an electric song, performed by the beautiful singer Freda Payne, who was a great jazz and standards singer before becoming a “disco queen” in the 1970’s (she has now returned to her roots). Freda Charcelia Payne (born in 1942 in Detroit, Michigan) is an African-American singer and actress. At an early age, Freda Payne grew up listening to different jazz singers such as Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday which helped her develop a taste for music. As a teenager, she attended the Institute of Musical Arts; she soon began singing radio commercial jingles and took part in (and won many of) local TV and radio talent shows. Her polished voice caught the attention of many different people including record producers. Berry Gordy wanted to give her a recording contract with Motown, and Duke Ellington (after allowing her to sing with his orchestra in Pittsburgh for two nights) also wanted to give her a contract. In 1963, she moved to New York City and worked with many different entertainers including Quincy Jones, Pearl Bailey, and Bill Cosby. During that same year, her debut album, a jazz recording entitled “After the Lights Go Down Low and Much More!!!”, was released on the Impulse! label. She made occasional guest appearances on different television shows including The Merv Griffin Show and The Tonight Show. She even added theatrical credits to her repertoire; she understudied Leslie Uggams for the Broadway show “Hallelujah Baby” in 1967 and appeared with the Equity …

One of the fourteen singles released by Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe and Spike Milligan aka ‘The Goons’. From June 1956. It was partly as a result of the shelving of their first record that The Goons decided to secure a recording contract with Decca in the spring of 1956. Their first recording session took place on 24th May 1956, soon after the sixth series of The Goon Show had finished. “Im Walking Backwards for Christmas” had originally made its debut in the programme “The Great Tuscan Salami Scandal” (recorded on 21st February 1956) during which The Goons were without their usual orchestra and musical interlude performances from Max Geldray and The Ray Ellington Quartet due to a strike called by the Musicians Union. To fill in the three minute interludes from the storyline, Spike Milligan performed this classic song accompanied by Peter Sellers’ “unique” piano playing. The song proved a highlight of the show and prompted its re-recording for Decca. As a B-side to the single, the equally splendid “Bluebottle Blues” provided the young cub from East Finchley with his first vocal outing on record. Released on 25th June 1956, the record soon entered the UK singles chart, reaching a height of number 4. Surprisingly, Decca’s US subsidiary London Records also released the single in August 1956, but it failed to make any impression on the American charts.