The Three Degrees

The Three Degrees are an American female vocal group formed circa 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although several women have been members over the years, the group has always been a trio. The group were particularly successful in the UK, achieving 13 Top 50 hit singles between 1974 and 1985. The current line-up consists of Valerie Holiday, Freddi Poole, and Hazel Payne, formerly of A Taste of Honey. A second grouping features Three Degree Helen Scott, with Skyler Jordan and Tamika Peoples. The original members were Fayette Pinkney, Shirley Porter and Linda Turner. By mid-1963, Porter and Turner were replaced by Janet Harmon and Helen Scott; Scott was replaced by Sheila Ferguson in 1966, while Harmon was replaced by Valerie Holiday in 1967. This line-up of Pinkney, Holiday and Ferguson became the most successful in the group's history; together from 1967 to 1976, they topped the Billboard US Hot 100 as featured vocalists on the MFSB single "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" in 1974, and had seven UK Top 40 hits, including the 1974 single "When Will I See You Again", which was a huge international hit, reaching the Top 5 in seven countries, including number two in the US and topping the UK Singles Chart. When Pinkney left the group in 1976, she was replaced by a returning Helen Scott. This line-up had four UK Top 20 hits, including "Woman in Love", which reached number three in 1979. Ferguson left for a solo career in 1986. The group's most stable line-up was from 1989 to 2010, with Cynthia Garrison joining Holiday and Scott. They achieved a final UK chart entry, reaching number 54 in 1998 with a dance cover of "Last Christmas". Garrison left the band at the end of 2010 for health reasons, and was replaced by Freddi Poole in 2011. The group's 2016 album, Strategy: Our Tribute to Philadelphia, was their first studio album release with Pool as a member. Helen Scott is the only Degree living from their early beginnings on Swan Records in 1963.