Faith, Hope & Charity

Originally hailing from Tampa, Florida, the soul trio that would later become Faith, Hope & Charity first performed as the Lovelles with founding members Brenda Hillard, Albert Bailey, and Zulema Cusseaux. In 1970 the group began cutting sides for the Maxwell label under their new name and simultaneously issued a debut self-titled album. Van McCoy handled writing and production duties on the first three singles, one of which, “So Much Love,” climbed to number 14 on the R&B chart. After Cusseaux exited in 1971, Hillard and Bailey continued as a duo, recording the 1972 Sussex album Heavy Love with production credits shared among McCoy, Joe Cobb, and Mike Stokes. Diane Destry completed the lineup when she joined in 1974. The following year the reconstituted trio reached the pinnacle of the R&B listings with “To Each His Own,” the centerpiece of a second self-titled album issued by RCA. A follow-up RCA collection, Life Goes On, appeared in 1976, after which the group shifted to 20th Century for yet another self-titled set in 1978. The album yielded the R&B Top 20 single “Don’t Pity Me,” the final chart entry for Faith, Hope & Charity before the members disbanded soon afterward.