Peaches & Herb

Peaches and Herb presented themselves to audiences as a soul and pop duo, yet the frequent changes in personnel made their lineup function more like that of a larger ensemble. Francine Hurd Barker, raised in Washington, D.C., received the nickname “Peaches” during childhood owing to her refined demeanor. She performed with local ensembles and, as a teenager, took the lead vocal role in the Keynotes. Forming her own unit, the Darlettes, the singers secured an audition with the regional Date Records imprint and, upon signing, saw their name altered to the Sweet Things. Born Herbert Feemster on October 1, 1942, in Washington, D.C., Herb Fame sang in church beginning at age seven and maintained his involvement with neighborhood groups throughout his youth. Following high-school graduation, he accepted employment at a record shop. His acquaintance Freddie Perren, then a Howard University student, worked nearby at Sabin’s Records. In January 1965 producer Van McCoy entered the store where Fame was employed to arrange in-store promotion for the Sweet Things. Their ensuing discussions prompted Fame’s solo audition and subsequent signing with Date Records. While separately tracking the Sweet Things and Herb Fame in New York, McCoy utilized remaining studio time to pair Fame with Francine as a duo. The intended A-side, “We’re in This Thing Together,” attracted scant attention until a disc jockey at St. Louis station KATZ turned the record over and began airing the B-side, “Let’s Fall in Love.” That remake of Eddy Duchin’s 1934 number-one pop hit reached number eleven on the R&B chart in December 1966, becoming Peaches and Herb’s first charting single. Their next release, Chuck Willis’s “Close Your Eyes,” climbed to number four R&B and number eight pop in April 1967. Continued success earned the pair the enduring tag Sweethearts of Soul. Subsequent singles included “For Your Love,” which peaked at number ten R&B in July 1967, a cover of Mickey & Sylvia’s 1956 hit “Love Is Strange,” and “Two Little Kids,” composed by Barbara Acklin, Eugene Record, and Carl Davis. Two albums appeared in 1967: Let’s Fall in Love and For Your Love. That same year Francine Barker withdrew from touring demands and was succeeded by a series of replacements, among them Marlene Mack, establishing a rotation that persists. Cashbox Magazine named them among the leading soul duos of the era, and further Date singles followed: “The Ten Commandments of Love,” the Gamble & Huff composition “United” (originally an Intruders hit), and the spring 1969 release “When He Touches Me (Nothing Else Matters),” which reached number ten R&B. The 1970 single “It’s Just a Game, Love,” drawn from the Jim Brown film The Split, stalled at number fifty R&B and number seventy pop, marking their final Date chart entry. Discouraged by declining commercial momentum, Fame resigned from the act in July 1970 and joined the Washington, D.C., police force. Six years later he sought to resume recording and, through an introduction arranged by Van McCoy, met Linda Greene, a former model and fellow D.C. resident who became the new Peaches. The reconstituted duo returned to the charts in June 1977 with “We’re Still Together,” issued on MCA Records from an album produced by McCoy. The following year they affiliated with Freddie Perren’s MVP Productions, whose prior credits encompassed million-selling recordings by the Jackson 5, the Miracles, and the Sylvers. This connection led to a Polydor contract. Their debut Polydor single, “Shake Your Groove Thing,” attained gold status and peaked at number four R&B and number five pop in late 1978. Though the ballad “Reunited” appeared an improbable successor to the disco-flavored track, it achieved platinum certification and occupied the number-one position on both the R&B and pop charts for four weeks during spring 1979. Both selections appeared on the platinum album 2 Hot, released in October 1978. The majority of their Polydor material was written by Perren, Dino Fekaris, Kenny St. Lewis, and Melvin Ragin. Additional Polydor releases charted, yet none matched the impact of the earlier Date singles. Fame continues to believe further success remains possible and maintains the duo’s visibility by employing a current Peaches while simultaneously holding a position with the Washington, D.C., police department.