“Band Of Gold” #3 7/25/1970

Far and away the biggest hit for Freda Payne, and she almost didn’t record it. She felt the subject matter was more suited for a younger girl but did the song anyway. The Funk Brothers (Motown’s house band) secretly made the music as Payne’s label owners Holland-Dozier-Holland were still in litigation with Berry Gordy. Dennis Coffey played the electric sitar and Ray Parker Jr. (who ya gonna call?) played lead guitar. Joyce Wilson and Telma Hopkins, soon part of Dawn with Tony Orlando, sang backup along with Freda’s sister Scherrie, who was in the mid-70’s version of the Supremes.