The Three Degrees are an American female vocal group, which were originally formed in circa 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. … The line-up from 1967 to 1976 was Pinkney, Valerie Holiday and Sheila Ferguson, who would go on to sing lead on most of the group’s biggest hits.
When you hear the name, The Three Degrees, you immediately think of their most famous song, “When Will I See You Again”, and the vision of three beautiful ebony women, perfectly coordinated in both their dance routines and their vocal harmonies. True, “When Will I See You Again” was a major hit record throughout the world, topping the chart in the U.S.A., the U.K., Japan and most European countries, earning the trio every conceivable accolade at the time — not to mention enough Gold records to make Fort Knox a little envious!
More than two decades on, the threesome have retained all three of their major qualities — their beauty, their sparkling choreography and their precise vocal qualities. And, in between, they have amassed an impressive list of hit records. Today, the line-up consists of Valerie Holiday, Helen Scott and Freddie Pool.
The actual beginning of the group dates back more than 4 decades,
Ever since, they have been constantly touring all over the world, occasionally recording but always working. Their hard work in the early years has held them in good stead for today’s more demanding audiences. “For us, it is still exciting and we still enjoy our work,” Valerie points out. “We are blessed with a wide age group appeal….from fifteen to sixty-five. This is why we have survived, I think. We learned and were taught how to entertain and even before we had hit records, we knew how to do our job — our choreography, our costumes, the lights…these were all things that we learned at an early age.” “I think we have done many firsts in our career.” Helen adds. “We have opened a lot of doors for other entertainers. In some cases, we may not have always succeeded but we have never given up. It still amazes me when we see teenagers singing along with our songs. And yet we still have the fans who have grown with us.”
At the end of 2010 and after more than 20 years as a Degree, Cynthia was forced to retire from the group due to medical reasons. It brought to an end the most stable period in the trio’s long history. Her place has been taken by Freddie Pool, a hugely talented and experienced vocalist who has enjoyed past success both as a solo artiste and as a member of other groups. Vocally, she is the perfect blend for both Valerie and Helen and continues the rich tradition that the Three Degrees has always represented. So it is that after more than four decades of existence, the Three Degrees can still make the claim as being the longest running female vocal group in history….see the Guinness Book of Records for confirmation of this fact! And they show no signs of slowing down!
