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Freda Payne, born on September 19, 1942, in Detroit, Michigan, is an accomplished singer and actress. She is the daughter of Frederick and Charsilee Payne and attended Palmer and Crossman Elementary Schools, where she also pursued modeling, ballet, and Afro-Cuban dance. In 1956, while at Hutchins Middle School, she gained early recognition by appearing on the nationally televised Ted Mack's The Original Amateur Hour. She sang jingles and was featured on WJR radio's Make Way for Youth, along with various local television and radio shows. After graduating from Central High School in 1959, Payne toured with a musical review and sang with the Duke Ellington Band. Her debut album, After the Lights Go Down, was released in 1962 under ABC's Impulse Records. In 1963, she moved to New York City, where she made appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The Merv Griffin Show, and The Dick Cavette Show. In 1964, she joined the cast of a tour, and by 1967, she was an understudy in Broadway's Hallelujah Baby! and performed in the Equity Theatre production of Lost in the Stars. Payne's career took off after signing with Invictus Records in 1969, where she collaborated with her old Detroit friends. Her hit single "Band of Gold," released in 1970, reached #1 in the U.K. and #3 in

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