# Peaches & Herb

Peaches & Herb is an American vocal duo. Herb Fame (born October 1, 1941) has remained a constant as "Herb" since the duo was created in 1966; seven different women have filled the role of "Peaches", most notably Francine Edna "Peaches" Hurd Barker (April 28, 1947 – August 13, 2005), the original "Peaches" who lent her nickname to the duo, and Linda Greene Tavani, the third "Peaches", who appeared on the duo's biggest hits "Shake Your Groove Thing" (1978) and "Reunited" (1979).

## History
### With Francine "Peaches" Barker and Marlene Mack (1966–1970)

Herb Fame (born Herbert Feemster, October 1, 1941, in Anacostia, Washington, D.C.) sang in church and neighborhood groups as a child. After graduation from high school, he worked in a local record store, where he met record producer Van McCoy and was signed to Columbia subsidiary Date Records by McCoy and A&R executive Dave Kapralik. Francine "Peaches" Barker (April 28, 1947 – August 13, 2005), using the stage name Francine Day, started a singing trio initially dubbed The Darlettes and later renamed The Sweet Things after a change of record label to Date Records. Having produced two releases for the trio, McCoy decided to record Feemster/Fame and Hurd/Day together at Kapralik's suggestion. The resulting single, "We're in This Thing Together," was distributed to radio stations but went nowhere for months until December 1966, when a St. Louis disc jockey broadcast the single's B-side, a revival of the 1934 hit "Let's Fall in Love".
The new duo, christened "Peaches & Herb", had a string of successful singles and albums over the next year such as "Close Your Eyes", "For Your Love", "Let's Fall in Love", and "Love Is Strange". Despite burgeoning success and a media image as the "Sweethearts of Soul", Barker chose to semi-retire from the duo after two years because of the rigors of touring. Marlene Mack (aka Marlene Jenkins), who had sung on the Jaynetts' hit "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" and had recorded as Marlina Mars, replaced Barker on stage, but Barker remained on all of the duo's recordings for Date Records. During this period, the semi-retired "Peaches" also worked as a solo artist using her married name, Francine Barker. She released three singles in total on the Columbia Records label, including "Angels in the Sky" and "Mister DJ".
Fame retired the act in 1970 when he enrolled in the police academy of Washington, D.C., and thereafter joined the city's police department.

### With Linda Greene (1976–1983)

Peaches & Herb lay dormant until Fame decided to re-enter the music business in 1976. In his search for a new "Peaches", Herb again enlisted the assistance of Van McCoy, who suggested that Linda Greene would be suitable for the position. Fame met Greene and concurred, thereby leading to formation of the most successful of the "Peaches & Herb" incarnations to date. Linda's early musical training (while growing up in Washington, D.C.) was at The Sewell Music Conservatory.
Fame and Greene recorded seven albums altogether, including one album released only in Argentina. Their first album, Peaches & Herb, was recorded for MCA Records and produced by Van McCoy, but it generated only one charted hit, "We're Still Together". Peaches & Herb signed with MVP/Polydor and under the management of Paul J. Cohn, released 2 Hot, which went gold. The album's first single, "Shake Your Groove Thing", went gold and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1979. The follow-up single, viewed as the album's "secret weapon" by producer/songwriter Freddie Perren, was the triple platinum hit "Reunited". This song, evoking the 1960s Peaches & Herb hit "United" (originally recorded and made a hit by The Intruders), reached #1 on both the Hot 100, the Billboard R&B chart, and in Canada. "Reunited" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1980. Subsequent releases with Polydor produced several more hits, including the lasting wedding staple, "I Pledge My Love". After changing labels again to the Entertainment Company, Fame and Greene released their seventh album in 1983. Scoring only one minor hit, Greene and Fame decided to make no more albums and retired their partnership. Once again, Fame returned to law enforcement and joined the U.S. Marshals Service in 1986 as a deputized court security officer at the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Greene returned to her family and, together with her husband Stephen Tavani, went on to release three gospel albums and start the charity WOW (Winning Our World). Formerly Greene, Linda now goes by Linda Peaches Tavani.

### Later years

While remaining employed at the court, Fame again revived the brand in 1990. For the fourth "Peaches" he chose Patrice Hawthorne, fresh from television exposure on the Natalie Cole-hosted talent show Big Break. The duo appeared infrequently in concerts and did not release any recordings.
Due to unpaid royalties, Fame's financial state was far from wealthy despite years of hits and selling nine million records with Greene. Thus, in 2001, Fame and Greene hired attorneys Oren Warshavsky and Steven Ames Brown through Artists Rights Enforcement Corporation. The attorneys brought a lawsuit against MVP Records, then headed by Christine Perren. Perren's testimony at trial revealed a series of contradictions in MVP's defense, with the result that Fame and Greene received royalties, income, and a reaffirmation of their artists' rights. Those rights have since been vigorously defended.
Having financial security, Fame would then have been able to leave the court and focus solely on his music career. Instead, he banked significant funds and continued enjoying the work.
A fifth "Peaches"—singer, songwriter, and advocate for breast cancer prevention, Miriamm—joined the duo in 2002. Miriamm began touring with Herb and was introduced to the world as the new "Peaches" when she joined Herb in the PBS televised "Rhythm, Love & Soul" Fundraising drive. They shared the stage with people such as Aretha Franklin, Gloria Gaynor and Lou Rawls, among others. Their performance re-introduced Peaches and Herb and their on-stage chemistry was so well received, it sparked another invitation to the duo for the follow-up star-studded installment of the PBS show featuring R&B greats such as Irene Cara, Heatwave, and Anita Ward. Miriamm currently performs as a freelance vocalist and has founded a breast cancer foundation, EPW Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc., in honor of her mother, Edith P. Wright, providing support to families facing breast cancer.
Wanda Makle subsequently performed with Fame in weekend appearances, and in 2008 they were reported to be planning a recording together. Those plans dissolved, and instead Makle was ultimately dropped in favor of another "Peaches," Meritxell Negre from Barcelona, Spain.
Negre, who was introduced to Fame by producer Bill Davis, is the first-ever non-black "Peaches" and third recording artist to co-record a Peaches and Herb album. Together, Fame and Negre recorded Colors of Love, the first album from Peaches & Herb since 1983. Colors of Love was released in May 2009 by Imagen Records, approximately three months after Negre's stage debut as "Peaches". Negre died in 2020 after battling cancer.
Fame has since returned to touring with Wanda Tolson.

## Discography
### Studio albums

| Year | Title | Details | US Billboard 200 | Peaches: |
| 1967 | For Your Love | Label Date Format- LP Country of Release- United States | 135 | Francine Barker |
| 1967 | Let's Fall in Love | Label Date Format- LP Country of Release- United States | 30 | Francine Barker |
| 1977 | Peaches & Herb | Label- MCA Format- LP Country of Release- United States | — | Linda Greene |
| 1978 | 2 Hot | Label- MVP / Polydor Format- LP, CD Country of Release- United States | 2 | Linda Greene |
| 1979 | Twice the Fire | Label- MVP / Polydor Format- LP Country of Release- United States | 31 | Linda Greene |
| 1979 | Demasiado Candente | Label- MVP / Polydor Format- LP Country of Release- Argentina | — | Linda Greene |
| 1980 | Worth the Wait | Label- MVP / Polydor Format- LP, CD Country of Release- United States | 120 | Linda Greene |
| 1981 | Sayin' Something | Label- MVP / Polydor Format- LP Country of Release- United States | 168 | Linda Greene |
| 1983 | Remember | Label- The Entertainment Co. / Columbia Format- LP, CD Country of Release- United States | 204 | Linda Greene |
| 2009 | Colors of Love | Label- Imagen Format- CD Country of Release- United States | — | Meritxell Negre |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |||||

### Compilation albums

| Year | Title | Details | US Billboard 200 | Peaches: |
| 1968 | Greatest Hits | Label- Date Country of Release- United States | 187 | Francine Barker |
| 1979 | Greatest Hits | Label- Epic Country of Release- United States | — | Francine Barker |
| 1994 | Sweathearts of Soul | Label- Original Sound Entertainment Country of Release- United States | — | Francine Barker |
| 1995 | Reunited: At Their Best | Label - PSM Country of Release- United States | — | Linda Greene |
| 1996 | Best of Peaches & Herb | Label- MVP / Polydor Country of Release- United States | — | Linda Greene |
| 2001 | Reunited | Label- Rotation / MVP / Polydor Country of Release- EU | — | Linda Greene |
| 2002 | 20th Century Masters | label- MVP / Polydor Country of Release- United States | — | Linda Greene |
| 2005 | Two of a Kind | Label - Collectables Country of Release- United States | — | Francine Barker |
| 2005 | Old School Cruzin' with Peaches & Herb | Label- Thump Country of Release- United States | — | Francine Barker |
| 2007 | The Best of Peaches & Herb: Love Is Strange | Label- Epic / Legacy Country of Release- United States | — | Francine Barker |
| 2009 | Greatest Hits | Label- Wounded Bird Country of Release- United States | — | Francine Barker |
| 2009 | Golden Duets | Label- Wounded Bird Country of Release- United States | — | Francine Barker |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |||||

### 7" singles and promos

| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Peaches: |
| Title | Year | US Hot 100 | US R&B | AUS | UK | NLD | NZ | Certifications | Peaches: |
| 1967 | "Close Your Eyes" b/w "I Will Watch Over You" | 8 | 4 | — | — | — | — | | Francine Barker |
| 1967 | "For Your Love" b/w "I Need Your Love So Desperately" | 20 | 10 | — | — | — | — | | Francine Barker |
| 1967 | "Two Little Kids" b/w "We've Got to Love One Another" | 31 | 25 | — | — | — | — | | Francine Barker |
| 1967 | "Let's Fall in Love" b/w "We're in This Thing Together" | 21 | 11 | — | — | — | — | | Francine Barker |
| 1967 | "Love Is Strange" b/w "It's True I Love You" | 13 | 16 | — | — | — | — | | Francine Barker |
| 1968 | "United" b/w "Thank You" | 46 | 11 | — | — | — | — | | Francine Barker |
| 1968 | "Let's Make a Promise" b/w "Me & You" | 75 | 34 | — | — | — | — | | Francine Barker |
| 1968 | "The Ten Commandments of Love" b/w "What a Lovely Way (To Say Goodnight)" | 55 | 25 | — | — | — | — | | Francine Barker |
| 1969 | "Let Me Be the One" b/w "I Need Your Love So Desperately" | 74 | 40 | — | — | — | — | | Francine Barker |
| 1969 | "When He Touches Me (Nothing Else Matters)" | 49 | 10 | — | — | — | — | | Francine Barker |
| 1969 | "Darling How Long" b/w "Cupid" | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Francine Barker |
| 1970 | "The Sound of Silence" | 100 | — | — | — | — | — | | Francine Barker |
| 1970 | "It's Just a Game, Love" b/w "Satisfy My Hunger" | 110 | 50 | — | — | — | — | | Francine Barker |
| 1971 | "God Save This World" | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Francine Barker |
| 1977 | "I'm Counting on You" | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Linda Greene |
| 1977 | "We're Still Together" | 107 | 98 | — | — | — | — | | Linda Greene |
| 1978 | "Shake Your Groove Thing" | 5 | 4 | 13 | 26 | 22 | 10 | | Linda Greene |
| 1978 | "Reunited" b/w "Easy as Pie" | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | BPI: Silver | Linda Greene |
| 1978 | "Reunited" b/w "We've Got Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Linda Greene |
| 1978 | "We've Got Love" b/w "Four's a Traffic Jam" | 44 | 25 | — | — | 14 | 42 | | Linda Greene |
| 1979 | "Roller Skatin' Mate" | 66 | 30 | — | — | — | — | | Linda Greene |
| 1979 | "I Pledge My Love" b/w "(I Want Us) Back Together" | 19 | 37 | 73 | — | — | 1 | | Linda Greene |
| 1979 | "Howzabout Some Love" b/w "Put It There" | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Linda Greene |
| 1979 | "Sacude Tu Alegria" b/w "Todo Tu Amor" | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Linda Greene |
| 1980 | "Funtime" | — | 37 | — | — | — | — | | Linda Greene |
| 1980 | "All Night Celebration" | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Linda Greene |
| 1980 | "One Child of Love" b/w "Hearsay" | — | 51 | — | — | — | — | | Linda Greene |
| 1981 | "Freeway" b/w "Picking Up the Pieces" | — | 37 | — | — | — | — | | Linda Greene |
| 1981 | "Bluer Than Blue" b/w "Go with the Flow" | — | 45 | — | — | — | — | | Linda Greene |
| 1983 | "Remember" | — | 35 | — | — | — | — | | Linda Greene |
| 1983 | "In My World" b/w "Keep On Smiling" | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Linda Greene |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. ||||||||||

### 12" and maxi singles

| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Peaches: |
| Year | Title | AUS | Peaches: |
| 1978 | "Shake Your Groove Thing" | — | Linda Greene |
| 1979 | "Roller Skatin' Mate" | — | Linda Greene |
| 1980 | "Fun Time" | — | Linda Greene |
| 1981 | "Freeway" | — | Linda Greene |
| 1994 | "Shake Your Groove Thing" (Serious Rope Remixes) | 71 | Linda Greene |

## Legacy

The disco song "Shake Your Groove Thing" has featured prominently in many films such as An Extremely Goofy Movie, Monster, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Connie and Carla, Marock, Sausage Party and The Country Bears, as well as in an advertisement campaign by Intel in the late 1990s.
In June 2009, rock band Faith No More opened their set at Brixton Academy with their own cover of "Reunited"; the song alluding to the band's own eleven-year break up and subsequent reunion. They subsequently did the same for their headlining slot at Download Festival on June 12, 2009.