Fayette Pinkney of the Three Degrees, RIP

Fayette Pinkney of the Philly soul girl-group The Three Degrees died this weekend. That's her on the left, with Valerie Holiday and Sheila Ferguson. Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff may be slightly overstating the case when they say that the Three Degrees were "our Philly sound version of Motown's Supremes - but bigger and stronger and more melodic." But the TDs were surely the only pop group in history to appear with Gene Hackman in The French Connection, with Redd Foxx on Sanford & Son and be a personal favorite of Prince Charles. An obituary of Pinkney, who was a founding member of the group in 1963 and left in 1976, by Inquirer reporter and former Evening Bulletin music reviewer Walter Naedele is here.  Below, a video for "Dirty Old Man," plus "When Will I See You Again," the Three Degrees signature 1974 hit, which can be found on last year's Love Train box set.

Previously: JJ on MJ