The Three Degrees

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The Three Degrees are a female Philly soul and disco vocal musical group formed in 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The original members were Fayette Pickney, Shirley Porter, and Linda Turner. They were discovered by Richard Barrett. Turner and Porter were replaced by Helen Scott and Janet Jones in 1966; Sheila Ferguson replaced Scott in 1966, but returned in 1976, replacing Pickney, and Valerie Holiday (a Miss Tan Boston winner) replaced Jones in 1968. "Draw The Line" was a Top 40 hit in the mid-60's.

Best known for their hits on Philadelphia International, The Three Degrees had several hits in the mid-1970s, including "When Will I see You Again" (1973) and "Dirty Ol' Man" (1974).

The group appeared in William Friedkin's hit 1971 film The French Connection, as a nightclub act singing "Everybody's Going To The Moon". Their vocals are featured on the end of the Soul Train theme song, "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" by MFSB. In 1976 Pickney left and was replaced by Scott. Vera Brown replaced Ferguson in 1986, but was only in the group for a very short time before being replaced by Rea Harris in 1987, then Rea was replaced by Victoria Wallace in 1988, who was then replaced by Cynthia Garrison in 1989, and who is still a main member of The Three Degrees to this day.

The group's career was revitalised towards the end of the 1970s by a foray into disco music, with a string of hits produced by Giorgio Moroder, featuring his signature electronic rhythms with tracks like Givin' Up, Givin' In, The Runner (written by Ferguson) and Jump The Gun, as pioneered earlier by Donna Summer.

A well-known fan of the group is Prince Charles, who invited them to perform at Buckingham Palace for his 30th birthday party.

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