Sheila Ferguson (1947- ) is an American R&B and disco singer, better known in Britain than in her home country. She is the one who sang “When Will I See You Again” (1974) as the lead singer of the Three Degrees. She is also the first black woman to have her own sitcom in Britain, “Land of Hope and Gloria” (1992).
She was with the Three Degrees for 20 years, from 1966 to 1986, being the lead singer for most of it. They were a Philadelphia copy of the Supremes, the creation of doo-wop producer Richard Barrett, who also brought the world Frankie Lymon, the Chantels and Little Anthony.
At first the Three Degrees had no big hit songs. They were in Las Vegas opening for the likes of Engelbert Humperdinck and Wayne Newton. There they perfected their act.
Then one day Gamble and Huff saw them perform. They were songwriters and music producers from Philadelphia who gave us such songs as “Me and Mrs Jones” (1972), “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” (1972) and “Love Train” (1973). They wanted to write a song for the Three Degrees: “When Will I See You Again”.
It was a hit first in Britain, where it went to number one, and then in America, where it reached number two. They had another hit that year in both countries: “T.S.O.P”, where they sang little more than “Doo-doo-doo-dah-doo, doo-doo, it’s time to get down”.
In America they pretty much sank out of sight after that, but in Britain they became the biggest girl group since the Supremes! They went on to have a string of hits there in the late 1970s, like “Take Good Care of Yourself” (1975), “Woman in Love” (1979) and “My Simple Heart” (1979).
Britain had never seen black women quite like them before: the big hair, the nails, the big red lips. They performed in towns that had never seen anything so Hollywood before except on television. Their years in Vegas were paying off. And their most famous fan, as it turned out, was Prince Charles himself. He even invited them to the palace to perform. Being a prince has its advantages.
But then the glory days came to an end: Ferguson was having an affair with Barrett, who was still managing them. It was tearing the group apart: she had to choose between the Three Degrees or Barrett. She chose the Three Degrees and in 1981 they fired Barrett. It proved to be a huge blow. Ferguson turned to drink. In 1986 she left the Three Degrees and they went on without her. The Three Degrees are still together today.
Ferguson married an Englishman, settled down in Britain and brought up her twin daughters. To help them know their roots she wrote a cook book about soul food. In the 1990s she got into acting, both on the London stage and on British television. In 2007 she came out with her first album since her Three Degrees days, “New Kind of Medicine”.
See also:
HI.. Sheila Ferguson,, I am not sure if you remember me– my last name before i got married was Brummell. We grow up together down north philly at a young age of 5,6 or 7 i forget now.. anyway if you get this message please give me a call and we can talk futher. I am devorce and have been for many years – had three children.. two boys and one girl. She passed away at the age of 25…. 14 years ago.. I have 5 grandkids. call me at 215-424-5077 I still live in Philadelphia West oak lane section now.
Your Friend Always
Rosalind Brummell Brooks
LikeLike
I am amazed it took me over two hours of
searching with google.com to find the simple
question: who was the beautiful woman who
sang “When Will I See You Again?”.
I won’t bore you with all the versions of
the question, however, maybe you’d be amazed
to find out that the most direct query:
‘lead vocalist on “when will I see you again?”
does not come back with any definitive answer.
I was watching a commercial for a collection
of 70s music showed the Three Degrees performing
this song, which was when I fell in love with
the lead singer. Absolutely beautiful. All
three girls were beautiful, but that one
singing the lead vocal. !Wow!
Now I know. Thanks for this page. Persistance
pays off. Finally
LikeLiked by 1 person
hi sheila liked you on 5 go couldnt believe your age you look great, and a feisty black women
LikeLike