Sheila Ferguson
Sheila Diana Ferguson is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and author, who has worked primarily in the United Kingdom. Between 1966 and 1986, she was a member of the American female soul music group the Three Degrees, singing lead vocals on most of the group's biggest hits, most notably "When Will I See You Again", which had international success, topping the UK Singles Chart and peaking at number 2 in the US.
Following her departure from the Three Degrees in 1986, Ferguson went on to have her own solo singing career, touring internationally, making multiple TV appearances, and releasing a solo album titled A New Kind of Medicine. She has forged a prolific stage and screen career in the UK, starring in numerous musicals, soul legend tours, and her own sitcom Land of Hope and Gloria. She is also the best-selling author of the cook book Soul Food: Classic Cuisine from the Deep South.
Early life
Sheila Diana Ferguson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Despite attending more than 10 schools as a child, she was academically gifted and had originally wanted to become a psychologist. A teenage crush on the singer Marvin Gaye led her to try her hand at singing in the hope that, by doing so, she would be able to meet him. She achieved this dream some time later when, appearing at the Apollo Theater, she talked to Gaye in his dressing room.While at high school, Ferguson was introduced by her teacher to Richard Barrett, who had previously been a singer with a group called the Valentines, and later had gone on to become a manager. Barrett placed Ferguson's first single, "Little Red Riding Hood"/"How Did That Happen", with Landa Records. Subsequently signed to Swan Records, Ferguson also recorded the first two songs she wrote herself, "I Weep for You" and "Don't Leave Me Lover", out of three solo singles for the label during 1965.
Other solo songs she recorded were "How Did That Happen", written by Ugene Dozier, "And in Return" and "Are You Satisfied", written by General Johnson.
Ferguson recorded two up-tempo numbers written for her by a talented up and coming songwriter by the name of Leon Huff. Huff would later team up with Kenny Gamble to form the Philadelphia International Records. These were "Heartbroken Memories" and "Signs of Love".
Career
Soul music
The Three Degrees
Although Barrett signed Ferguson as a solo artist, he was already in the process of creating a group called the Three Degrees with the line up of Fayette Pinkney, Shirley Porter and Linda Turner. By 1966, the line up had changed to be Fayette Pinkney, Helen Scott and Janet Harmon. However, Scott announced she would be leaving the group in order to get married. Having previously appeared with the group as a cover when one of the girls fell ill, Ferguson was asked by Pinkney and Harmon to become a permanent member. In 1967, Harmon left the group and was replaced by Valerie Holiday. Barrett signed them to several record labels, and by 1970, they were signed to Roulette Records and released their first album, Maybe, the title song of which reached number 4 in the US R&B charts. The singles "I Do Take You" and "You're the Fool" followed, as well as the second album, So Much Love.In 1971, the group appeared in the Oscar-winning film The French Connection singing "Everybody Gets to Go to the Moon". In 1973, they appeared in the sitcom Sanford and Son.
It was during this year that the Three Degrees enjoyed their greatest success when signed by Philadelphia International Records and working with Gamble and Huff. Their first song under this label was "TSOP ", which was the theme song for Soul Train. Under this label the group began to tour internationally. The self-titled album The Three Degrees was released in 1973 and yielded hits such as "Dirty Ol' Man" and "Year of Decision", which went to number 13 in the UK Singles Chart and was certified gold in the Netherlands and Belgium.
The subsequent release of "When Will I See You Again" ensured international recognition when the song became number 1 in the UK charts for two weeks in August 1974. Following an appearance on Top of the Pops, other countries followed suit and "When Will I See You Again" did extremely well worldwide reaching number 2 in the U.S. where it sold over two million copies and earned the group a gold record in 1974.
The group recorded two live albums in 1975 and a further studio album, The Three Degrees International. This album was called Take Good Care of Yourself in the UK, the title song of which reached the top 10 in the same country. The album itself reached number 6 in the UK Albums Chart.
In 1976, they released the album A Toast of Love, the title song of which was released internationally. This was the year that Fayette Pinkney left and was replaced by former member Helen Scott. They then released the album Standing Up for Love in 1977.
In 1978 and 1979, they released two disco-styled albums New Dimensions and 3D. From these albums, they had four top 20 hits in the UK with "Givin' Up, Givin' In", "Woman in Love", "The Runner" and "My Simple Heart". They also released A Collection of Their 20 Greatest Hits, a compilation album.
The group performed at Prince Charles' 30th birthday party and in 1979 filmed their own TV special The Three Degrees at The Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 1980 they released Gold, another compilation album, which reached the top 10 in the UK Album Charts, and in 1982 they recorded a TV show for the BBC, Take Three Degrees, performing their greatest hits. They then released two albums, Album of Love and Live in the UK. The single "Liar" was co-written by Ferguson. In 1985, they released "The Heaven I Need" and "This Is The House", produced by Stock, Aitken and Waterman.
Ferguson left the Three Degrees in 1986 as a result of wanting to spend more time being a mother to take care of her very young daughters of the time. Sheila had mentioned in a 2006 interview that after she gave birth to her daughters, she was still singing and touring with the Three Degrees, but it caused her to limit her availability to her daughters and whenever she came home from her singing projects and tours, her daughters were noticeably clinging onto the nanny, instead of her. Realizing that her long absences from home caused her daughters to become emotionally distant from her, she then made the ultimate decision to leave the group. Additionally, in the 2006 interview, which separately featured Ferguson and Valerie Holiday, it was revealed that in 1986 Ferguson called the other members of the Three Degrees on a phone call to inform she was leaving the group. Both Ferguson and Holiday claimed on their own ends that the phone call conversation ended very abruptly. Holiday commented she was very upset feeling this conversation should have been in person, and not on a phone call. She commented that it was very difficult finding someone to replace Ferguson in the group, which eventually they did, but Holiday permanently took over Ferguson's former spot as the lead singer of the group, and has been in this current role since her departure. Since then, Ferguson has had very limited contact with the Three Degrees and she has never made any public appearances with them. Though in a 2011 interview with the Three Degrees on the British TV show Lorraine, they mentioned that because they and Ferguson are from their home city of Philadelphia, they sometimes come back to their home city to visit family and friends and, at times, Ferguson and the Three Degrees members may encounter each other, but very often their encounters with Ferguson are only for short moments and one of the members, Helen Scott, mentioned their occasional encounters with Sheila Ferguson is like ships that pass in the night. Although Ferguson no longer has any professional relational encounters with the Three Degrees, she still will perform hit songs that she originally recorded and sang with the Three Degrees; such as "When Will I See You Again", "Dirty Ol Man", "Year of Decision", "Woman In Love", "Giving Up Giving In", and "Take Good Care Of Yourself". More often she will sing "When Will I See You Again" whenever she performs any of the hits that she originally sang and recorded with the Three Degrees.
Solo
In 1994, Ferguson appeared as a solo artist in the UK Singles Chart with her remake of the Three Degrees' hit "When Will I See You Again". It spent one week in that listing at number 60.In 2004, Ferguson released her debut solo album A New Kind of Medicine. She is also a lead on the original cast recording of Always and recorded two other albums Misty Blue...and More and Songs from Oh! What a Night.
She featured in Star Alliance's recording of "He's a Runner" in 2006 and recorded "Fool of the Year" for the album Disco 2008, produced by Ian Levine.
Ferguson has performed in multiple soul legend tours and appeared as the Acid Queen at the 50th anniversary of The Who at the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire in November 2014.
She starred in David Gest's the Time of My Life Tour! across September and October 2015, culminating in a performance at the Connaught Rooms, London, followed by performing at "The Legends of Soul Weekender" with Mary Wilson, Thelma Houston, Gwen Dickey and Jaki Graham in Skegness.
In June 2016, Ferguson performed in a series of soul gigs in Cyprus with Andy Abraham.
Theatre
Ferguson has starred in numerous musicals and pantomimes in the UK.Her first musical was Always in 1997 at the Victoria Palace, London, which also starred Shani Wallis. She then starred in Soul Train , Oh What a Night, playing Roxia, and Thoroughly Modern Millie , playing Muzzy Van Hossmere.
In 2005, Ferguson starred in the premiere of the West End musical Behind the Iron Mask at the Duchess Theatre and then toured in Hot Flush, a musical based on the menopause. In 2008, she starred in Sister Act-Songs from the Film.
In 2010, Ferguson joined the cast of the Irish National Tour of Fame the Musical playing the strict head teacher Miss Sherman.
Most recently she starred in the West End musical celebration Respect La Diva at the Garrick Theatre and in Daddy Cool as Pearl.
Ferguson also appeared as the Fairy Godmother and Wicked Queen in numerous pantomimes, including Dick Whittington, Cinderella, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast.
From December 2012 to January 2013, Ferguson appeared in Cinderella at the Nottingham Theatre Royal as the Fairy Godmother, a role she reprised at the Theatre Royal Norwich from December 2013 to January 2014. She then starred as the Wicked Queen in Beauty and the Beast at the Theatre Royal, Windsor from December 2014 to January 2015, followed by appearing as the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella at The Sands Centre, Carlisle in December 2015.
Ferguson headlined Ipswich Regent Theatre's pantomime, playing the Wicked Fairy in Sleeping Beauty from December 2016 to January 2017. In February of 2022, she announced she would be casting in the musical, Chicago.