Light in the Window - Fayette Pinkney

Fayette Regina Pinkney (January 10, 1948 – June 27, 2009) was an American singer and one of the original members of The Three Degrees, who were the first female pop group to top the UK Singles Chart since The Supremes in 1964.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pinkney was one of three young teenagers brought together by manager Richard Barrett to form The Three Degrees in 1963. She stayed on with the group until 1976 and was with them through their great years with Roulette and Philadelphia International Records and sang on many of their greatest hits, such as "When Will I See You Again" and "Take Good Care of Yourself". Whilst studying for her degree in psychology, she returned to London in January 1979 to record her only solo album, One Degree, which she did in just two weeks, to great acclaim from both her peers and fans.

Fayette subsequently earned a Bachelor's degree in psychology from Temple University and a Master's degree in human services from Lincoln University in 1984. She later worked as a counselor and vocal coach and, in addition to singing with her church's inspirational choir, she traveled with a group called the Intermezzo Choir Ministry.

In 1994, Pinkney gave birth to a daughter, Ayana Alexandria, who died two days later due to sudden infant death syndrome. On June 27, 2009, Pinkney died of acute respiratory failure after a short and sudden illness at the age of 61. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.