Francine "Peaches" Hurd Barker (April 28, 1947 – August 13, 2005), was the original "Peaches" of the American vocalist duo Peaches and Herb.
Born in Washington, DC, in 1947, Francine Hurd earned the childhood nickname "Peaches" because of her genteel manner. As a schoolgirl she sang in numerous groups before joining the Keynotes as lead vocalist. Later, she formed her own trio, the Darlettes, with Dyanne Stewart and Nancy J. Johnson. Their recording debut, 1965's "Lost", written and produced by Van McCoy, was released on Mira, a subsidiary of the Mirwood label of Los Angeles. Later that year the group landed a contract with Columbia's new Date offshoot, who changed their name to the Sweet Things, issuing "You're My Loving Baby" early in 1966. |
| The Keymotes |
Peaches & Herb's revival of the oldie, "Let's Fall In Love", swept into the Top 20, at which point Francine quit the Sweet Things to form a full time duo with Fame.
They had a string of successful singles and albums over the next two years such as "Let's Fall in Love", "Close Your Eyes", "For Your Love", and "Love Is Strange". Within two years they had
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notched up a total of ten hits.Despite burgeoning success and a media image as the "Sweethearts of Soul", Barker chose to semi-
retire from the duo after two years because of the rigors of touring. Marlene Mack (aka Marlene Jenkins) replaced Barker on stage, but Barker remained on all of the duo's recordings for Date Records.
notched up a total of ten hits.Despite burgeoning success and a media image as the "Sweethearts of Soul", Barker chose to semi-retire from the duo after two years because of the rigors of touring. Marlene Mack (aka Marlene Jenkins) replaced Barker on stage, but Barker remained on all of the duo's recordings for Date Records.
During 1995 Francine suffered from a brain aneurysm and stroke, and for the rest of her life was cared for by her husband and daughter. She died 13 Aug 2005 (aged 58) at Hyattsville, Prince George's County, Maryland.
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(Edited from Wikipedia, Soulwalking and mainly from bio by Mick Patrick@ Spectropop)