Scherrie Payne Biography
- Home /
- Scherrie Payne /
- Biography
- Born Nov. 4, 1944
Prior to her tenure with The Supremes, Payne was the lead singer for the group The Glass House. Other members included Ty Hunter (later with The Originals), Pearl Jones, and Larry Mitchell. The group signed with Invictus Records, formed by longtime Motown songwriters Eddie and Brian Holland, and Lamont Dozier, in 1969, among other popular acts of the early 1970s, including Freda Payne (who had a #1 hit in 1970 with "Band Of Gold"), and Honey Cone, who had a #1 hit with "Want Ads". In an ironic twist of fate, "Want Ads" was originally recorded by Glass House with Scherrie on lead vocals. The Payne sisters together made a new version, but did not like the song and when Honey Cone\'s lead vocalist Edna Wright walked by in the studio they suggested she should sing it. Unfortunately, The Glass House did not meet this same success. The group saw their biggest hit in 1969 with the Payne-led track "Crumbs Off The Table" which managed the Billboard top 10. Between the years of 1970 and 1972, The Glass House released two albums and nine singles, including Scherrie\'s solo track "V.I.P." However, they never really repeated the success of their first single release. They quietly disbanded in 1972, after the release of their album "Thanks, I Needed That." \n', '
As a new Supreme in an era when their popularity was waning, Payne often remained quiet during interviews with the group; mainly because four years later, reporters were still asking about Diana Ross. When she arrived, original Supreme Mary Wilson and 1960s Supreme Cindy Birdsong were the other two members of the group. Payne contributed powerful vocals and attitude to the group, with Birdsong and Wilson backing her up very well. Payne gained recognition for her vocals in "He\'s My Man" (featuring Mary Wison singing lead) taken from the album The Supremes. An accomplished songwriter, Payne was never able to write any special material for The Supremes, which reportedly disappointed her.\n', '
Payne began to realize that Motown did not really care as much about The Supremes as they had in the past, due to the changing musical tastes of the era and due to the fact that they were working to further the solo career of Diana Ross. Payne\'s contributions did enable The Supremes to enter the disco era, however, with such dance hits as "I\'m Gonna Let My Heart Do The Walking" from the album High Energy, "You\'re My Driving Wheel", "Let Yourself Go", and "Love I Never Knew You Could Feel So Good". While each of these disco gems landed in the Billboard Dance Top Ten, they did not perform as well on the pop and R&B charts. The single "I\'m Gonna Let My Heart Do The Walking" was a #3 hit on the Disco charts, rose in the Billboard Top 40 to #25 on the R&B chart, and #40 on the Pop chart. The final three Supremes (Scherrie, Mary and Susaye Greene) officially disbanded in 1977 with a farewell concert in London, with Supremes founding member Mary Wilson announcing that she would embark on a solo career. Motown decided to officially retire The Supremes, so Payne and Greene recorded an album together on the Motown label, Partners, under the name "Scherrie and Susaye" in 1979. The album received mixed reviews and the two decided to part in order to embark on solo projects. Prior to the release of Partners, Payne released a solo single for Motown called "Fly" b/w "When I Look at Your Face" in late 1977.\n', '
Return to Scherrie Payne Autograph Profile
When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
© 2026 Real Autograph Collectors Club