Band of Gold

Recorded for Invictus at Holland-Dozier-Holland Sound Studios, Inc. Freda Payne led a session built around Holland-Dozier-Holland production, with background vocals from Pamela Vincent, Joyce Vincent Wilson, Telma Hopkins, and Scherrie Payne, plus guitar work by Dennis Coffey and Ray Parker Jr. Released in 1970, it became Freda Payne’s breakthrough hit and a major crossover success, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 in the UK. The single also earned gold certification and established Payne as Invictus’s best-known female star. The track remains Payne’s signature record and one of the defining breakup songs of the era. It has been widely covered and reinterpreted by artists including Sylvester, Belinda Carlisle, Bonnie Tyler, Anna Nalick, and Kimberley Locke.