Freda Payne: A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald

7.10.23

We are excited to partner with Crown Uptown Theatre to present: Freda Payne: A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald. Join us on Saturday, July 22 for an unforgettable night of music, while we pay tribute to the one of the greatest jazz vocalists of all time.

Freda Payne: A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald

When: July 22, 2023
Where: Crown Uptown Theatre
3207 E Douglas Ave, Wichita, KS 67218
Doors: 7:00 pm
Show Starts: 8:00 pm

About the Artist

Freda Payne is a talented singer and actress born in Detroit. She modeled, took ballet, and Afro-Cuban dance. Her first album was ‘After the Lights Go Down’ for ABC’s Impulse Records in 1962. Stardom for Payne began when she signed with Invictus Records, ran by her old Detroit friends, Brian Holland, Edward Holland, Jr. and Lamont Dozier (formerly of Motown) in 1969. Payne’s smash single “Band of Gold” in 1970 was ranked #1 in the U.K. and #3 in the U.S.A., her first gold record. Other hits included “Deeper and Deeper”, “You Brought Me Joy” and the anti-war, “Bring the Boys Home”. Payne has recorded 21 albums including several remakes of “Band of Gold”. She also starred in productions of Ain’t Misbehavin’ with Della Reese, The Blues in the Night, Jellies Last Jam with Gregory Hines and Savion Glover into the 1990’s. Payne film appearances include: Private Obsession, Sprung, Ragdoll, The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, and Fire and Ice. She returned to the stage in April 2018 with glowing reviews in ‘Ella: First Lady of Song’ at the Delaware Theatre Company in Wilmington, Delaware. In May 2022 Freda released a new single titled ‘Just To Be With You’.