Fayette Pinkney, who died on 27 June, 2009, aged 61, was a founding and long-serving member of the Philadelphia soul group The Three Degrees.

The trio’s claims to fame included the worldwide hit When Will I See You Again, the theme tune of the television show Soul Train and being Prince Charles’ favourite band.

They were formed in 1963 while Ms Pinkney was still at high school. She was the only constant member during the band’s heyday, performing with six different girls between their debut single and 1976 when she left the band to complete her education.

In that time The Three Degrees had some minor hits during the 1960s before becoming leading exponents of the Philly Soul sound in the ’70s.

When Will I See You Again spent two weeks at the top of the UK charts, making them the first girl group to have a British number one since The Supremes a decade earlier. This success resulted in them performing at Prince Charles’ 30th birthday and years later his wedding to Princess Diana .

Other hits during this period included Year of Decision (1974) and Take Good Care of Yourself (1975), as well the Mother Father Sister Brother anthem TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) on which they sang scat vocals in 1974.

They toured worldwide and released live albums made at venues from Leicester to Tokyo. Despite the frequent line-up changes, The Three Degrees were lauded for their tight harmony singing as well as their versatility, recording numbers in French, Spanish and even Japanese.

After leaving the group Ms Pinkney recorded a solo album called One Degree (1979) then earned a master’s degree in human services from Lincoln University, Pennsylvania. She subsequently worked as an educational administrator, as well as a vocal coach and performer with a touring gospel choir.

She said shortly before her death, “Yes, I do still love people and I love to make them smile.”