The album was self-funded by member John Rocca and initially released on his Pink Rhythm record label before the group was signed to Beggars Banquet.
Freeez gained far higher recognition and sales with this record than with the previous singles "Keep in Touch" (which reached number 49 in the UK sales charts)[7] and its follow-up "Stay"/"Hot Footing It".
[8] "Southern Freeez" reached number one in the blues and soul chart and spent two weeks at number 8 of the UK Singles Chart during early 1981[9] Guest Ingrid Mansfield Allman provided vocals.
[10] The titular Southern Freeez is attested to derive from a dance move, "The Freeze," used by clubbers in the "Royalty" club, Southgate in the early 1980s.
A then-popular song, "The Groove" by Rodney Franklin, has moments where the band drops out for a bar, and a style of freezing movement at these points took hold.