Sister Sledge

Sister Sledge, 2008 in Vienna

Sister Sledge is an American soul and funk singing duo from Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . Sister Sledge first became famous as a quartet, consisting of the sisters Kim, Debbie, Joni and Kathy, who left the group as lead singer for a solo career in 1989. Joni passed away in March 2017.

biography

At the beginning of their joint careers, the sisters sang gospel . They initially gave themselves the band name "Mrs." in reference to the existence of their grandmother Viola Williams as an opera star. Williams Grandchildren ”and performed at various parties. In the early 1970s the name was changed to "Sister Sledge". The first singles of the girl group were Time Will Tell (1971) and The Weatherman (1973).

In 1975 the band had their first hit parade listing with Love Don't You Go Through No Changes on Me ( US # 94) and Mama Never Told Me ( UK # 20). Towards the end of the 1970s, Sister Sledge, together with Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards from Chic, created a new style that combined disco , funk and soul elements.

At the beginning of 1979 the single He's the Greatest Dancer made it into the top 10 in England (6th place) and the USA (9th place) for the first time. An even greater success was only two months later the song We Are Family , which, in addition to placements in the top 10 of the UK (5th place) and US charts (2nd place), also in Switzerland (6th place) and in Germany ( 26) Climbed the charts. The single Lost in Music , which followed in the summer, climbed to number 4 in England and number 18 in Germany.

Up to and including 1984, the quartet released a large number of other singles, four of which were able to place in the American and / or English charts. B. Thinking of You ranked 11th in the UK in 1984. 1985 saw another worldwide success with Frankie and for the first time a number one hit in England. The single also rose to number 13 in Germany , to number 27 in Austria , where it is the only chart hit to date, and to number 75 in the USA. That same summer, the group had a small hit in Dancing on the Jagged Edge the UK charts (number 50).

In addition to their own record productions , Sister Sledge also worked as a studio choir for other artists such as Elton John . Kathy Sledge left the group in 1989 and began a solo career in 1992. Sister Sledge continued as a trio . With a remix of Lost in Music , which reached number 56 in Germany, it entered a hit parade for the last time in 2003. The group performed in 2015 at a concert for Pope Francis and had their last appearance as a trio in October 2016. After Joni's death, Sister Sledge only appears as a duo, sometimes supported by daughters.

Members

Debbie Sledge (born July 9, 1954 ) - vocals
Joni Sledge (born September 13, 1956 - found dead March 10, 2017 ) - vocals
Kim Sledge (born August 21, 1957 ) - vocals
Kathy Sledge (born January 6, 1959 ) - vocals (until 1989)

Discography

Studio albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)			Remarks
year	title	UK	US	R&B	Remarks
1975	Circle of Love	-	-	R&B56 (3 weeks) R&B	First published: February 1975 Producers: Bert DeCoteaux, Tony Silvester
1979	We are family	UK7th gold (39 weeks)UK	US3 platinum (33 weeks)US	R&B1 (34 weeks) R&B	First published: February 1979 Producers: Bernard Edwards , Nile Rodgers
1980	Love Somebody Today	-	US31 (15 weeks) US	R&B7 (19 weeks) R&B	First published: February 1980 Producers: Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers
1981	All American girls	-	US42 (29 weeks) US	R&B13 (25 weeks) R&B	First published: February 1981 Producer: Narada Michael Walden
1982	The Sisters	-	US69 (14 weeks) US	R&B17 (16 weeks) R&B	First published: February 1982 Producer: Sister Sledge
1983	Bet Cha Say That to All the Girls	-	US169 (8 weeks) US	R&B35 (17 weeks) R&B	First published: May 1983 Producers: George Duke , Cheryl R. Brown
1985	When the Boys Meet the Girls	UK19th silver (11 weeks)UK	-	R&B52 (6 weeks) R&B	First published: June 1985 Producer: Nile Rodgers