The Pointer Sisters

The Pointer Sisters
The Pointer Sisters (2009)
General information
Genre (s)	Gospel , R&B , soul , disco
founding	1971
Founding members
singing	Bonnie Pointer (until 1977; † 2020)
singing	June Pointer (until 1977, 1978-2002; † 2006)
singing	Anita Pointer (until 2015)
Current occupation
singing	Ruth Pointer (since 1972)
singing	Issa Pointer (since 2002)
singing	Sadako Pointer Johnson (since 2009)

The Pointer Sisters are an American soul and disco band, formed in 1971 by the sisters Anita (born January 23, 1948), Bonnie (born July 11, 1950, † June 8, 2020) and June (born January 30 , 1948) November 1953; † April 11, 2006). In December 1972 her eldest sister Ruth (born March 19, 1946) also got on board. The group first became famous as a nostalgic act with 1940s jazz , Dixieland and big band music, later also with funk , R&B and country . The singers also stood out for their appearance, a mixture of second-hand clothes and extravagant costumes. In the late 1970s, the sisters increasingly turned to pop and disco sounds and were able to celebrate their greatest successes in the 1980s. Her best-known hits include Fire (1978), He's so Shy (1980), Slow Hand (1981), Automatic , Jump (For My Love) and I'm so Excited (1984).

Early years - Blue Thumb and ABC labels (until 1978)

Already in childhood, the sisters were encouraged by their parents, preacher Elton Pointer and his wife Sarah, to sing in the gospel choir of their church in West Oakland , California . Rock 'n' Roll and Blues, on the other hand, were “the work of the devil” for the devout parents. Only when their parents were away could they sing the songs on the radio. The first steps towards a professional singing career took Bonnie and June, who already appeared in 1969 as "Pointers - A Pair". From 1971 they appeared together with Anita as The Pointer Sisters and as a backup group they support many stars in the recording studios of the California west coast , including Elvin Bishop , Esther Phillips , Taj Mahal and Alice Cooper . In 1972 they took the Atlantic - label their first two singles , which, however, were not a success.

In December 1972 they also convinced their eldest sister Ruth to get on board. After signing a contract with Blue Thumb , the quartet made their international breakthrough in 1973 with their debut album The Pointer Sisters . Their big appearance on May 15, 1973 at the Troubadour in Los Angeles caused a sensation and the mixture of 1940s jazz, big band and funk elements was a hit. The Sisters' first hit, Yes We Can Can , a mix of funk and R&B , reached number 12 on the R&B charts and number 11 on the pop charts .

The Pointer Sisters, 1974

The expressive vocals repeatedly caused surprises and hits in the following years. The excellent album That's a Plenty with classics like Black Coffee or Salt Peanuts also contained an authentic country number with Fairytale . The recording was able to climb to number 13 in the US charts in 1974 and also enabled the Pointer Sisters to jump into the country charts. In 1975 they won the Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group with the song Fairytale , until today the only black group that succeeded. In the same year they were also given the honor of performing in the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

The Grammy-nominated song How Long (Betcha 'Got a Chick on the Side) , again funky, became her only number one hit on the R&B charts in 1975. In the same year they were also awarded in Germany . The German Phono Academy awarded them the prize for the best international young ensemble . Until 1977 they stayed true to their nostalgia course and the record company Blue Thumb. A protracted royalties process with the company, June's nervous breakdown and the flop of the album Having a Party temporarily caused a serious career break. Bonnie left the group in early 1978 to start a solo career at Motown . With Heaven Must Have Sent You , she had a big hit that same year, but couldn't repeat it. Unfortunately there were also disagreements with the new record company.

Superstars - Planet and RCA labels (1978–1985)

The change to Richard Perry and his label Planet (in the distribution of the large group RCA Records ) let the success curve go up again. With the album Energy (1978) he produced a glossy mix of R&B and rock without any nostalgic bonds. The Bruce Springsteen song Fire , which was awarded a gold record, climbed to number two on the US charts and became her greatest success to date. The album Priority , released the next year, continued the rock course. However, the record flopped, no single could place in the charts. It was not until they turned to more urban sounds with the top hit He's so Shy (1980, USA 3rd place, gold-plated) that the trio finally went on the superstar course. The sisters seamlessly lined up one top hit after the other: Slow Hand (1981, UK 10th, USA 2nd, gold-plated), Should I Do It , American Music (1982), Automatic , Jump , I'm so Excited , Neutron Dance (1984). The song I'm so Excited , already featured on the album So Excited in 1982 , was re-released on Breakout in 1984 as a remix in exchange for the title Nightline . In the USA alone, the album Break Out has sold over three million times to date. I'm so Excited is considered an absolute disco classic on both sides of the Atlantic , which is still played today at many 1980s parties or on the radio. In 1985 the Sisters finally switched from the Planet label to the mother ship RCA and had their last million-seller with the album Contact and the single Dare Me (1985, USA 11th, UK 17th). In the same year they were represented on the album We Are the World by USA for Africa , known for the world hit of the same name , with the title Just a Little Closer .

Subsequent years (1986-2018)

With the album Hot Together (1986) the Sisters could not build on their previous successes, the single Goldmine only reached number 33 in the US charts. They remained in the American charts with minor successes until 1987, while they were placed in the R&B charts until 1991. In 1988 the Pointer Sisters were on the soundtrack Caddyshack II with the dance track Power of Persuasion . In Europe, however, they were almost written off. In 1990 they had left RCA for a lucrative contract with the legendary Motown record company . But even here the success did not want to return. The 1993 comeback attempt Only Sisters Can Do That went unnoticed, as did the musical release Ain't Misbehavin ' from 1996. With numerous compilations and regular live performances, the sisters are still doing well. In 1994 they were represented with the country star Clint Black and the track Chain of Fools on the CD Rhythm Country and Blues , which sold a million times in the USA. In 1996 they were celebrated at the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games as well as at the Night of the Proms in 2002. Two years later they gave a highly acclaimed concert in Bonn together with Kool & The Gang . At this point June Pointer had already dropped out because of drug problems. Issa Pointer, Ruth's daughter, had taken her place. In 2018 there was another appearance at the Night of the Proms in Cologne's Lanxess Arena , with Anita Pointer being accompanied by Issa Pointer, her niece, and Sadako Johnson, her granddaughter.

Discography

Albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)					Remarks
		DE	AT	CH	UK	US
1973	The Pointer Sisters	-	-	-	-	US13 gold (37 weeks)US
1974	That's a lot	-	-	-	-	US82 gold (10 weeks)US
	Live at the Opera House	-	-	-	-	US96 (15 weeks) US	taken on April 21, 1974 in San Francisco
1975	Steppin '	-	-	-	-	US22 (22 weeks) US
1978	Having a party	-	-	-	-	US176 (3 weeks) US	First published: 1977
1979	Energy	-	-	-	-	US13 gold (32 weeks)US	First published: 1978
	Priority	-	-	-	-	US72 (8 weeks) US
1980	Special things	-	-	-	-	US34 (24 weeks) US
1981	Black & White	-	-	-	UK21 (13 weeks) UK	US12 gold (22 weeks)US
1982	So excited!	-	-	-	-	US59 (28 weeks) US
1983	Break out	-	-	-	UK9 gold (58 weeks)UK	US8th × 3 Triple platinum (105 weeks)US	Chart entry in UK only in May 1984
1985	Contact	DE49 (8 weeks) DE	-	CH19 (7 weeks) CH	UK34 (7 weeks) UK	US24 platinum (34 weeks)US
1987	Hot together	-	-	-	-	US48 (18 weeks) US	First published: 1986
1988	Serious Slammin '	-	-	-	-	US152 (6 weeks) US

gray hatching : no chart data available for this year

More albums

• 1990: Right Rhythm
• 1993: Only Sisters Can Do That
• 1996: Ain't Misbehavin ' (The New Cast Recording)

Compilations

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)					Remarks
		DE	AT	CH	UK	US
1976	The Best of the Pointer Sisters	-	-	-	-	US164 (6 weeks) US
1982	Pointer Sisters' Greatest Hits	-	-	-	-	US178 (3 weeks) US
1989	Jump - The Best of the Pointer Sisters	-	-	-	UK11 gold (10 weeks)UK	-
1996	Best of	-	AT16 (15 weeks) AT	-	-	-

gray hatching : no chart data available for this year

More compilations

1974: The Pointer Sisters Greatest Hits 1977: Four Tracks from the Pointer Sisters 1978: Their Greatest Recordings 1981: Retrospect 1987: The Collection (2 LPs) 1989: Greatest Hits 1989: The Best of the Pointer Sisters 1990: From the Pointer Sisters with Love 1992: Sweet & Soulful 1992: Automatic / Jump (For My Love) / I'm so Excited (12 "Extended Mixes) 1993: The ★ Collection 1993: The Best of the Pointer Sisters 1978-1981 1993: We're so excited 1997: Yes We Can Can (The Best of the Blue Thumb Recordings) 1997: Greatest Hits

1998: The Collection 1998: Best of the Pointer Sisters 2000: Best of the Pointer Sisters 2001: Legendary Pointer Sisters 2002: Love Songs 2002: The Ultimate Collection 2003: The Very Best Of 2003: I'm so Excited - The Very Best of the Pointer Sisters 2004: Platinum & Gold Collection 2004: So Excited 2005: I'm so excited 2009: Jump: The Best of the Pointer Sisters 2009: Playlist: The Very Best of the Pointer Sisters 2010: Goldmine: The Best of the Pointer Sisters (2 CDs)

Singles

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)					Remarks
		DE	AT	CH	UK	US
1973	Yes We Can Can The Pointer Sisters	-	-	-	-	US11 (16 weeks) US
	Wang Dang Doodle The Pointer Sisters	-	-	-	-	US61 (8 weeks) US
1974	Fairytale That's a Plenty	-	-	-	-	US13 (16 weeks) US
1975	Live Your Life Before You Die	-	-	-	-	US89 (5 weeks) US
	How Long (Betcha 'Got a Chick on the Side) Steppin'	-	-	-	-	US20 (15 weeks) US
	Going Down Slowly Steppin '	-	-	-	-	US61 (7 weeks) US
1978	Fire Energy	DE35 (3 weeks) DE	AT10 (20 weeks) AT	-	UK34 (8 weeks) UK	US2 gold (23 weeks)US
1979	Everybody Is a Star Energy	-	-	-	UK61 (3 weeks) UK	-
	Happiness Energy	-	-	-	-	US30 (10 weeks) US
1980	He's so Shy Special Things	-	-	-	-	US3 gold (26 weeks)US
	Could I Be Dreaming Special Things	-	-	-	-	US52 (11 weeks) US
1981	Slow Hand Black & White	-	-	-	UK10 (11 weeks) UK	US2 gold (24 weeks)US
	Should I Do It Black & White	DE75 (2 weeks) DE	-	-	UK50 (5 weeks) UK	US13 (16 weeks) US
1982	American Music So Excited!	-	-	-	-	US16 (14 weeks) US
	I'm so excited so excited!	-	-	-	UK- silver UK	US9 (40 weeks) US
1983	If You Wanna Get Back Your Lady So Excited!	-	-	-	-	US67 (5 weeks) US
	I need you break out	-	-	-	UK25 (10 weeks) UK	US48 (15 weeks) US
1984	Automatic break out	-	-	-	UK2 silver (17 weeks)UK	US5 (20 weeks) US
	Jump (For My Love) Break Out	DE20 (14 weeks) DE	-	CH13 (9 weeks) CH	UK6 (10 weeks) UK	US3 (24 weeks) US
	I'm so Excited (Remix) Break Out	-	-	-	UK11 (11 weeks) UK	US9 (24 weeks) US
	Neutron Dance Break Out	DE18 (11 weeks) DE	AT19 (6 weeks) AT	CH14 (8 weeks) CH	UK31 (7 weeks) UK	US6 (23 weeks) US
1985	Baby Come and Get It Break Out	-	-	-	UK76 (2 weeks) UK	US44 (11 weeks) US
	Dare me contact	-	-	-	UK17 (8 weeks) UK	US11 (18 weeks) US
	Freedom Contact	-	-	-	-	US59 (11 weeks) US
1986	Twist My Arm Contact	-	-	-	-	US83 (5 weeks) US
	Goldmine Hot Together	-	-	-	UK78 (2 weeks) UK	US33 (13 weeks) US
1987	All I Know Is the Way I Feel Hot Together	-	-	-	-	US93 (2 weeks) US
	Be There Serious Slammin '	-	-	-	UK78 (4 weeks) UK	US42 (9 weeks) US	from the soundtrack of the film Beverly Hills Cop II
1990	Friends' Advice (Don't Take It) Right Rhythm	-	-	-	UK97 (1 week) UK	-

More singles

1971: Don't Try to Take the Fifth 1972: Destination No More Heartaches 1974: Steam Heat 1974: Love in Them There Hills 1974: Let It Be Me 1974: Little Red Hen (with Taj Mahal ) 1976: I Need a Man 1976: You Gotta Believe 1977: Having a Party 1978: Slow Hand 1979: All Your Love 1979: Angry Eyes 1979: Who Do You Love 1979: Happy

1980: We've Got the Power 1980: Save This Night for Love 1981: What a Surprise 1982: Heart to Heart 1986: Back in My Arms 1986: Mercury Rising 1987: He Turned Me Out 1988: I'm in Love 1988: Power of Persuasion 1990: Insanity 1990: After You 1993: Don't Walk Away 2003: Pinball Number Count

Video albums

1986: So Excited 1998: Live in Africa 2002: All Night Long 2004: I'm so excited

2005: Live in Concert 2004: Live in Montana: 2004 2005: The Ultimate Soul Divas 2008: Live

Awards for music sales

Golden record

•  Canada
  • 1984: for the single Jump (For My Love)
  • 1985: for the single Neutron Dance

Platinum record

•  Canada
  • 1979: for the album Energy
  • 1985: for the album Contact
•  Netherlands
  • 1980: for the album Energy

4 × platinum record

•  Canada
  • 1986: for the album Break Out

Note: Awards in countries from the chart tables or chart boxes can be found in these.

Country / Region	silver	gold	platinum	Sales	swell
Awards for music sales (country / region, awards, sales, sources)
Canada (MC)	-	2 × gold2	6 × platinum6th	600,000	musiccanada.com
Netherlands (NVPI)	-	-	platinum1	100,000	nvpi.nl
United States (RIAA)	-	7 × gold7th	4 × platinum4th	9,000,000	riaa.com
United Kingdom (BPI)	2 × silver2	2 × gold2	-	650,000	bpi.co.uk
All in all	2 × silver2	11 × gold11	11 × platinum11

literature

• Irwin Stambler: The Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock and Soul. 3rd revised edition, St. Martin's Press, New York City, New York 1989, ISBN 0-312-02573-4 , pp. 527 f.

swell

1. ↑ Cologne "Night of the Proms" attracts 25,000 viewers. In: General-Anzeiger , December 17, 2018. Accessed on January 19, 2019.
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Chart sources: Singles Albums US1 US2
3. ^ The Billboard Albums by Joel Whitburn , 6th Edition, Record Research 2006, ISBN 0-89820-166-7 .

Web links

Commons : The Pointer Sisters  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official Pointer Sisters homepage
• The Pointer Sisters at Allmusic (English)
• The Pointer Sisters at Discogs (English)