There is a National Family Day and a National Family Week — several of each, in fact — but as far as we know, there is no such thing as Family Singing Group Day or Family Singing Group Week.
Maybe there should be because through the years there have been a surprisingly large number of such groups.
This week we are spotlighting some of them.
IN THE LATE 1970s, three brothers — Charlie, Ronnie and Robert Wilson — emerged from Tulsa, Oklahoma.
As the Gap Band, they really hit their stride in the 1980s with some of the most exciting and memorable hits of all time, including “Early in the Morning,” “Burn Rubber (Why You Wanna Hurt Me?),” “Outstanding” and “You Dropped a Bomb on Me.”
They got their name, by the way, from the first letters of three streets in Tulsa: Greenwood, Archer and Pine.
THE POINTER SISTERS — Ruth, June, Anita and Bonnie — started with a repertoire and attire heavy on songs and looks from yesteryear.
The ladies did a remarkable job on these gems, including “Black Coffee” and the complicated “Cloudburst.” That was in addition to contemporary fare such as “Yes We Can Can” and “How Long? (Betcha Got a Chick on the Side).”
By the start of the ’80s, the group, now minus Bon
nie who had left to start a solo career, was on its way to reaching a new level of popularity. New and often danceable songs was their focus and, as announcers used to say on radio, “the hits just kept on coming” — among them “Jump (For My Love),” “I’m So Excited,” “He’s So Shy,” “Slow Hand” and “Automatic.”
THE ISLEY BROTHERS have a history that is nothing short of amazing. The group consisted of Ronald (the lead singer with the amazing voice), O’Kelly and Rudolph Isley.
The trio had their first hit in 1959 with the churchy “Shout.” Their second most successful recording from that era was “Twist and Shout.” Both are recognized as classics.
Then came the Motown era. Biggest hits: “This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak For You)” and “I Guess I’ll Always Love You.”
This was followed by their most fruitful era, 1969 to 1983, when they were unstoppable. The long list of hits is awesome, including “It’s Your Thing,” “Work To Do,” “That Lady,” “Fight the Power,” “Harvest for the World,” “Live It Up,” “I Wanna Be With You” and “Between the Sheets.”
Ernie Isley, Marvin Isley and brother-in-law Chris Jasper had been added to the original trio by then.
TAVARES, five brothers from New Bedford, Massachusetts, offered great harmonies, an exciting show and plenty of hits.
Butch, Ralph, Pooch, Perry and Chubby made the national Top 10 on eight occasions, the most fondly recalled including “It Only Takes a Minute,” “She’s Gone,” “Remember What I Told You to Forget,” “Whodunit” and “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel.”
THE EMOTIONS started out as gospel singers, calling themselves the Hutchinson Sunbeams. But in 1969 they were high on the R&B charts with “So I Can Love You,” followed by “Show Me How,” “Heart Association” and others.
They became a major attraction starting in 1976, after signing with Columbia and connecting with Maurice White, leader/founder of Earth, Wind & Fire. “Best of My Love” was huge and became a classic.
Also very successful were “Boogie Wonderland” (with Earth, Wind & Fire), “Don’t Ask My Neighbors,” “I Don’t Want to Lose Your Love,” “Flowers” and “Smile.”
THE BEE GEES — Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb — were a top-of-the-line pop/rock act in the 1960s and early 1970s, with a slew of hits to their credit, including “To Love Somebody,” “Words” and the original version of “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?”
But then in the mid-1970s, something very unusual and unexpected happened: The Bee Gees, who were certainly not known for moving on stage, suddenly became a dance music sensation, delivering some of the best and most exciting songs of the disco era, many of which crossed over onto the R&B charts.
The songs included “Stayin’ Alive,” “Jive Talkin’,” “You Should Be Dancing” and “Night Fever,” along with the beautiful ballads “Love So Right,” “Too Much Heaven” and “How Deep Is Your Love?”
DEBARGE, a family from Grand Rapids, caught the attention of Motown and subsequently had a lot of big hits in the early-to-mid-1980s, always with El DeBarge’s falsetto out front.
Unfortunately, a series of personal problems beset the group, but that was after the hits, most notably “All This Love,” “Rhythm of the Night,” “I Like It,” “Time Will Reveal” and “Love Me in a Special Way.”
SISTER SLEDGE — Kathy, Debra, Joni and Kim — came to us from Philadelphia and helped make the 1970s more enjoyable musically.
“He’s the Greatest Dancer,” “B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Baby),” “Lost in Music” and “Love Don’t You Go Through No Changes on Me” were great records. But the classic, and their signature song, is “We Are Family.”
(Editor’s Note: Since the Jacksons’ story has been told so many times, especially lately, the decision was made to not write about them in this story. Moreover, we wanted to have room to give props to other family groups. We are, however, including their picture.)
THE FIVE STAIRSTEPS — the talented, good-looking Burke siblings from Chicago — will go down in history as the artists who recorded one of the most beloved songs of all time, “O-o-h Child,” a 1970 smash that just about everyone knows, regardless of age.
Another “Five” group, one that is seldom heard or talked about today, is Five Star. Deniece, Stedman, Doris, Lorraine and Delroy Pearson were from Romford, Essex, England. They had several big hits from 1985 to 1989, including “All Fall Down,” “Can’t Wait Another Minute” and “Another Weekend.”
And we would be remiss to not mention the many family groups in the world of gospel, including the Hawkins family, the Clark Sisters, the Winans family, the Williams Brothers, the Barrett Sisters, Mary Mary, the Rance Allen Group and the Pace Sisters.
GLADYS KNIGHT & the Pips were a solid, totally professional group when they arrived at Motown in the mid-1960s. They had been groomed by the best in the business (bandleader/arranger Maurice King, choreographer/dancer Cholly Atkins) and were widely admired by other artists as well as the public.
It’s just that aside from “Every Beat of My Heart,” “Giving Up” and “Letter Full of Fears,” they didn’t have the hits. That changed at Motown where the group became part of the company’s hit machine with “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “Friendship Train,” “If I Were Your Woman” and so many others.
After Motown, there were more hits (and more Grammys), including their signature song, “Midnight Train to Georgia.”
THE STAPLE SINGERS were about as soulful as a group could possibly be.
This was the real deal, and Mavis Staples’ voice was so raw and passionate that it was assumed she was from the South. She was actually born in Chicago.
There were complaints — quite a few, actually — in the church and gospel music communities when the Staple Singers changed their choice of songs and venues. Around this time, none other than James Cleveland, the king of gospel music, said publicly, “I’m sure the Staple Singers still consider themselves gospel singers, but they sing message songs.”
The public loved those message songs, proven by the massive success of “I’ll Take You There,” “Respect Yourself,” “If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me)” and a very “non-message” song, “Let’s Do It Again.”
There is not room here to write about every family group, but we wanted to also mention the Sylvers, Perri, the Waters, Sweet Obsession (the Green sisters), the Jonas Brothers, L’Stubbs, Tony! Toni Toné, Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers, the Ronettes, the Osmonds, the Jones Girls, and Isley, Jasper, Isley, among others.
To quote Sly Stone, “It’s a family affair.