June Pointer

All Music Guide:

The youngest member of the hitmaking R&B act the Pointer Sisters, June Pointer scored a handful of solo hits but enjoyed her greatest success in collaboration with her siblings, notching a series of crossover smashes including "Jump (For My Love)," "He's So Shy," and "I'm So Excited." Born November 30, 1954, in Oakland, CA, June was the youngest of six children. As a child she and her siblings sang in the choir of the West Oakland Church of God, where their parents served as ministers. By the age of 13, June was singing professionally with her sister Bonnie in a nightclub duo dubbed Pointers, a Pair. Around this time she also began battling the substance abuse demons that haunted her throughout her life. With the 1969 addition of sister Anita, the act rechristened itself the Pointer Sisters. Another sister, Ruth, soon expanded the lineup to four. Following an ill-fated tour of Texas, the group returned to the Bay Area to sign a management contract with the legendary impresario Bill Graham; after studio sessions in support of Boz Scaggs and Taj Mahal, the Pointer Sisters signed to Atlantic Records in 1971. Eschewing contemporary material and clad in vintage World War II-era fashions, the group's unique blend of soul, jazz, and gospel earned critical raves and launched their self-titled 1973 debut LP to success on both the pop and R&B charts, highlighted by the number 11 hit "Yes We Can Can." The follow-up, That's a Plenty, even generated the country radio smash "Fairytale," and in 1974 the Pointers were the first African-American women to play Nashville's legendary Grand Ole Opry.

A series of hit singles including "How Long (Betcha Got a Chick on the Side)" and "Going Down Slowly" further established the Pointer Sisters' commercial appeal, and in 1976 the group appeared in the feature film Car Wash. But as June's struggles with drugs and alcohol intensified and her behavior grew increasingly erratic, her sisters asked her to leave the group; she returned in the wake of Bonnie Pointer's 1977 decision to break ranks and mount a solo career, at which time the remaining trio abandoned their thrift-store image for Bob Mackie-designed gowns and dumped their jazz-inspired repertoire in favor of contemporary pop. Upon introducing the new approach with 1978's Energy, the Pointer Sisters scored their biggest hit to date when their sultry cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Fire" reached number two on the pop charts. The follow-up, "Happiness," was also a major hit. The Pointer Sisters were a fixture of the hit parade throughout the first half of the decade to follow, reeling off blockbuster after blockbuster including 1980's "He's So Shy," 1981's "Slow Hand," and 1982's "I'm So Excited." In 1983, June also issued her debut solo effort, Baby Sister, reaching the R&B Top 40 with the single "Ready for Action." While the record failed to meet commercial expectations, its funky, slick approach nevertheless anticipated the sensibility of the Pointer Sisters' next effort, 1984's Break Out, which generated three Top Five singles: "Automatic," "Jump (For My Love)," and "The Neutron Dance" (also featured on the soundtrack of the Eddie Murphy smash Beverly Hills Cop).

Break Out proved the Pointer Sisters' most successful LP, going triple platinum and earning a pair of Grammy Awards. In conjunction with the release of its 1985 follow-up, Contact, June posed for Playboy magazine, but the album failed to match the success of its predecessor. After issuing Hot Together in late 1986, the Pointers headlined their own NBC television special, Up All Night. But as the decade waned, their commercial fortunes plummeted, and in the wake of 1988's Serious Slammin', the siblings exited their longtime home, RCA, for Motown. In 1989 June also signed a solo deal with Columbia, teaming with executive producer Carole Bayer Sager to release her self-titled sophomore solo effort and notching the R&B hit "Tight on Time (I'll Fit U In)." The Pointer Sisters spent the 1990s out of the mainstream spotlight, and in 1994 announced an extended hiatus from the recording industry proper when they agreed to star in a worldwide touring revival of the Fats Waller stage musical Ain't Misbehavin. By 2000 June was out of the group altogether -- addicted to crack and Xanax, she eventually entered a Los Angeles rehabilitation program, but the Pointer Sisters continued on without her, tapping Ruth's daughter Issa to fill the void. June later went public with her personal struggles, but proved unable to get her performing career back on track. In 2004, she was arrested on possession charges, and returned to custody just weeks later when a boyfriend filed assault charges. After suffering a stroke and battling cancer, June died in Los Angeles on April 11, 2006, at the age of 52.

Wikipedia:

June Antoinette Pointer Whitmore (November 30, 1953 – April 11, 2006) was an American pop/R&B singer and was a founding member and lead vocalist of the vocal group The Pointer Sisters.

Biography

Early life and career

Born the youngest of six to minister parents Reverend Elton and Sarah Pointer, Pointer shared a love of singing with her sisters. In 1969, she and sister Bonnie founded The Pointers - A Pair. The duo sang at several clubs, then became a trio later on that year when Anita quit her job as a secretary to join them. The group changed its name to The Pointer Sisters. The trio scored a record deal with Atlantic Records and released a few singles, none of which made any substantial impact on the charts. After a few single releases, sister Ruth joined the group in 1972, making it a quartet. The group then signed with Blue Thumb Records and their careers finally began taking off.

The Pointer Sisters and solo career

Releasing their self-titled debut album in 1973, the Pointer Sisters found fame with pop hit singles such as "Yes We Can Can", the country hit, "Fairytale", and the R&B hits, "How Long (Betcha Got a Chick on the Side)" and "You Gotta Believe" before Bonnie exited from the group to forge a solo career in 1977. June briefly left the group in 1976 to sort out a growing problem with an addiction to cocaine.

The remaining sisters continued on as a trio with June returning to the group and then found huge success, hitting the Top 10 with a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Fire" (1978), then following that with "He's So Shy" (1980), and "Slow Hand" (1981). They then would release what would be their biggest album to date, 1983's Break Out, which included the hits "Automatic"; "Jump (for My Love)"; a re-release of "I'm So Excited", which became a bigger hit than when originally released in 1982; and Neutron Dance". Other hits from follow up albums included "Dare Me" "Freedom" and "Goldmine". June is notable for being the lead singer of "He's So Shy", "Jump (For My Love)", "Baby Come And Get It" and "Dare Me" among others. The group eventually would receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

During the 1980s, Pointer ventured into a solo career, releasing albums in 1983 and 1989. She scored modest hits with "Ready For Some Action" (1983) and 1989's "Tight On Time (I'll Fit U In)". She also performed the song "Little Boy Sweet" for the 1983 film National Lampoon's Vacation. Together with Bruce Willis she scored a top 5 pop single in 1987 with a cover of the Staples Singers' "Respect Yourself". Pointer also gained some notoriety for posing for Playboy magazine in the 80's.

Struggling with drug addiction for much of her career, June was ousted from the Pointer Sisters by 2004 as her sisters hoped and waited for her to become drug-free. Ruth's daughter filled in for June during stage performances.

On April 22, 2004, June Pointer was charged with felony cocaine possession and misdemeanor possession of a smoking device. She was ordered to a rehabilitation facility.

Marriage

Pointer was divorced from William Oliver Whitmore II after a 13-year marriage that ended in 1991. She had no children.

Death

Pointer had a history of drug and alcohol abuse, and suffered a stroke on February 27, 2006. While in the hospital, she was diagnosed with cancer, which had metastasized in her breast, colon, liver and bones.

June Pointer died on April 11, 2006, at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California in the company of her family.

Solo Discography

Baby Sister (1983 Planet Records)

June Pointer (1989 Columbia Records)