Sister Sledge

All Music Guide:

Best known for their work with Chic in the late '70s, siblings Debbie, Kim, Joni, and Kathy Sledge -- collectively Sister Sledge -- reached the height of their popularity during the disco era but had been recording since the early '70s and were still active in the late '90s. The group was formed in Philadelphia in 1971, when the sisters' ages ranged from 12 to 16, and they recorded their first single, "Time Will Tell," for the Philly-based Money Back label. (For the first few years, the group called itself Sisters Sledge.) In 1972, Sister Sledge signed with Atco and recorded its second single, "Weatherman," which was followed by the Jackson 5-like "Mama Never Told Me" in 1973.

Sister Sledge's first national hit came in 1974, when "Love, Don't You Go Through No Changes on Me" reached number 31 on the R&B charts and the Philadelphians recorded their debut album, Circle of Love. Their second album, Together, was released in 1977 and contained the number 61 R&B hit "Blockbuster Boy." It wasn't until 1979, when Chic leaders Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards produced We Are Family, that Sister Sledge really exploded commercially. "He's the Greatest Dancer" and We Are Family's title song both soared to number one on the R&B charts, and the latter (a number two pop smash) was adopted as a theme by the World Series-winning Pittsburgh Pirates.

Sister Sledge's next album, Love Somebody Today (1980), was also produced by the Rodgers/Edwards team, and the single "Got to Love Somebody" became a number six R&B hit. In 1981, Sister Sledge switched producers and worked with Narada Michael Walden, who produced 1981's excellent All American Girls. The title song was a number three R&B hit, and in 1982, Sister Sledge had a number 14 R&B hit with a cover of Mary Wells' "My Guy" that appeared on The Sisters. But after that, the foursome's popularity faded, and it never had another Top 20 hit in the U.S. -- although 1985's "Frankie" (a number 32 R&B hit in the States) became a pop number one hit in England. Sister Sledge left Atlantic for good in 1985, but its members kept busy in the 1990s. Epic released Kathy's debut solo album, Heart, in 1992, and 1997 found the sisters recording a risk-taking date, African Eyes, arguably one of the finest albums they ever recorded.

Wikipedia:

Sister Sledge is an American musical group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 1972 and consisting of four sisters: Kim Sledge (born August 21, 1957) Debbie Sledge (born July 9, 1954), Joni Sledge (born September 13, 1955), and Kathy Sledge (born January 6, 1959). They are granddaughters of the former opera singer Viola Williams. The sisters used to perform under the name of "Mrs. Williams' Grandchildren."

History

The members of Sister Sledge were born and raised in Philadelphia and began singing at the young ages of four through eight in local Philadelphia churches like Williams Temple CME and Second Macedonia Baptist Church. Their professional music career launched when they entered the UK Singles Chart in 1975 with "Mama Never Told Me." The young girl group released their first two albums "Circle Of Love" and "Together" in 1975 and 1977, respectively, although scoring no major hits.

The group attained pop success with their next album: 1979's We Are Family. The album would become the group's best selling. Singles included "He's the Greatest Dancer" (#9 US, #1 R&B) and "We Are Family" (#2 US, #1 R&B), the latter song becoming their biggest hit. The album was produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of the group Chic.

Sister Sledge's next album was 1980's Love Somebody Today. The album included the songs "Got to Love Somebody" (#64 US, #6 R&B, #34 UK) and "Pretty Baby".

Collaborating with producer Narada Michael Walden in 1981, they released the album "All-American Girls," yielding the title track single, which reached No. 3 R&B and No. 79 Pop in the U.S. and No. 41 Pop in the UK; and the single "Next Time You'll Know," which reached No. 28 R&B in the U.S. The sisters continued singing new material throughout the 1980s and 1990s, although not matching the success of the late 1970s. They achieved a hit with "Frankie" in 1985 (#1 in the UK). In 1992, Kathy, lead singer, recorded her first solo album "Heart". Although it spawned no Hot 100 hits, it included the #1 Dance Chart hit "Take Me Back To Love." Her sisters recorded the album "African Eyes" in 1998, as well as the "Live in Concert"" album in 1997. In 2003, Debbi and Joni performed with two other female singers in the PBS special, "My Music: 70's Soul Superstars," which is also available on DVD.

Their most popular songs have been re-released several times in the UK, often in newly-remixed versions, keeping their sound timeless and up-to-date. "We Are Family" is regarded as one of the most popular songs of all time. An updated version of "He's the Greatest Dancer" by Will Smith sampled was included in the backing music in his No. 1 USA/Top 3 UK hit "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" and Dannii Minogue covered the sisters recording 2007.

The sisters continue to perform collectively and individually as soloist with guest vocalist. The original group members were reunited in 2011 on Oprah Winfrey's "Women Who Rock" episode, highlighting their "We are Family" as one of the most requested songs of all time.

The video for "Frankie" was made in its entirety in the city of Glen Cove, New York, the hometown of its producer, Suzy Benfato. Location sites included the high school, a local disco, and some locations in the small city's downtown.

Their song "Il Macquillage Lady" was sampled by Daft Punk for their 2001 hit single Aerodynamic.

Cover versions of Sister Sledge songs