Pointer Sisters Biography

The Pointer Sisters (Ruth, Anita, June, and Bonnie) grew up in West Oakland, California. As children, they were encouraged by their Reverend father to listen to gospel music and sing in the church choir. After leaving school, the Pointer Sisters began touring together, often serving as backup singers for other performers. It was while performing with one of those musicians, Elvin Bishop, that the sisters caught they eye of a music industry executive. They quickly found themselves signed to Atlantic Records as an act of their own.

After a switch to Blue Thumb Records, the Pointer Sisters recorded their debut album and released it in 1973. “ Yes We Can Can,” their first single, nearly rose into the Top Ten on the charts, and “Wang Dang Doodle” fared well also.  The Pointer Sister’s sophomore album, That’s A Plenty, followed in 1974, and featured the song “Fairytale,” a country-style song which became a surprising crossover hit for the Pointer Sisters. The unexpected success of the song brought another unexpected turn of events for the group, when they suddenly found themselves in Nashville, becoming the first female black singers to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. The song also garnered the Pointer Sisters a Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group in 1975.

On the heels of this success, the Pointer Sisters released Steppin’ in 1975, and the album spawned another Grammy-nominated hit single, “How Long (Betcha Got a Chick on the Side),” and the single “Going Down Slowly,” which also rose to the top of the charts. Finally, the Pointer Sisters released Having a Party in 1977, before Bonnie and June departed from the group. June eventually re-joined the group in 1978 and the Pointer Sisters forged forward as a trio, releasing the album Energy, which featured a more soft-rock sound and included a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s song “Fire” and the single “Happiness.”  Priority came next in 1979, and then the Pointer Sisters had another big hit with the single “He’s So Shy,” released in 1980. “Slow Hand” was equally successful, and the sisters entered the next decade at the top of the charts.

Perhaps one of their most iconic hits, “I’m So Excited,” was released in 1982, and in the following year, the album Break Out became the sister’s biggest hit to date. Two years later, the Pointer Sisters had four top ten singles in a row, with “Automatic,” “Jump (for My Love),” “I’m So Excited,” and “Neutron Dance.” Today, the Pointer Sisters have scaled back their tour dates and recording schedules significantly, but they still perform regularly.