Happy Birthday DEBBIE SLEDGE!! (far left with Sister Sledge) An American musical group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 1971 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. The group are best known for their hit songs We Are Family and Hes the Greatest Dancer. 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: 1979s We Are Family. The album would become the groups best selling. Singles included Hes 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 written and produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of the group Chic. Sister Sledges next album was 1980s 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 Youll 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 Sledge, the 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: 70s 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. The sisters continue to perform collectively and individually as soloist with guest vocalist. The original group members were reunited in 2011 on Oprah Winfreys Women Who Rock episode, highlighting their We are Family as one of the most requested songs of all time.
Posted on: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 11:41:18 +0000
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