The Pointer Sisters, photo by Chris Foster/Shutterstock
(link takes you to Rolling Stone’s article about when they hit the country charts)
Please click on each sister’s name link to take you to The Pointer Sister’s website for a full bio
Ruth Pointer (b. 3/14/1946)
Anita Pointer (b. 1/23/1948 — 12/31/2022)
Bonnie Pointer (b. 7/11/1950 – d. 6/8/2020)
June Pointer (b. 11/30/1953 – d. 4/11/2006)
Bonnie and youngest sister June began singing together in their father’s West Oakland Church of God in Oakland, California. They were the first two of the sisters to pursue a professional career, the Pointers (otherwise known as the Pair) in 1969. After Anita joined the duo that same year, they changed their name to the Pointer Sisters and recorded several singles for Atlantic Records between 1971 and 1972. In December 1972, after several singles had been released, oldest sister Ruth wanted to join the group and afterwards, the four released their debut album as the Pointer Sisters in 1973. Their self-titled debut album yielded the hit “Yes We Can Can”. Between 1973 and 1977, the Pointers donned 1940s fashions and sang in a style reminiscent of the Andrews Sisters. Their music included R&B, funk, rock and roll, gospel, country and soul.
Musical Beginnings:
As children in West Oakland, the Pointer sisters and brothers were encouraged to listen to and sing gospel music by their parents Reverend Elton and Sarah Pointer. However, they were told rock and roll and the blues were “the devil’s music”, and it was only when they were away from their watchful parents that they could sing these styles. They regularly sang at a local Church of God in Christ congregation in West Oakland, but as the sisters grew older their love of other styles of music began to grow.
The sisters graduated from Oakland Technical High School: Ruth in 1963, Anita in 1965, and Bonnie in 1968. After leaving school, oldest sister Ruth was already married with two children Faun (born 1965) and Malik (born 1966;) Anita, the second-oldest sister, also was married with a child Jada. Bonnie, the third oldest sister, and June, the youngest, sought a show business career and they formed a duo, ‘Pointers Au Pair’. Later, Anita quit her job to join the group. They began touring and performing and provided backing vocals for artists such as Grace Slick, Sylvester, Boz Scaggs, Elvin Bishop and Betty Davis.
Discography:
|
Studio albums |
15 |
|---|---|
|
Live albums |
3 |
|
Compilation albums |
11 |
|
Singles |
51 |
|
Soundtrack albums |
1 |
Some things to share:
The Pointer Sisters continues today, with Ruth, Issa, and Sadako Pointer. Issa Kuren Edwards, aka Issa Pointer, is Ruth’s daughter. Sadako Ruth Pointer Johnson, aka Sadako Pointer, is the granddaughter of Ruth Pointer. Now how cool is that?
Official website: here
This is one HELLA good song.
lyrics here
I was lucky enough to find a recent interview with Ruth Pointer about the song:
A lot of additional info about the charting in this one.
Source: wikipedia and The Pointer Sisters official website (see link above)
Jim Adams is the host of Song Lyric Sunday. Today, Jim wants us to find a musician born in July. Since I already decided on Bonnie Pointer, I’m using this old WMM 2024 post.
Tao-Talk 
I know I’ve got around ten of their singles on 7″ but none of their albums.
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Glyn, that’s a lot! I love the Fairytale song and the video I included. They brought a lot of light to the world and still are bringing it!
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I like the Pointer Sisters…that is so cool that they continue on to this day. Back then we had The Pointer Sisters and Sister Sledge…kinda throw back to the sixties female groups which was cool.
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Doesn’t Sister Sledge do We Are Family? I used to dance to that at the clubs. Fun times back then. I love their music!
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Yes! That was 1979…I watched the Pirates that year in the World Series and that was their team song…I still like it.
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I do love that song. It was the year before I met my now ex-husband.
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Thanks for talking about them, I really did not know much about them personally. Obviously the hit songs but I frequently run across them for some great covers, they have an impressive take on a wide range of genre.
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You’re welcome, Randy, and they are extremely talented performers. Happy to know the family is carrying on with the music.
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I always liked their style as well as their music. “Yes we Can Can”—love that song. (K)
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“Now’s the time for all….” Yes it presents as a resonant anthem <3
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Another great pick, Lisa. I love what I’ve heard of The Pointer Sisters. They were quite versatile.
I’m best familiar with their albums Energy (1978), which is the one with their excellent rendition of Springsteen’s “Fire” and also has a cool cover of Steely Dan’s “Dirty Work”, as the follow-on “Priority” (1979). Both of these albums are rock-oriented.
I didn’t realize a version of The Pointer Sisters continues to this day. They still sound pretty good! :-)
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Sounds good, Christian. Thanks for sharing that link. I love their version of Fire way more than Bruce Springsteen’s. Of course I had to go out and listen to Dirty Work. Not bad!
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I was very underwhelmed when I first heard Springsteen’s original of “Fire.” I had no idea in the first he had the the song.
After Springsteen had entered my radar screen with the “Born in the U.S.A.” album I got his compilation “Live 1975–85” when it came out in 1986. That’s when I first many of his older classics like “Thunder Road”, “Spirit In the Night” and “Born to Run”.
And “Fire”! At first I couldn’t believe my ears, feeling it completely lacked energy and sounded flat. While I subsequently warmed to Springsteen’s version, I still prefer the Pointer Sisters.
Here’s another track off the “Energy” album I dig. This is smoking rock & roll! :-)
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The first time I heard Bruce do it was a live version, which I thought was ok, but like you said, no energy to it. The song at the link is good. I like “Slow Hand” also, but I think that one was a little later, after one or more of the sisters left.
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It’s a great hat trick! Great sound, great energy, great post!
Thanks, Lisa!
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Thanks much, Nancy, glad you enjoyed :)
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I always loved them
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Keith, glad you are a long-time fan. I’ve liked anything they’ve done that I’ve heard.
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The sisters look so good together. They are one of those artists whose music I’ve certainly heard before, but I wouldn’t be able to name a single song of theirs.
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Yes they do. Oh Gia, you need to do a YouTube Tour. “Fire” “Yes We Can Can” are two of my favorites (aside from Fairytale.
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I was hoping I’d recognise at least one of those titles, but no. However, I will explore at some point since you insist. 🤓
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I’m still doing the Neutron Dance. Love the Pointers!
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Ha! Great!
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I remember this band when I was growing up in the 80’s they were very popular! I love the song, I’m so excited!
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They were at the top of the charts for a long time. I like that one also. High energy!
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I love Steam Heat/Banging on the Pipes and Surfiet U.S.A./That’s A Plenty from their second Blue Thumb album, the one with Fairytale on it. Yes We Can Can is, of course, a song from Allen Toussaint. I was surprised at home much I liked so many of the Richard Perry hits. They used to, and may still, tour in a take on Ain’t Misbehavin’, featuring songs from Fats Waller.
Also, there are a couple of tracks from Taj Mahal where they sing backup that simply blow me away. After 20 years since I first heard Cakewalk Into Town and Little Red Hen, they still blow me away.
Yup, I’m a Pointers fan.
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Awesome, Arthur! Thanks for giving me a chance to listen to Fairytale again, a woman’s anthem if there ever was one.
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Great group – I enjoyed the videos as I didn’t know much about them – only I love ‘I’m So Excited’ 😃 thanks Lisa
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Ange, happy you enjoyed them. They’ve had some wonderful songs and that’s one of them. My pleasure!
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💜
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A nice choice for the theme. I knew very little about them, to be honest not much more than their superb cover of Springsteen’s Fire, so I’m grateful for your info.
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Thanks, Clive! I love their Fire. Here’s another one I love:
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Thank you for that. Another I didn’t know!
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I think that is the first song I heard of theirs, and I’ve been a fan ever since.
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Great fact filled write up and thanks for adding the interview I loved that! Wonderful artist and song choice, Li.
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V, thanks so much for your kind words. Glad you enjoyed it!
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Thanks for sharing this ‘Fairytale” song Lisa as this was my first time listening to it. I knew them from the Car Wash movie and the song Wang Dang Doodle. I am happy you included the extra vidios, as I learned a lot from them.
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You are welcome, Jim. Glad you learned a lot from the included videos. I love learning the real story on situations. Am thinking of the George Harrison tribute concert where they didn’t want Prince playing and he showed them who was boss.
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Yes, Prince stole the show at the 2004 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame tribute.
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Oops, I had wrong venue, but I’m glad you know what I’m talking about.
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As a fan of the Pointers, I loved that we played I’m So Excited in marching band. lol
Good choice
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Keith, that had to be thrilling to play one of their songs for marching band. I bet the energy of it was off the charts.
Glad you like my choice for July birthday musician. Bonnie is the best, rest her soul. I’m happy they are keeping the legacy of The Pointers Sisters alive with family.
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Oh my comment disappeared. Loved your post Li and the song and wonderful interview. I didn’t know they did a country song and they want a Grammy for it too. So interesting.🥰
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Christine, I just went on a search for your disappeared comment and didn’t find it in spam or pending folders, which means the WP ghost in the machine snuck in and took it away. Not the first time. Thanks for persisting.
I’m not sure how I first came across the song, but I’ve been hooked on it ever since. They do a perfect job with a perfect song. Oh how I love it that they won a Grammy <3
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Oh Li who knows where it went! I could easily have pressed the wrong key and deleted it. I thought the one I sent to Di had disappeared but she said she got both. What can I say? I shouldn’t comment in my phone. Blogs are hard to navigate that way. lol 🤣
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Christine, I’ve tried to use my phone when power outages have happened and was hopelessly lost.
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Yes I just can’t seem to make it work seamlessly on a phone 😳 LOL
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won a Grammy
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I had no clue another version is still going….with links…that is great! I always liked them and Sister Sledge as well.
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Hey Max! Good to see you on a Monday but I think you wrote this yesterday. Did Sister Sledge do, “We are Family”? That’s a great tune I remember dancing to at the club. Those were the days.
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Yes that is the one…in 1979 that song was everwhere…but yea I enjoyed both groups.
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They were so popular back in the day, and it is very nice to see their legacy being added onto and extended out to this very day. Music that gets people up and dancing!
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Bruce, I totally agree. Question: did you notice how quiet the crowd was? They must have been torn between their conditioning that only white people make country music and their great desire to get up and dance.
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Lisa, I did notice a quiet. Sometimes I wonder how the sound is mixed between crowd and performers. But in this instance, it might very well have played out like you described.
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I also noticed in the video they had blurred out the crowd generally. You never know what was going on there.
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Such a fantastic post Li! I 💗 the Pointer Sisters.
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Thanks much, J, yes they are so good, glad you are a fan of theirs <3
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