Anita Pointer
Encyclopedia
Anita Pointer is an American
R&B
/soul singer-songwriter
and a member of The Pointer Sisters.
to join her younger sisters Bonnie
and June
to form the Pointer Sisters in 1969. After two failed singles
between 1971 and 1972 for Atlantic Records
, the trio
convinced their eldest sister Ruth
to join the group in 1972. The sisters found fame with the Anita-led "Yes We Can Can
" in 1973. It was Anita's co-writing duties for their 1974 hit, "Fairytale", that helped the group make music history when the song hit the country charts, winning the group its first Grammy
for Best Country Performance by a duo or group and Anita and Bonnie a Grammy nod for the best country song of the year
in 1975.
After Bonnie left the Pointer Sisters in 1977, Ruth, Anita and June rose to higher levels of success with singles such as "Fire" (1978), "He's So Shy
" (1980), "Slow Hand
" (1981) and "I'm So Excited
" (1982).
After the trio's Break Out
reached multi-platinum
status and won the group two Grammys, Anita ventured into a part-time solo career. She found chart success in 1986 with Earl Thomas Conley
on the song, "Too Many Times", which reached #2 on the country chart
. In 1987, she released her first solo
album
Love For What It Is. The album's first single, "Overnight Success", reached #41 on the Billboard
R&B
chart
.
As of 2010, Anita still performs with the Pointer Sisters. The group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
in 1994.
David Harper on December 11, 1965 and had one child, Jada. They divorce
d in 1966. She then married Richard Gonzalez on October 25, 1981, but they too later divorced.
Soundtracks
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
/soul singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and a member of The Pointer Sisters.
Biography
Pointer quit a job as a secretarySecretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
to join her younger sisters Bonnie
Bonnie Pointer
Patricia Eva "Bonnie" Pointer is an American R&B and disco singer, most notable for being the next-to-youngest member of the 1970s and 1980s family music group, The Pointer Sisters. She scored several moderate solo hits after leaving the Pointers in 1977, including a disco cover of The Elgins'...
and June
June Pointer
June Antoinette Pointer Whitmore was an American Pop/R&B singer and was a founding member/and lead vocalist of the vocal group The Pointer Sisters.-Early life and career:...
to form the Pointer Sisters in 1969. After two failed singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
between 1971 and 1972 for Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, the trio
Trio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
convinced their eldest sister Ruth
Ruth Pointer
Ruth Pointer is an American R&B singer, best known for being the eldest member of The Pointer Sisters.-Early life:Pointer was born in Oakland, California. She began her vocal training as a director of a junior choir in her father's church.-The Pointer Sisters:Joining her sisters in 1972, the...
to join the group in 1972. The sisters found fame with the Anita-led "Yes We Can Can
Yes We Can Can
"Yes We Can Can" is a 1973 funk classic recorded by the American R&B girl group the Pointer Sisters and released on the Blue Thumb record label...
" in 1973. It was Anita's co-writing duties for their 1974 hit, "Fairytale", that helped the group make music history when the song hit the country charts, winning the group its first Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Country Performance by a duo or group and Anita and Bonnie a Grammy nod for the best country song of the year
Grammy Award for Best Country Song
The Grammy Award for Best Country Song has been awarded since 1965. The award is given to the writer of the song.There have been several minor changes to the name of the award:...
in 1975.
After Bonnie left the Pointer Sisters in 1977, Ruth, Anita and June rose to higher levels of success with singles such as "Fire" (1978), "He's So Shy
He's So Shy
"He's So Shy" is a the title of a song written by Tom Snow and lyricist Cynthia Weil which in 1980 became a top ten Pop hit for the Pointer Sisters.-Background:...
" (1980), "Slow Hand
Slow Hand
Slow Hand is a ballad written by John Bettis and Michael Clark and recorded by the Pointer Sisters. It was first released in the spring of 1981 as the advance single for Black & White.-Background/ Impact:...
" (1981) and "I'm So Excited
I'm So Excited
"I'm So Excited" is a song by American recording artists The Pointer Sisters. The track, written by The Pointer Sisters and Trevor Lawrence, was originally released in 1982 and saw a re-release in 1984. It is considered to be one of the group's signature songs.-Background:The song appeared...
" (1982).
After the trio's Break Out
Break Out (Pointer Sisters album)
Break Out is the tenth studio album by the American vocal group The Pointer Sisters, released on November 6, 1983 by Planet Records.-History:...
reached multi-platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
status and won the group two Grammys, Anita ventured into a part-time solo career. She found chart success in 1986 with Earl Thomas Conley
Earl Thomas Conley
Earl Thomas Conley is an American country music singer-songwriter. Between 1980 and 2003, he recorded ten studio albums, including seven for the RCA Records label. In the 1980s and into the 1990s, Conley also charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, of which...
on the song, "Too Many Times", which reached #2 on the country chart
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
. In 1987, she released her first solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Love For What It Is. The album's first single, "Overnight Success", reached #41 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
.
As of 2010, Anita still performs with the Pointer Sisters. The group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
in 1994.
Personal life
Pointer marriedMarriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
David Harper on December 11, 1965 and had one child, Jada. They divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d in 1966. She then married Richard Gonzalez on October 25, 1981, but they too later divorced.
Albums
Love For What It Is (1987 RCA Records)- "Overnight Success" (4:45)
- "Love Me Like You Do (5:25)
- "The Pledge" (duet with Philip BaileyPhilip BaileyPhilip Irvin Bailey is an American R&B, soul, gospel and funk singer, songwriter, percussionist and actor, best known as one of the longtime members of Earth, Wind & Fire. Together with Verdine White, B. David Whitworth, and Ralph Johnson he forms the heart of the current EWF line-up on...
) (3:16) - "You Don't Scare Me" (3:40)
- "More Than a Memory" (4:45)
- "Have a Little Faith in Love" (5:56)
- "Love for What it Is" (5:05)
- "Beware of What You Want" (5:42)
- "Temporarily Blue" (4:20)
Singles
| Year | Single | US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | "Overnight Success" | 41 | Love for What It Is |
Guest singles
| Year | Single | Artist | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
CAN Country | ||||
| 1986 | "Too Many Times" | Earl Thomas Conley Earl Thomas Conley Earl Thomas Conley is an American country music singer-songwriter. Between 1980 and 2003, he recorded ten studio albums, including seven for the RCA Records label. In the 1980s and into the 1990s, Conley also charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, of which... |
2 | 3 | Too Many Times |
Soundtracks
- 1996: The AssociateThe Associate (soundtrack)The Associate is the original motion picture soundtrack of the self-titled movie from 1996, starring Whoopi Goldberg, the winner of a Grammy, seven Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, a Tony, as well as an Oscar....
External links
- Pointer Sisters fan page on BeboBeboBebo is a social networking website launched in July 2005. It is currently owned and operated by Criterion Capital Partners after taking over from AOL in June 2010....
: http://www.bebo.com/thepointersisters