Sister Sledge

Infobox musical artist
Name = Sister Sledge


Img Capt =
Background = group_or_band
Genre = Disco
Origin = United States
Years_active = 1972 – Present
Current_members = Kim Sledge
Debbie Sledge
Joni Sledge
Kathy Sledge

Sister Sledge is an American musical group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 1972 and consisting of four singers, who are each sisters to the others: Kim Sledge (born 21 August 1957), Debbie Sledge (born 9 July 1954), Joni Sledge (born 13 September 1956), and Kathy Sledge (born 6 January 1959). They also have an older sister, Carol, who's not in the music limelight.All the sisters are grandaughters of the former opera singer Viola Williams. The sisters used to perform under the name of 'Mrs. Williams Grandchildren'.

Chart history

Sister Sledge were born and raised in West Philadelphia and began singing in local Philadelphia churches like the Second Macedonia Baptist Church. They were discovered by Charles Simmons and entered the UK Singles Chart in 1975 with "Mama Never Told Me" and "Love Don't You Go Through No Changes On Me". Their career went into decline before it revived under the magisterial production skills of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic. This association gave them their biggest successes which came in 1979: the popular disco anthems "We Are Family" (#1 R&B, #2 Pop in the U.S.) and "He's the Greatest Dancer" (#1 R&B, #9 Pop in the U.S.) Both songs were included on their eight song 1979 album "We Are Family". Their follow up album was 1980's "Love Somebody Today", which included the songs "Got to Love Somebody" (#6 R&B, #64 Pop in the U.S., #34 in the UK) and "Pretty Baby".

Switching to producer Narada Michael Walden in 1981, they released the album "All-American Girls", yielding two hits (the title track, which reached #3 R&B and #79 Pop in the U.S. and #41 Pop in the UK), and "Next Time You'll Know", which reached #28 R&B in the U.S.) The sisters continued singing new material throughout the 1980s and 1990s. They achieved an international #1 hit with "Frankie" in 1985 (#1 in the UK for 4 weeks); surprisingly the follow-up single, "Dancing on the Jagged Edge", failed to make the UK Top 40. In 1992, Kathy left the group and recorded the solo album "Heart". The group continued to perform with her and recorded the album "African Eyes" in 1998 as well as the "Live in Concert" album in 1997. In 2004 they headlined the International Food and Wine Festival at the Epcot theme park. In 2003, Debbi and Joni performed with two other girls in the PBS special, "", which is also available on DVD.

Their biggest hits have been re-released several times in the UK, often in newly-remixed versions which keep them sounding new and up-to-date. "We Are Family" is regarded by the feminist movement as a totemic statement – it reached number 7 in 1979, number 33 in 1984 and number 5 in 1993. "Lost in Music" reached number 17 in 1979, number 4 in 1984 and number 14 in 1993. "Thinking of You" reached number 11 in 1984 and number 17 in 1993. Originally their biggest UK hit back in 1979, peaking at number 6, "He's the Greatest Dancer" has not been a hit again in the UK as an updated version, although Will Smith sampled the backing music in his Top 3 UK hit "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" and Dannii Minogue covered it in 2007

Sister Seldge is represented by The Entertainment Group - The Netherlands. Check out www.sistersledge.nl

Discography

Albums

*"Circle Of Love" (1975) US R&B #56
*"Together" (1977)
*"We Are Family" (1979) UK #7, US #3, US R&B #1
*"Love Somebody Today" (1980) US #31, US R&B #7
*"All American Girls" (1981) US #42, US R&B #13
*"The Sisters" (1982) US #69, US R&B #17
*"Bet'Cha Say That To All The Girls" (1983) US #169, US R&B #35
*"When The Boys Meet The Girls" (1985) UK #19, US R&B #52
*"Freak Out: The Greatest Hits Of Chic and Sister Sledge" (1987) UK #72
*"The Best of Sister Sledge: 1973-1993" (1993) UK #19
*"African Eyes" (1997)

ingles

Cover versions of Sister Sledge songs

*"All the Man That I Need" was originally done by Linda Clifford in 1981 and was covered by Whitney Houston in 1991, becoming her ninth number-one hit.
*"Mama Never Told Me" was covered by Tracie & The Questions in 1983. The recording was released on a compilation album entitled "Love The Reason" by Paul Weller's Respond label.
*"Thinking of You" was a UK hit single for Maureen Walsh in 1990; it was also covered by Monday Michiru in 1999 and Paul Weller in 2004.
*"Lost In Music" was covered by The Fall in 1993 on the album "The Infotainment Scan".
*"We Are Family" was covered by Babes in Toyland in 1995, the Spice Girls in 1998, Jump5 in 2003, and Jordan Pruitt in 2007.
*"Lost in Music" was covered by Wackside sampling Sister Sledge in 2002.
*"He's The Greatest Dancer" was covered by Dannii Minogue in 2006.
*"We Are Family" was covered by Groovestylerz in 2007.
*"We Are Family" was covered by Home Made Kazoku in 2007.
*"Thinking of You" was remixed by Solitaire in 2004. Samples of the same music were used in Eclipse's dance hit "Makes Me Love You" in 1999.
*"Lifetime Lover" was sampled by The Vanden Plas in 2003 for their single "Lifetime Lovers".
*"Thinking of You" was covered by Paul Weller in November 2004.

ee also

*List of number-one dance hits (United States)
*List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References

External links

* http://www.sistersledge.nl
* http://www.sistersledge.com. (under construction)