Anita Pointer of the vocal group The Pointer Sisters died on New Year's Eve of cancer. She was 74.
The Pointer Sisters enjoyed a string of hits in the 1970s and 1980s. Anita sang lead on hits such as "Yes We Can Can" (written by Allen Toussaint), "Fairytale" (more on that in a moment), "How Long (Betcha' Got a Chick on The Side", a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Fire", "Slow Hand" and "I'm So Excited".
With the death of Anita, eldest sister Ruth Pointer is the last surviving member of the original group. June Pointer passed away in 2006 while Bonnie Pointer (who had left the group in 1977 to pursue a solo career) died in 2020.
While best known as an R&B vocal group, much to my surprise one of their earliest songs made the country charts "Fairytale" which was co-written by Anita and Bonnie. "Fairytale" actually earned the group their very first Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or a Group. The song's success earned them an invitation to perform at the Grand Ole Opry - the first ever for an African-American female group. For good measure, Elvis Presley saw fit to cover "Fairytale".
While born and raised in Oakland, the Pointers grew up with country music from their parents who were originally from Arkansas. Anita, in particular, had a very strong southern drawl in her speaking voice. It would have been interesting had explored this further and recorded a country album. I leave you with The Pointer Sisters performing "Fairytale" live with Anita on lead vocal converting her audience into country music fans. R.I.P.
No comments:
Post a Comment