The Pointer Sisters are an American female vocal group from Oakland , California , who achieved mainstream success during the s and s. They have had a repertoire with many genres, they have sold around 50 million records throughout their career included. The group had 13 US top 20 hits between and The group had its origins when sisters June and Bonnie Pointer began performing in clubs in as "Pointers Au Pair".
The line-up grew to a trio when sister Anita joined them. Their record deal with Atlantic Records produced several unsuccessful singles. The trio grew to a quartet when sister Ruth joined in December They then signed with Blue Thumb Records , recorded their debut album and, with their new label, began seeing more success, winning a Grammy Award in for Best Country Vocal Performance for " Fairytale " Bonnie left the group in to commence a solo career with modest success.
After signing with Richard Perry 's independent label Planet Records , in , the group achieved its greatest commercial success in the s as a trio consisting of June, Ruth, and Anita. The group's other U. June, the youngest sister, was a drug addict for several years, leaving the group in April prior to her death from cancer in April , at the age of While all four women remained in the group, they most often performed as a trio rotating the lineup as needed. In , Anita was forced to retire due to ill health, leaving Ruth the sole member of the original sibling lineup.
In December , Billboard magazine ranked them as the 80th most successful dance artists of all time. 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, both natives of Arkansas.
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.
