Sister Sledge
The group consisted of sisters Debbie, Joni, Kim, and Kathy Sledge.
Sister Sledge is an American musical vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed in 1971, the group consisted of sisters Debbie, Joni, Kim, and Kathy Sledge. The siblings achieved international success at the height of the disco era. In 1979, they released their breakthrough album We Are Family, which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and included the 1979 US top-10 singles “He’s the Greatest Dancer” and “We Are Family”. A third single, “Lost in Music”, reached the US Top 40. “We Are Family” earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
Their other US singles include a 1982 remake of Mary Wells’ 1964 hit “My Guy”, “Mama Never Told Me” (1973), and “Thinking of You” (1984), before reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart with the song “Frankie” in 1985. Remixed versions of three of their singles in 1993 returned them to the UK Top 20. Although Kathy undertook a solo career in 1989, she continued to tour with the group (with Kathy occasionally rejoining for one-off performances and several releases in the 1990s). In 2015, Sister Sledge performed for Pope Francis at the World Festival of Families in Philadelphia.
Background:
Natives of Philadelphia, the sisters: Debra Edwina “Debbie” Sledge (born 1954), Joan Elise “Joni” Sledge (1956–2017), Kim Sledge (born 1957), and Kathy Sledge (born 1959) are the daughters of Broadway tap dancer Edwin Sledge (1923–1996) and actress Florez Sledge (née Williams; 1928–2007) The sisters were given vocal training by their grandmother Viola Williams, a former lyric soprano opera singer and protégé of civil rights leader Mary McLeod Bethune. Under Viola’s guidance, they regularly sang at their family church, Williams Temple Christian Methodist Episcopal until forming a band and performing at charity and political events throughout Philadelphia, aptly named Mrs Williams’ Grandchildren. The sisters graduated from Olney High School: Debbie in 1972, Joni in 1974, Kim in 1975, and Kathy in 1977. By the end of the decade, all four sisters graduated from Temple University in Philadelphia.
In December 2000, Sister Sledge (Kathy, Debbie, Joni, and Kim) performed at the White House for the President and First Lady at the final Christmas party of the Clinton administration. The following year, in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, all four sisters re-recorded “We Are Family” as a benefit record with a host of other artists, including Diana Ross and Patti LaBelle. Debbie, Joni, and Kim produced solo material during this period before being reunited in the studio to record the album Style in 2003. Due to legal difficulties, the project officially remains unreleased. Kim, an ordained minister, took some time out from the group but soon joined Kathy and Joni on various international shows. Joni and Debbie continued to tour (with various guest artists, including Debbie’s daughter Camille Sledge, completing a trio), and in 2005 performed on the famous pyramid stage at the Glastonbury Music Festival in the UK. In 2011, Sister Sledge came together on The Oprah Winfrey Show for the “Women Who Rock” episode. In the summer of 2012, Tanya Tiet was added to their lineup.
In 2014, Sister Sledge headlined the Tramlines Festival in Sheffield, United Kingdom along with hip-hop icons, Public Enemy, and collaborated with Scottish electronic producer The Revenge, recording the track “Stay a While” in London. With Kim rejoining in 2015, all three sisters performed at a large-scale charity benefit in London for Save the Children and were invited to perform for Pope Francis along with Aretha Franklin and Andrea Bocelli at the World Festival of Families in Philadelphia at Eakins Oval on September 26, 2015, which was covered by global media and went viral due to crowds of nuns in the audience dancing to “We Are Family”. Debbie, Joni, and Kim soon thereafter launched the brand concept, Nothing is Greater Than Love.
Joni Sledge, born September 13, 1956, died of natural causes at her home in Phoenix, Arizona on March 10, 2017 at age 60. Following Joni’s death, Debbie and Kim announced that they will continue to perform as Sister Sledge.