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The Pointer Sisters Should Be in the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame
Here are the receipts
The Pointer Sisters are an American girl group originally from Oakland, California, who had a string of hits during the 1970s and 1980s. These included smash hits you’ve probably heard, like “Automatic” and “Jump (For My Love)” and “I’m So Excited.”
The Pointer Sisters didn’t just have pop and R&B hits, though. Their music spans country, jazz, funk and disco. They do a mean version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Fire,” and their song “Slow Hand,” was later recorded by Conway Twitty. Ruth Pointer states in her autobiography Still So Excited!: My Life as a Pointer Sister, the group didn’t want to be pigeon-holed into one genre, because they genuinely appreciated all types of music.
The Pointer Sisters really were sisters. They learned to sing in the church choir, and against their religious parents’ wishes, they harmonized rock ‘n’ roll songs when away from home. All those years of singing together meant their voices blended beautifully, as well as spanning an amazing vocal range. The deep voice you hear in “Automatic” isn’t a man — it’s Ruth Pointer.
June and Bonnie Pointer began performing first, and were soon joined by sister Anita. The trio became a quartet when sister Ruth joined, but by the 1980s, the Pointer Sisters went back…
