| Bonnie Pointer |
| Bonnie was born on July 11, 1950 in Oakland California. Growing up with sisters Ruth, Anita and Baby June in a strict religious household surely had it's effects. The sisters first harmonized at their father's church in West Oakland. But at their early age they had no aspirations for a singing career, in fact they planned for other things in their lives.
Ruth and Anita both married and began families shortly after graduating high school. Bonnie had no desire to follow in their footsteps. Being the ambitious sister that she was she enlisted baby June to form the first group. "Pointers-A-Pair" played the local Oakland bar scene for mere peanuts. Work around the Bay area gave them much needed training and exposure but very little cash. Anita, by then a married mom working as a legal secretary to make ends meet, quit her job and joined up with June and Bonnie and the Pointer Sisters were born. The trio went off to Texas in 1969 in search of fame and fortune. It didn't work out that way at all and they eventually found themselves stranded in Houston. Bonnie, the ever shrewd one, called David Rubinson back in California. Even though she had never met Rubinson she was able to convince the successful producer to wire them money to get back home. Rubinson was taken first by their chutzpah, then by their voices. He got them work singing backup on studio sessions by Taj Mahal, Grace Slick, Boz Scaggs and others. Eventually his partner Bill Graham signed them to a management contract, and in 1971, Atlantic Records vice-president Jerry Wexler heard the group backing Elvin Bishop at the Whiskey A-Go-Go in Los Angeles and offered them a record deal. The powers that be at Atlantic decided that the trio should sing in a rather monotonous tone. The resulting two singles; "Destination No More Heartaches" and "Don't Try To Take The Fifth" failed to ignite any sales or radio play. However the B-side of "Destination," entitled "Send Him Back" has since become a U.K. northern soul classic. Both 45 rpms are considered rare and collectors items for there lack of availability. In August 1971, Rubinson left Bill Graham's fold and started his own production company, David Rubinson and Friends. The following year, when the Pointers' management and Atlantic deals were up, they signed with Rubinson, who promised to release their debut album on his new Blue Thumb label. It was at this point that the lure of her sisters' burgeoning success proved too great a temptation for Ruth. In December of 1972, Ruth quit her job as a keypunch operator and finally joined the group, and the sisters became a quartet. As the sisters began rehearsing for their album they made a unanimous decision to not let record company execs determine their singing style. The group was drawn to harmony singing. Their love of jazz-scat-be bop and old soul gave way to a natural singing style that suited them. America in the early 1970's was in a 1940's nostalgia wave. Bette Midler had scored with "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and The Manhattan Transfer had burst on the scene with their own brand of nostalgic harmonized singing. Taking their cues from them, the girls outfitted themselves in junk-store chic and their look now matched their singing style. With all the pieces coming together, the Pointers began rehearsing their new numbers. Sometimes, they practiced up to five hours a day, working to perfect their style and sense of timing. The chance to professionally debut their act came in May 1973 when an act canceled its scheduled performance at the famous Troubadour club in Los Angeles, Rubinson made some calls and got the Pointer Sisters on the bill. Decked out in their '40s thrift shop apparel, the Pointer Sisters took the stage one by one, hanging umbrellas, feather boas and furs on an old-fashioned coat rack and immediately tore into the Lambert, Hendricks and Ross hit "Cloudburst." They began scatting at a supersonic pace, and for the next two hours, they sang, sweated, shouted and testified through a scorching set of jazz, scat, rock, gospel and be-bop numbers. By the time the Sisters left the stage, hysteria had taken over the Troubador audience, and amid stamping, cheering and whistling, the sisters were called back for several encores. The performance set the Los Angeles music scene abuzz. The offers started pouring in and within weeks, the group made its first television appearance on "The Helen Reddy Show." Their performance was phenomenol and they were soon the talk of the industry. When the Pointer Sisters' self-titled debut album was released, the buzz became almost deafening. "Yes We Can Can," the album's first single, reached #11 on Billboard magazine's pop singles chart; a second single, "Wang Dang Doodle," written by Willie Dixon, also charted. By the time the album was certified gold, the group had become the most talked-about new act of the year. Even their sense of style became infectious with concert attendees showing up in their own thrift-shop attire. By summer's end of 1973, the Pointer Sisters had become, as Bonnie quipped, "the biggest thing to come out of Oakland since the Black Panthers." The year had been a whirlwind one for the girls. Television appearances dotted their schedules and club dates had them criss-crossing the country. They even hosted an epsiode of the famed "Midnight Special." Not bad for four preacher's daughters from Oakland! The following year in 1974, the sisters released their sophomore effort, "That's A Plenty." The album with their distinct logo contained the Pointer's now-famous array of musical styles but this time they added a country and western tune, the Anita and Bonnie-penned "Fairytale." When the single hit it big on the country charts, Nashville came 'a calling, and the sisters became the first black females to ever perform at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. This prompted them to record "Live Your Life Before You Die" another country tune, however it was a single-only release and is very rare. In late 1974, they became the first pop act to perform at the famed San Francisco Opera House. Tape recorders were running during the legendary performance, and "Live At The Opera House" was released that fall. In 1975, "Fairytale" won the sisters their first Grammy award, for "Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group" (Anita and Bonnie were also nominated for "Songwriters of the year"); later The King himself, Elvis Presley, covered the tune. That year, the Pointer Sisters released their fourth album for Blue Thumb. Entitled "Steppin'," the record included "How Long (Betcha Got A Chick On The Side)," co-written by Anita and Bonnie, it went Top 20 on the pop charts and sailed all the way to #1 on R&B. "Going Down Slowly" also scored well on the R&B charts. This was their first album to enjoy disco play with it's ecelctic blend of danceable R&B numbers. In 1976 the Pointer Sisters were asked by Richard Pryor to be involved in his current film project. The hit movie "Car Wash" featured a lively soundtrack that spawned the mega-club hit title track. Oddly enough the Pointer Ssisters track was not a dance tune but did chart high enough to earn them noticeable praise. In the movie Pryor plays a shyster preacher man and the sisters play his church groupies. They sing "You Gotta Believe" in true sisterly fashion from a convertible car. Despite all the success the girls had in the last several years things started to unravel in 1976. June had dropped out of several performances due to reported health problems, and Bonnie was contemplating a solo career. In 1977, the Pointers released "Having A Party," their last album for Blue Thumb Records and their last album as a quartet. Late that year, much to her sisters' dismay, Bonnie did indeed leave the group and signed with Motown Records. The sisters were devasted and thought that the group was over. June and Anita considered solo projects, Anita actually recorded several singles for ABC Records but nothing came of it. And Ruth took time to have her third child. Soon the sisters realized that performing was in their blood and decided to carry on as a trio, the rest, as they say is history. |
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| Bonnie first did background work on Bill Wyman's "Stone Alone" album before embarking on her solo recordings. After spending several years touring and recording with her sisters, Bonnie had never married or had children, unlike Anita and Ruth. She met successful producer Jeffrey Bowen (Temptations-Commodores-Chairman Of The Board-etc.) and immediately fell in love, the two were married and it was decided that he would be produce her recordings. "Bonnie Pointer" released in 1978 was widely received and had substantial sales on her name alone. The first 12" single remix was a down tempo sizzler. "Free Me From My Freedom" had 1970's feminists up in arms with it's submissive lyrics and club goers on the dance floors with it's dominant beat. |
| However it was her second single that gave her disco immortality. "Heaven Must Have Sent You" was an old Elgin's hit originally released on Motown also. The album version remains true to it's roots, while a 12" remix gives it all the zest and verve needed to dominate the charts for a considerable time. |
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| The unimaginative Bowen, obviously at a loss, decided to entitle Bonnie's second album "Bonnie Pointer" also. That same lack of imagination had him putting Bonnie through another set of remakes and weak material. Her gay core audience and disco-goers did propell this to Gold status like her first release. The re-tread on "Sugar Pie Honey Bunch" was yet another club smash. Unsure why there was no domestic 12" single released? The album also followed the cover art formula of a semi-painted head shot of Bonnie. Bonnie's voice soars over her renditions of: "Jimmy Mack," "Nowhere To Run," "Come See About Me" and "When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes." Yet it falls flat on "Deep In My Soul." |
| By the time Bonnie jumped on the disco band-wagon it was already in it's final phase. That coupled with her persistence to retread Motown classics did not sit well at Motown. In 1980 her contract was up for renewal and Pointer and the powers that be could not come to terms.
It seemed for the next few years that Bonnie had literally disappeared from sight. By 1984 club goers had all but forgotten Bonnie and those that did remember her considered her a one-hit wonder. Bonnie was asked that year to contribute two songs to the soundtrack of a mostly forgotten Canadian film entitled "Heavenly Bodies." The soundtrack featured "Heaven" and "The Beast In Me" by Pointer. Both songs brought her back to the dance floor but not like in her previous glory. However the buzz was strong enough to warrant a contract from Private-I Records for a full length album. |
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| "If The Price Is Right" contains some real gems. My personal favorites are the title track and "Your Touch," a luscious song that builds from it's slow intro on. The album was produced by hubby Bowen and sisters Ruth and Anita lend moral and vocal support.
A 12" from the album, a cover of a Jack Wagner hit, "Premonition" scored well as did "Tight Blue Jeans" and "Johnny." But despite the albums success Pointer had no forth coming material on Private-I. And once again she faded back into obscurity, prompting many to ask for years if she was dead or alive. We're happy to report that Bonnie is alive and well. Over the years she has popped up at various Gay Pride celebrations to perform and connect with her loyal gay following. |
| In 1994 she joined Ruth, Anita and June when the sisters were awarded their own star on Hollywood's Walk Of Fame. Proving that there was no bad blood between siblings as many had speculated.
In 1996 she gave devout fans a glimmer of hope for a reunited quartet when she joined her sisters on stage for the encore of "Jump (For My Love)" at their Las Vegas New Year's Eve concert. But evidence of an original Pointer Sisters tour or album have yet to materialize. In 1998 she gained an entire new following with the inclusion of "Heaven Must Have Sent You" on the soundtrack to the hit movie "54." Our hats off to someone we have loved and listened to for nearly thirty years. And Bonnie if you read this......C'mon girl get back in the studio, we need to hear you again! |
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