Sister Sledge is an American musical group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 1971 and consisting of four sisters: Kim Sledge (born August 21, 1957), Debbie Sledge (born July 9, 1954), Joni Sledge (born September 13, 1956), and Kathy Sledge (born January 6, 1959). They are granddaughters of the former opera singer Viola Williams. The sisters used to perform under the name of "Mrs. Williams' Grandchildren". The group is best known for their hit songs "We Are Family", "He's the Greatest Dancer", and "Frankie".
History[]
The members of Sister Sledge were born and raised in Philadelphia and began singing in local Philadelphia churches like Williams Temple CME and Second Macedonia Baptist Church. Their professional music career launched when they entered the UK Singles Chart in 1975 with "Mama Never Told Me". The young girl group released their first two albums, Circle of Love and Together in 1975 and 1977, respectively, although scoring no major hits.
The group attained pop success with their next album: 1979's We Are Family. The album would become the group's best selling. Singles included "He's the Greatest Dancer" (#9 US, #1 R&B) and "We Are Family" (#2 US, #1 R&B), the latter song becoming their biggest hit. The album was written and produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of the group Chic.
Sister Sledge's next album was 1980's Love Somebody Today. The album included the songs "Got to Love Somebody" (#64 US, #6 R&B, #34 UK) and "Pretty Baby".
Collaborating with producer Narada Michael Walden in 1981, they released the album "All-American Girls", yielding the title track single, which reached No. 3 R&B and No. 79 Pop in the U.S. and No. 41 Pop in the UK; and the single "Next Time You'll Know", which reached No. 28 R&B in the U.S. The sisters continued singing new material throughout the 1980s and 1990s, although not matching the success of the late 1970s. They achieved a hit with "Frankie" in 1985 (#1 in the UK). In 1989 Kathy Sledge left the group to pursue her solo career and in 1992 recorded her first solo album, Heart. Although it spawned no Hot 100 hits, it included the #1 Dance Chart hit "Take Me Back to Love". Sister Sledge co-produced recorded the album "African Eyes" in 1998 which was nominated for a Grammy as best produced CD, as well as the Live in Concert album in 1997. In 2003, Debbi and Joni performed with three other female singers which included Debbie's daughters Amber and Camille in the PBS special, My Music: 70's Soul Superstars, which is also available on DVD.
Their most popular songs have been re-released and re-recorded several times in Europe, often in newly-remixed versions. Their song "Il Macquillage Lady" is believe to be sampled for French electronic duo Daft Punk's 2001 trackAerodynamic although Daft Punk have denied sampling the song.
The sisters continue to perform collectively and individually worldwide. The four original group members were reunited in 2011 on Oprah Winfrey's "Women Who Rock" episode, highlighting their song "We Are Family" as one of the most requested songs of all time.
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Record label | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US
[1] |
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_R%26B/Hip-Hop_Albums US
R&B] [1] |
AUS
[2] |
CAN
[3] |
NLD
[4] |
NZ
[5] |
NOR
[6] |
SWE
[7] |
UK
[8] | |||||
| 1975 | Circle of Love | — | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Atco | |
| 1977 | Together | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Cotillion | |
| 1979 | We Are Family | 3 | 1 | 37 | 4 | 33 | 45 | — | — | 7 | |||
| 1980 | Love Somebody Today | 31 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | 23 | — | — | ||
| 1981 | All American Girls | 42 | 13 | — | — | 31 | — | 31 | 26 | — | — | ||
| 1982 | The Sisters | 69 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983 | Bet Cha Say That to All the Girls | 169 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985 | When the Boys Meet the Girls | — | 52 | — | — | — | 34 | — | 46 | 19 |
|
Atlantic | |
| 1997 | African Eyes | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Fahrenheit | |
| 2003 | Style | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Empowerment | |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified | |||||||||||||
Compilation albums[]
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Record label | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NLD
[4] |
UK
[8] | |||||||
| 1987 | Freak Out: The Greatest Hits of Chic and Sister Sledge | — | 72 | — | WEA Int'l | |||
| 1992 | And Now…Sledge…Again | 73 | — | — | Arcade | |||
| 1993 | The Very Best of Sister Sledge (1973–1993) | — | 19 |
|
Rhino | |||
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified | ||||||||
- Complete list
- Freak Out: The Greatest Hits of Chic and Sister Sledge (1987, WEA Int'l)
- The Best of Sister Sledge (1973–1985) (1992, Rhino)
- And Now...Sledge...Again (1992, Arcade)
- The Very Best of Sister Sledge (1973–1993) (1993, Rhino)
- The Very Best of Chic & Sister Sledge (1999, WEA Int'l)
- The Essentials (2002, Rhino)
- Good Times: The Very Best of the Hits & the Remixes (with Chic) (2005, WEA Int'l)
- The Definitive Groove Collection (2006, Rhino)
Singles[]
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US
[11] |
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_R%26B/Hip-Hop_Songs US
R&B] [11] |
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Dance_Club_Songs US
Dan] [11] |
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Adult_Contemporary_Tracks US
A/C] [11] |
AUS
[2] |
BEL
[12] |
CAN
[3] |
GER
[13] |
IRE
[14] |
NLD
[4] |
NZ
[5] |
SWE
[7] |
UK
[8] | |||
| 1971 | "Time Will Tell" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1973 | "The Weatherman" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Mama Never Told Me" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 20 | — | |
| 1974 | "Love Don't You Go Through No Changes on Me" | 92 | 31 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1975 | "Protect Our Love" / "Pain Reliever" | — | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Circle of Love (Caught in the Middle)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Love Has Found Me" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1976 | "Thank You for Today" | — | 78 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1977 | "Cream of the Crop" | — | 100 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Blockbuster Boy" | — | 61 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Baby, It's the Rain" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1978 | "I've Seen Better Days" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "When You Wish upon a Star" (with Montana) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1979 | "He's the Greatest Dancer" | 9 | 1 | 1 | — | 22 | 19 | 6 | — | 20 | 18 | 17 | — | 6 | — |
| "We Are Family" | 2 | 1 | 30 | 19 | 20 | 1 | 26 | 20 | 16 | 6 | — | 8 | |||
| "Lost in Music" | — | 35 | — | — | 8 | — | — | 30 | 12 | — | — | 17 | — | ||
| "Thinking of You" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Got to Love Somebody" | 64 | 6 | 34 | — | — | 20 | — | — | — | 31 | — | — | 34 | — | |
| 1980 | "Reach Your Peak" | 101 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Let's Go on Vacation" | — | 63 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Easy Street" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1981 | "All American Girls" | 79 | 3 | 6 | — | — | 3 | — | 27 | — | 8 | — | — | 41 | — |
| "Next Time You'll Know" | 82 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "If You Really Want Me" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "He's Just a Runaway (A Tribute to Bob Marley)" | — | 32 | — | — | — | 9 | — | — | — | 9 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1982 | "My Guy" | 23 | 14 | — | 2 | 50 | 24 | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — |
| "All the Man That I Need" | — | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1983 | "B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Baby)" | — | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Gotta Get Back to Love" | — | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Thank You for the Party" | — | — | — | — | — | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1984 | "Thinking of You" (re-release) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 20 | — | — | — | 11 | — |
| "Lost in Music" (1984 Remix by Nile Rodgers) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | 6 | 4 | — | — | 4 |
| |
| "We Are Family" (1984 Remix by Bernard Edwards) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 27 | 25 | — | — | 33 | — | |
| 1985 | "Frankie" | 75 | 32 | — | 15 | 10 | 2 | — | 13 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 14 | 1 |
|
| "Dancing on the Jagged Edge" | — | 71 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 22 | — | — | — | 50 | — | |
| "You're Fine" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1986 | "When the Boys Meet the Girls" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 89 | — |
| "Here to Stay (Anthem from Playing for Keeps)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 78 | — | |
| 1993 | "We Are Family" ('93 Mixes) | — | — | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | 5 | — |
| "Lost in Music" (Sure Is Pure Remixes) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | — | — | — | 14 | — | |
| "Thinking of You" ('93 Mixes) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 21 | — | — | — | 17 | — | |
| 2002 | "Lost in Music" (Wackside Tweaker Mix) (with Wackside) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart or was not certified | |||||||||||||||