JANICE'S BLUES ALLEY PRESENTS
Sister Sledge
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Best known for their work with Chic in the late '70s, siblings Debbie, Kim, Joni, and Kathy Sledge -- collectively Sister Sledge -- reached the height of their popularity during the disco era but had been recording since the early '70s and were still active in the late '90s. The group was formed in Philadelphia in 1971, when the sisters' ages ranged from 12 to 16, and they recorded their first single, "Time Will Tell," for the Philly-based Money Back label. (For the first few years, the group called itself Sisters Sledge.) In 1972, Sister Sledge signed with Atco and recorded its second single, "Weatherman," which was followed by the Jackson 5-like "Mama Never Told Me" in 1973.
Sister Sledge's first national hit came in 1974, when "Love, Don't You Go Through No Changes on Me" reached number 31 on the R&B charts and the Philadelphians recorded their debut album, Circle of Love. Their second album, Together, was released in 1977 and contained the number 61 R&B hit "Blockbuster Boy." It wasn't until 1979, when Chic leaders Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards produced We Are Family, that Sister Sledge really exploded commercially. "He's the Greatest Dancer" and We Are Family's title song both soared to number one on the R&B charts, and the latter (a number two pop smash) was adopted as a theme by the World Series-winning Pittsburgh Pirates.
Sister Sledge's next album, Love Somebody Today (1980), was also produced by the Rodgers/Edwards team, and the single "Got to Love Somebody" became a number six R&B hit. In 1981, Sister Sledge switched producers and worked with Narada Michael Walden, who produced 1981's excellent All American Girls. The title song was a number three R&B hit, and in 1982, Sister Sledge had a number 14 R&B hit with a cover of Mary Wells' "My Guy" that appeared on The Sisters. But after that, the foursome's popularity faded, and it never had another Top 20 hit in the U.S. -- although 1985's "Frankie" (a number 32 R&B hit in the States) became a pop number one hit in England. Sister Sledge left Atlantic for good in 1985, but its members kept busy in the 1990s. Epic released Kathy's debut solo album, Heart, in 1992, and 1997 found the sisters recording a risk-taking date, African Eyes, arguably one of the finest albums they ever recorded.
-- Alex Henderson of All Music Guide
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01. Circle Of Love 02. Cross My Heart 03. Protect Our Love 04. Give In To Love 05. Love Don't You Go Through No Changes |
06. Don't You Miss Him Now 07. Pain Reliever 08. You're Much Better Off Loving Me 09. Fireman |
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01. Blockbuster Boy 02. Do The Funky Do 03. I Was Made To Love Him 04. Hold On To This Feeling 05. As 06. Sneaking Sally Through The Alley |
07. Funky Family 08. Baby, It's The Rain 09. Can't Mess Around With Love 10. My Favorite Song 11. Hands Full Of Nothing 12. Moondancer |
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01. He's The Greatest Dancer 02. Lost In Music 03. Somebody Loves Me 04. Thinking Of You |
05. We Are Family 06. Easier To Love 07. You're A Friend To Me 08. One More Time |
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01. Got To Love Somebody 02. You Fooled Around 03. I'm A Good Girl 04. Easy Street |
05. Reach Your Peak 06. Pretty Baby 07. How To Love 08. Let's Go On A Vacation |
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01. All American Girls 02. He's Just A Runaway 03. If You Really Want Me 04. Next Time You'll Know 05. Happy Feeling |
06. Oh, You Caught My Heart 07. Make A Move 08. Don't You Let Me Lose It 09. Music Makes Me Feel Good 10. I Don't Want To Say Goodbye |
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01. Super Bad Sisters 02. My Guy 03. Lightfootin' 04. My Special Way 05. Grandma |
06. Get You In Our Love 07. Il Macquillage Lady 08. Everybody's Friend 09. All The Man I Need 10. Jacki's Theme: There's No Stopping Us |
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01. B.Y.O.B.(bring your own baby) 02. Lifetime Lover 03. Once In Your Life 04. Shake Me Down 05. Dream On |
06. Let Him Go 07. Smile 08. Betcha Say That To All The Girls 09. Gotta Get Back To Love 10. Thank You For The Party |
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01. When The Boys Meet The Girls 02. Dancing On The Jagged Edge 03. Frankie 04. You're Fine 05. Hold Out Poppy |
06. The Boy Most Likely 07. You Need Me 08. Following The Leader 09. Peer Pressure |
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01. Everybody Dance 02. Thinking Of You 03. He's The Greatest Dancer 04. True Love 05. Frankie |
06. Brother Brother Stop 07. Love Of The Lord 08. We Are Family 09. Medley: Lost In Music, Melody Is Good To Me |
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01. Walking In The Light 02. The Thank You Song 03. Where Is The Moon? 04. The Unraveling 05. African Eyes 06. Let It Out |
07. You Are The One 08. I Love You For Life 09. World Rise & Shine 10. Love's Abyss 11. Cry For Soweto |
