Patricia Eva"Bonnie"Pointer(July 11, 1950– June 8, 2020)[1]was an American singer, best known for having been a member of the vocal groupthe Pointer Sisters.Pointer scored several moderate solo hits after leaving the Pointer Sisters in 1977, including a disco cover ofthe Elgins' "Heaven Must Have Sent You"which became a U.S. top 20 pop hit on September 1, 1979.[2]
Bonnie Pointer | |
|---|---|
 Pointer in 1974 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Patricia Eva Pointer |
| Born | July 11, 1950 Oakland, California,U.S. |
| Died | June 8, 2020(aged 69) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1969–2020 |
| Labels |
|
Career
editBonnie and youngest sisterJunebegan singing together in their father'sWest OaklandChurch of God in Oakland, California.[3]They were the first two of the sisters to pursue a professional career, the Pointers (otherwise known as the Pair) in 1969. AfterAnitajoined the duo that same year, they changed their name to the Pointer Sisters and recorded severalsinglesforAtlantic Recordsbetween 1971 and 1972.[4]In December 1972, after several singles had been released, oldest sisterRuthwanted to join the group and afterwards, the four released their debut album as the Pointer Sisters in 1973.[4]Theirself-titled debut albumyielded the hit "Yes We Can Can".Between 1973 and 1977, the Pointers donned 1940s fashions and sang in a style reminiscent ofthe Andrews Sisters.[4]Their music included R&B,funk,rock and roll,gospel,countryandsoul.
Anita and Bonnie wrote the group'scrossovercountry hit, "Fairytale",in 1974, which also became a Top 20 US pop hit and won the group their firstGrammyfor Best Vocal by a Duo or Group, Country.[4]Anita and Bonnie also were nominated for Best Country Song at the same ceremony. In 1977, Bonnie left the group to begin a solo career.[4]The remaining sisters continued performing as a trio, The Pointer Sisters, scoring hits from the late-1970s to the mid-1980s and had a major breakthrough with their 1983 albumBreak Out.[4]In 1978, Bonnie Pointer signed withMotown Recordsand the same year, the label released "Heaven Must Have Sent You",which reached No. 11 on the USBillboardHot 100chart.[4]Bonnie Pointer had a moderately successful solo career, though it never reached the heights of the Pointer Sisters, the group she left for a solo career. Pointer released three solo albums, two self-titled albums for Motown and one album on Private I Records, before retiring from the studio.[4]
Reviewing her1978 self-titled LP,Robert Christgauwrote inChristgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies(1981): "Thanks to (co-producer)Berry Gordyand the miracle of modernmultitracking,Bonnie makes likethe Marvelettesof your dreams for an entire side. People didn't conceive vocals this intricate and funky back in Motown's prime, much lessoverdubthem single-larynxed,and the result is remakes that outdo the originals—byBrenda Hollowayandthe Elgins—and originals that stand alongside. The other side comprises originals of more diminutive stature co-written by (co-producer)Jeffrey Bowen."[5]
Pointer appeared onSoul Trainon March 2, 1985 (Season 14, Episode 20). She still continued to perform, and reunited with her sisters on two occasions: when the group received a star on theHollywood Walk of Famein 1994, and during aLas Vegasperformance in 1996 singing "Jump (for My Love)".At the beginning of 2008, she embarked on a European tour, and was working on her autobiography. Pointer performed at theTrump Taj MahalinAtlantic Cityon Saturday, October 25, 2008. Pointer also starred inMonte Hellman's 2010 romantic thrillerRoad to Nowhere.
Personal life and death
editIn 1980, Pointer marriedMotownproducerJeffrey Bowen.[6]They separated in 2004, filed for divorce in 2014, and officially divorced in 2016.[7]
Due to ten years ofalcoholic liver diseaseandcirrhosis,Pointer died from acardiac arrestat her home in Los Angeles on June 8, 2020, at the age of 69.[1][8]
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Year | Title | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [9] |
US R&B [10] |
CAN |
AUS [11] | ||
| 1978 | Bonnie Pointer(Red) | 96 | 34 | 96 | — |
| 1979 | Bonnie Pointer(Purple) | 63 | 40 | 92 | 40 |
| 1984 | If the Price Is Right | — | — | — | — |
| 2011 | Like a Picasso | — | 8 | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||
Singles
edit| Year | Title | Chart positions | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [12] |
US R&B [13] |
US Dance [14] |
US AC [15] |
CAN |
UK [16] |
AUS [11] | ||
| 1978 | "Free Me from My Freedom" | 58 | 10 | 26 | — | — | — | — |
| "Tie Me to a Tree" | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1979 | "Heaven Must Have Sent You" | 11 | 52 | 8 | 43 | 32 | — | 31 |
| "Deep Inside My Soul" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" | 40 | 42 | 4 | — | 43 | — | 52 | |
| 1984 | "Your Touch" | — | 35 | 64 | — | — | 79 | — |
| "Premonition" | — | 84 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1985 | "The Beast in Me" | — | 87 | 31 | — | — | — | — |
| 2010 | "Strangest Day" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||
References
edit- ^abBarsanti, Sam (June 8, 2020)."R.I.P. Bonnie Pointer of The Pointer Sisters".The A.V. Club.RetrievedJune 8,2020.
- ^"Bonnie Pointer".Archived fromthe originalon June 29, 2007.RetrievedJuly 10,2007.
- ^"Bonnie Pointer of the Pointer Sisters dead at 69".TODAY.com.June 8, 2020.RetrievedJune 9,2020.
- ^abcdefghColin Larkin,ed. (1993).The Guinness Who's Who of Soul Music(First ed.).Guinness Publishing.pp. 200/1.ISBN0-85112-733-9.
- ^Christgau, Robert(1981)."Consumer Guide '70s: P".Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies.Ticknor & Fields.ISBN0-89919-026-X.RetrievedMarch 10,2019.
- ^"Patricia E. Pointer California Marriage Index, 1960-1985".Ancestry.com.RetrievedJuly 9,2024.
- ^"Pointer Sister Finalizes Divorce from Husband of 38 Years – Divorce Court".Archived fromthe originalon March 27, 2018.RetrievedMarch 27,2018.
- ^"Bonnie Pointer of The Pointer Sisters Died from Cardiac Arrest".Tmz.com.July 4, 2020.RetrievedJuly 9,2021.
- ^"Bonnie Pointer: US".Billboard.RetrievedMarch 18,2021.
- ^"Bonnie Pointer: US R&B".Billboard.RetrievedMarch 18,2021.
- ^abKent, David(1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992(illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 235.ISBN0-646-11917-6.
- ^"Bonnie Pointer: US".Billboard.RetrievedMarch 18,2021.
- ^"Bonnie Pointer: US R&B".Billboard.RetrievedMarch 18,2021.
- ^"Bonnie Pointer: US Dance".Billboard.RetrievedMarch 18,2021.
- ^"Bonnie Pointer: US AC".Billboard.RetrievedMarch 18,2021.
- ^"Bonnie Pointer: UK".Official Charts Company.RetrievedMarch 18,2021.
External links
edit- Official website
- Bonnie Pointerdiscography atDiscogs
