DeBarge biography
DeBarge was a sibling music group of American origin whose repertoire included R&B, soul, funk, pop, adult contemporary, and gospel. Active as a professional recording group from 1979 and 1989, the group was one of the few recording acts to bring success to the Motown label during the 1980s.
Overview
Background
Hailing from Detroit and later from Grand Rapids, Michigan, the group is named for their shared surname, and included sister Bunny and the brothers Mark (or "Marty"), Randy, Eldra (or "El"), and James.Younger siblings Chico, Darell, and Carol "Peaches" DeBarge are also singers (though they were not with the group), with El later becoming a solo star in his own right. Two older brothers, Robert Jr. (Bobby) and Tommy, were members of another popular Motown group named Switch. The DeBarges signed with the Motown record label in the 1970s, and became one of their few successful acts during the 1980s.
The band had a string of R&B and pop hits in the early to mid-1980s, including "All This Love," "I Like It," "Love Me in a Special Way," and "Rhythm of the Night." Many of these hits were ballads, spreading the band's appeal into the adult contemporary market as well. However, in 1986, both El and Bunny DeBarge left for solo careers. The remaining brothers soldiered on with their older brother Bobby (who'd long since left Switch) now joining the band to release the album Bad Boys in 1987, but it didn't achieve nearly the success of previous releases. Meanwhile, El went on to have a moderately successful solo career, and Bunny would score a minor hit with "Save the Best for Me (Best of Your Lovin')" from her only solo album before being abruptly dropped by her label. Overall, DeBarge released nine Top 40 R&B singles, five top 40 pop singles, two pop top ten hits, five top ten R&B singles, two number-one R&B singles, a number-one single on the dance chart and three number-one hits on the adult contemporary chart.
History
Early years
The members that eventually became DeBarge started performing in various groups together in the Grand Rapids area in the mid-1970s. In 1977, brothers Randy, Mark and El were being mentored by members of the Motown group Switch, including their elder brothers Tommy and Bobby and co-founding member and family friend Gregory Williams. By 1979, Bunny DeBarge had joined her younger brothers and they formed as The DeBarges. That year, Williams sent a demo of the siblings' work to Motown CEO and founder Berry Gordy, who was impressed by the group and agreed to sign them that year, sending them to California. For a year, the group worked alongside members of Switch, helping to add background vocals, instrumentation, arranging, and musical and lyrical composition to the band's works, much prominently, "I Call Your Name", "My Friend in the Sky", and "Love Over and Over Again".
By 1981, Bobby DeBarge and Tommy DeBarge had left Switch and returned the favor to their siblings working with them on their debut album, which was released that year with Bobby, Bunny, and El as its main producers. One single, the Randy-led ballad "What's Your Name", failed to chart.
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