Anita Pointer

Anita Pointer

Anita Pointer in 1974
Background information
Birth name Anita Marie Pointer
Born (1948-01-23) January 23, 1948
Oakland, California, U.S.
Origin Oakland, California, U.S.
Genres R&B, Soul, Pop, Dance, Rock, Jazz, Country
Occupation(s) Singer–songwriter
Instruments Vocals
Years active 1969–present
Labels Atlantic, Blue Thumb, ABC, Planet, RCA, Motown, SBK
Associated acts The Pointer Sisters, June Pointer, Bonnie Pointer
Website thepointersisters.com

Anita Marie Pointer (born January 23, 1948) is an American R&B/Soul singer–songwriter, best known as a founding member of the Grammy Award–winning vocal group The Pointer Sisters.

Biography

Early life

Anita was born in Oakland, California, United States. Though she was born in California, Pointer's parents were natives of Arkansas. As a result, her family traveled by car almost yearly from California to Arkansas to visit Pointer's grandparents who lived in Prescott. During that time, her mother allowed her to stay with her grandparents in order to attend fifth grade at McRae Elementary, seventh grade at McRae Jr. High, and tenth grade at McRae High School. While in Prescott, she played alto sax as a member of the McRae High School Band.[1] In 1969, she quit her job as a secretary to join her younger sisters Bonnie and June to form The Pointer Sisters.[2]

Career

She and her sisters found fame in 1973, when the Anita-led "Yes We Can Can" reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1974, Anita's writing talents helped the group make music history when "Fairytale," became a hit on the country music charts and enabled The Pointer Sisters to become the first black female group to ever perform at the Grand Ole Opry. "Fairytale" won the group its first Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group, and a Grammy Nomination for the Best Country Song of the year in 1975.

In the late-1970s and early-1980s, The Pointer Sisters rose to even higher levels of success with "Fire" (1978), "He's So Shy" (1980), "Slow Hand" (1981) and "I'm So Excited" (1982). In 1983, the trio's album Break Out reached multi-platinum status and won the group two more Grammy Awards. In 1986, Anita found chart success with country superstar Earl Thomas Conley on the song "Too Many Times", which reached No. 2 on the country chart and in 1987, she released her first solo album Love For What It Is. Her album's first single, "Overnight Success", reached No. 41 on the Billboard R&B chart. A second single from the album, "More Than A Memory," also charted. In 1994, Anita and her sisters received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,[3] and in 1998, Anita was singularly inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame.[4] As of 2015, Anita continues to write, record, and perform, maintaining an international touring schedule as a member of The Pointer Sisters.

Personal life

Pointer has been married several times and had one child, Jada, who inspired one of the Pointer Sisters' most popular songs, "Jada," written by the group and released on their debut album. Jada died of cancer in June 2003. Anita's older brother, Aaron Pointer, was a MLB player and NFL referee. Her cousin, Paul Silas, was a NBA player and head coach.[5]

Discography

Albums

Love For What It Is (1987 RCA Records)

  1. "Overnight Success" (4:45)
  2. "Love Me Like You Do (5:25)
  3. "The Pledge" (duet with Philip Bailey) (3:16)
  4. "You Don't Scare Me" (3:40)
  5. "More Than a Memory" (4:45)
  6. "Have a Little Faith in Love" (5:56)
  7. "Love for What it Is" (5:05)
  8. "Beware of What You Want" (5:42)
  9. "Temporarily Blue" (4:20)

Singles

Year Single US R&B Album
1987 "Overnight Success" 41 Love for What It Is

Guest singles

Year Single Artist Chart Positions Album
US Country CAN Country
1986 "Too Many Times" Earl Thomas Conley 2 3 Too Many Times
Soundtracks

References

  1. ↑ "Anita Pointer (1948–) - Encyclopedia of Arkansas". Paul Ciulla Everett, Massachusetts.
  2. ↑ "Anita Pointer - The Pointer Sisters". Paul Ciulla.
  3. ↑ "The Pointer Sisters - Hollywood Walk of Fame". walkoffame.com.
  4. ↑ "Anita Pointer - Arkansas Black Hall of Fame". arblackhalloffame.org.
  5. ↑ "Aaron Pointer is a man for all seasons". Greg Bishop, Seattle Times, staff reporter - Old.SeattleTimes.com. April 16, 2006. Retrieved April 19, 2016.

External links

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