DeBarge

DeBarge , the family vocal group touted as the newjack Jacksons; they didn’t quite live up to the hype. MEMBERSHIP: Randy DeBarge, voc. (b. Grand Rapids, Mich., Aug. 6, 1958); Bunny DeBarge, voc. (b. Grand Rapids, Mich., March 10, 1955); Bobby DeBarge (b. Grand Rapids, Mich., March 5, 1956, d. Aug. 16,1995 in Mansfield, Ohio); El DeBarge, voc., keybd. (b. Eldra DeBarge, Grand Rapids, Mich., June 4, 1961); Marty DeBarge, voc. (b. Mark DeBarge, Grand Rapids, Mich., June 19, 1959).

When the DeBarge family grew to ten children, their father left them. They were, however, able to capitalize on their great musical talent. They started singing in the Pentecostal church, before brothers Bobby and Tommy became secular recording artists as members of the funk band Switch, which had a Top 40 hit in 1978 with,”There’ll Never Be/’ Hoping to piggyback on their brothers’ success, five of the other DeBarge children went to L.A. After an audition with their older brother’s mentor, Jermaine Jackson, the band signed to Motown. The company released their eponymous debut, but it disappeared without a whisper.

The group rehearsed and refined their sound, recording All This Love. Although it was released in September of 1982, the album didn’t really start selling until the single,”I Like It” began to get airplay the following spring. It reached #31 and was followed by the title track, which rose to top the adult contemporary charts and to #17 on the pop charts. The album peaked at #24 and went gold.

Although it followed All This Love by more than a year, the group’s third album, In a Special Way, seemed to come out on the heels of their previous success. The first single,,”Time Will Reveal/’ topped the R&B chart and went to #18 pop. The band toured as a quartet with Luther Vandross, leaving their pregnant sister Bunny at home. They also made an appearance in the Motown film The Last Dragon, which featured the group singing,”Rhythm of the Night/7In a Special Way peaked at #36, but went gold.

“Rhythm of the Night” became the title track of their next album. The song topped the Adult Contemporary and R&B charts, reaching #3 on the pop charts. The follow-up single,,”Who’s Holding Donna Now,” also topped the R&B and Adult Contemporary charts, hitting #6 pop. The album went gold; it topped out at #19. Flush with the group’s success, James married their mentor’s sister, Janet Jackson. It was annulled seven months later.

One of the brothers, El, had become the focal point of the group. In 1986, he left the band to go solo. Another brother, Jonathan (Chico) DeBarge, who was too young to join the band initially, signed as a solo with Gordy as well, bringing the number of DeBarges signed to the label to eight of ten. El’s solo debut,,”Who’s Johnny” was featured in the hit movie Short Circuit. It rose to #3 in the charts. His debut album, El DeBarge, rose to #24 and went gold.

The band went on as a quartet to limited success. Bunny went solo in 1987. Her debut album topped out at #172. Chico’s eponymous debut produced the hit,”Talk to Me,” which rose to #21. Motown dropped the group, though. Two of the remaining brothers, Bobby and James, recorded an independent album Bad Boys under the group name, but it went nowhere.

In 1988, Bobby and Chico were arrested for drug trafficking. Both went to jail, where Bobby died of AIDS. The rest of the group fell into professional limbo, with El resurfacing on Quincy Jones’s,”The Secret Garden” in 1990, along with Al B. Sure’, James Ingram, and Barry White. The single topped the R&B chart, hit #31 pop, and went gold.

By the late 1990s, however, the only DeBarge actively recording was Chico. After serving six years, he staged a comeback with the album Long Time No See. Ironically, the music of the family band made something of a comeback in the late 1990s, being sampled in songs by hot acts like Blackstreet, 2 Pac, and Notorious B.I.G.

Discography

The DeBarges (1981); All This Love (1982); In a Special Way (1983); Rhythm of the Night (1985); Back on Track- DeBarge Family. EL DEBARGE : E.D. (1986); Gemini (1989); In the Storm (1992); Heart Mind & Soul (1994). B AD BO YS:Bad Boys (1988). BUNN Y DEBARGE :In Love (1987). BOBBY DE-BARGE :It’s Not Over (1995). CHICO DEBARGE :Talk to Me (1986); CD. (1986); Kiss Serious (1988); Long Time, No See (1997).

—Hank Bordowitz