Their chart-topper “We Are Family” had become the official anthem of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who went on to win the championship. Good! You got it!'”įive years later, Sister Sledge brought down the house with “The Star Spangled Banner” at the 1979 World Series. “And Joni would say: ‘No it’s not.'”įinally, Joni told him: “‘Say ‘neck bone’ and now drop the ‘neck’ part. “He’d pronounce it wrong and his yes men would say, ‘Yeah, that was it!’” recalled Debbie.
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She described how 18-year-old Joni tried to teach Brown how to take the microphone and greet the French-speaking crowd with an enthusiastic “bon soir.” Also at “Rumble in the Jungle”: James Brown, who alarmed the sisters with how much luggage he brought. “There was such electricity,” Debbie said. Sister Sledge performed in front of 60,000 people at the stadium in Kinshasa before the big event. They said: ‘Take some of that luggage off!’” The other groups didn’t want to get on the plane if it was going to be dangerous. “There was a little bit of protest because JB had too much luggage. “We got on this private jet with all these legendary artists like James Brown and The Spinners,” said Debbie. The girls made it big in 1974 with the single “Love Don’t Go Through No Changes On Me” That year, they also flew to Africa to sing at the fabled “Rumble in the Jungle” boxing match between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. Disney General Entertainment Content'Getty Images Debbie remembers performing at the famous “Rumble in the Jungle” boxing match between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. “We were actually the Black Partridge Family, I guess,” she said. Debbie laughed as she looked back on the matriarch driving them to gigs in a van. They launched Sister Sledge in 1971, with Florez as their manager. The five daughters of Broadway tap dancer Edwin Sledge and Florez Sledge, an actress, routinely sang in the family church in Philadelphia, Penn. She broke the news to their other sisters, Carol, Kathy and Kim, all based on the East Coast. Disclosing that Joni had “health issues,” she continued, “She was so strong that she didn’t even let me know the extent of what she was going through.” Debbie says she and her siblings were “the Black Partridge Family.” Redferns/Getty Images “She was going through a lot of things that a lot of people didn’t know,” said Debbie. The mother-of-six used to share her home with Joni, who died unexpectedly in March 2017, at age 60. They live in Phoenix, Ariz., near their mom and stepfather, Jeroen deBruine, and a small army of relatives. Debbie (left), with sisters Kathy, Joni and Kim Sledge hit it big with disco favorite “We Are Family.” Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesĬamille became a Sledge vocalist back in 2003, while David, a former mental health worker, switched careers in 2018. “I’m excited,” said Debbie of her collaboration with son David, daughter Camille, nephew Thaddeus - the only child of her late sister Joni - and singer/songwriter Miss Tanya Ti-et, the “adopted” member of the family. It’s also the first to record fresh material, with a debut track to be released in February. The group has performed with a rotating lineup over the last few years, but the current ensemble, which came together this year, is new. “I’m beginning to work out and build my strength,” she said. Still, Debbie reckons she only needs to extend a little more effort to match the “high energy levels” of the second-generation entertainers. “They’re quick with that, but I’m slow at tech-y things.” Debbie Sledge’s new family band, Sister Sledge Featuring Slegendary, includes her son and daughter, as well as a nephew and friend. “Then, before I know it, they’re all over the place. “There’s always smiling and joking going on and sometimes they catch impromptu videos of us all,” she told The Post.
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At the age of 67, Debbie Sledge, the eldest sibling in Sister Sledge - the iconic girl group that shot to fame in the late ’70s with disco classics like “We Are Family” and “Lost in Music” - is the first to admit she’s “no spring chicken.”Īfter reinventing herself as the face of the group Sister Sledge featuring Slegendary - which includes Sledge, two of her adult children, their cousin, plus a friend - the grandmother of 13 struggles to keep up with the digital skills of the younger members.