Bonnie Pointer, one of the original members of the musical family group, The Pointer Sisters before venturing out as a solo artist, has passed away today at the age of sixty-nine. No cause of death has currently been disclosed.
Bonnie was one of six children born to the Reverend Elton and Sarah Pointer with sisters, Ruth, Anita and June and brothers, Fritz and Aaron in Oakland, CA. They were warned that r&b and rock music were the sounds of the devil and while the girls sang in church, they would secretly listen to pop music whenever they could. After graduating from high school, Bonnie and June (who passed away in 2006 after years of struggles with drug abuse) formed a professional musical act. Anita and Ruth would join later and become the Pointer Sisters. They would record background vocals and tour with several performers before the sisters were signed to Atlantic Records in 1971.
With their first single "Yes We Can Can" in 1973, The Pointer Sisters went on to great success with several songs reaching the pop, r&b and even the country charts with "Fairytale", written by Bonnie and Anita Pointer, which won the sisters a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group and later was covered by Elvis Presley.
In 1977, Bonnie left the group for a solo career. She was signed to Motown Records and recorded two albums which were largely disco versions of classic songs from the label. Two of Pointer's biggest hits were "Heaven Must Have Sent You", which reached No. 11 on Billboard Hot 100 chart and "Free Me from My Freedom" in 1978. She would occasionally reunite with her sisters in the 1990's and continued to perform as a solo performer with appearances in Las Vegas.
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