We Are Family is a 1979 album by Sister Sledge. The album which was both written and produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of the band Chic includes four classic hit singles: the anthemic title track, "He's the Greatest Dancer", "Lost in Music", and "Thinking of You", all four of which have been sampled, remixed, and reissued through the 80's, 90's and 2000's.

We Are Family is one of two albums produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers in 1979, the other being Chic's second album C'est Chic including hit singles "Le Freak" and "I Want Your Love".

We Are Family was digitally remastered and reissued on CD by Rhino Records in 1993.

Personnel

* Kathy Sledge - lead vocals Trk. 1, 3, 4, 5

* Debbie Sledge - lead vocals "You're a Friend to Me"

* Joni Sledge - lead vocals "Lost in Music", "Easier to Love"

* Kim Sledge - lead vocals "One More Time".

* Simon LeBon - Additional vocals on "Lost in Music" (1984 mix)

* John Taylor - Additional vocals on "Lost in Music" (1984 mix)

* Alfa Anderson - backing vocals

* David Lasley - backing vocals

* Diva Gray - backing vocals

* Luther Vandross - backing vocals

* Norma Jean Wright - backing vocals

* Bernard Edwards - bass guitar

* Gene Orloff - concert master

* Tony Thompson - drums

* Nile Rodgers - guitar

* Raymond Jones - keyboards, Fender Rhodes

* Andy Schwartz- piano

* Sammy Figueroa - percussion

* Robert Sabino - piano, clavinet

* Jean Fineberg - saxophone

* Alex Foster - saxophone, flute

* Barry Rogers - trombone

* Ellen Seeling - trumpet

* Jon Faddis - trumpet

* Cheryl Hong (The Chic Strings) - strings

* Karen Milne (The Chic Strings) - strings

* Marianne Carroll (The Chic Strings - strings

Production

* Bernard Edwards - producer for Chic Organization Ltd.

* Nile Rodgers - producer for Chic Organization Ltd.

* Bob Clearmountain - sound engineer

* Bill Scheniman - engineer

* Don Berman - engineer

* Jeff Hendrickson - assistant engineer

* Ray Willard - assistant engineer

* Dennis King - mastering

* All songs recorded & mixed at Power Station Studios, New York

Category:1979 albums

Category:Chic albums

Category:Albums produced by Nile Rodgers

Category:Albums produced by Bernard Edwards

Artist/Band Information

Sister Sledge is an American musical group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 1972 and consisting of four sisters: Kim Sledge (born August 21, 1958), Debbie Sledge (born July 9, 1954), Joni Sledge (born September 13, 1957), and Kathy Sledge (born January 6, 1959).

All the sisters are granddaughters of the former opera singer Viola Williams. The sisters used to perform under the name of 'Mrs. Williams' Grandchildren'.

Chart history

Sister Sledge were born and raised in North Philadelphia and began singing in local Philadelphia churches like the Second Macedonia Baptist Church. They were discovered by Charles Simmons and entered the UK Singles Chart in 1975 with "Mama Never Told Me". They released their first two albums "Circle Of Love" and "Together" in 1975 and 1977 garnering moderate sales. Their career went into decline before it revived under the production skills of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic. This association gave them their biggest successes during 1979: the popular disco anthems "We Are Family" (#1 R&B, #2 Pop in the U.S.) and "He's the Greatest Dancer" (#1 R&B, #9 Pop in the U.S.) Both songs were included on their eight song 1979 album We Are Family. Their next album was 1980's Love Somebody Today, which included the songs "Got to Love Somebody" (#6 R&B, #64 Pop in the U.S., #34 in the UK) and "Pretty Baby".

Switching to producer Narada Michael Walden in 1981, they released the album All-American Girls, yielding two hits (the title track, which reached #3 R&B and #79 Pop in the U.S. and #41 Pop in the UK, and "Next Time You'll Know", which reached #28 R&B in the U.S.) The sisters continued singing new material throughout the 1980s and 1990s. They achieved an international #1 selling song with "Frankie" in 1985 (#1 in the UK for 4 weeks); surprisingly the follow-up single, "Dancing on the Jagged Edge", failed to make the UK Top 40. In 1992, Kathy left the group and recorded the solo album Heart. The group continued to perform with her and recorded the album African Eyes in 1998 as well as the Live in Concert album in 1997. In 2004 they headlined the International Food and Wine Festival at the Epcot theme park. In 2003, Debbi and Joni performed with two other girls in the PBS special, My Music: 70's Soul Superstars, which is also available on DVD.

Their most popular songs have been re-released several times in the UK, often in newly-remixed versions which keep them sounding new and up-to-date. "We Are Family" is regarded by the feminist movement as a totemic statement – it reached number 7 in 1979, number 33 in 1984 and number 5 in 1993. "Lost in Music" reached number 17 in 1979, number 4 in 1984 and number 14 in 1993. "Thinking of You" reached number 11 in 1984 and number 17 in 1993. Originally their biggest UK hit back in 1979, peaking at number 6, "He's the Greatest Dancer" has not been a hit again in the UK as an updated version, although Will Smith sampled the backing music in his Top 3 UK hit "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" and Dannii Minogue covered it in 2007

In 1984, the sisters made a guest appearance in an episode (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0614934/) of the hit TV sitcom The Jeffersons, playing "The Satin Sisters," a group of maid Florence's friends who convince George Jefferson to manage them. He secures them a gig performing in a nightclub, which turns out to be a cowboy bar. While given a cold reception at first, the girls' talent wins over the cowboys while singing a cover of Stevie Wonder's song "As," and the episode ends to the entire bar dancing while the sisters sing "We Are Family."

The sisters' mother, Florez Kathy "Flo" Sledge, died of a stroke at Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona on May 17, 2007 at age 79. She is buried in Philadelphia.

The video for 'Frankie' was made in its entirety in the city of Glen Cove, NY, the hometown of its producer, Suzy Benfato. Location sites included the high School, a local disco and many downtown spots, as well as her neighbors pool.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Cover versions of Sister Sledge songs

*"All the Man That I Need" was originally done by Linda Clifford in 1981 and was covered by Whitney Houston in 1991, becoming her ninth number-one hit.

*"Mama Never Told Me" was covered by Tracie & The Questions in 1983. The recording was released on a compilation album entitled "Love The Reason" by Paul Weller's Respond label.

*"Thinking of You" was a UK hit single for Maureen Walsh in 1990; it was also covered by 2 Brothers on the 4th Floor in 1997, Monday Michiru in 1999, Paul Weller in 2004, and Sin Palomo in 2005.

*"Lost In Music" was covered by The Fall in 1993 on the album The Infotainment Scan.

*"We Are Family" was covered by Babes in Toyland in 1995, the Spice Girls in 1998, Jump5 in 2003, and Jordan Pruitt in 2007.

*"Lost in Music" was covered by Wackside sampling Sister Sledge in 2002.

*"He's The Greatest Dancer" was covered by Dannii Minogue in 2006.

*"We Are Family" was covered by Groovestylerz in 2007.

*"We Are Family" was covered by Home Made Kazoku in 2007.

*"Thinking of You" was remixed by Solitaire in 2004. Samples of the same music were used in Eclipse's dance hit "Makes Me Love You" in 1999.

*"Lifetime Lover" was sampled by The Vanden Plas in 2003 for their single "Lifetime Lovers".

*"Thinking of You was covered by the Swedish music collective Blacknuss.

See also

*List of number-one dance hits (United States)

*List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References