"You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody."
— Maya Angelou
Flashback Article: Debarge’s family affair: Motown spawns another Jackson 5. Rolling Stone Magazine, 1984.
At Motown Records these days, they’re talking about the “new Jacksons.” That’s the word on DeBarge, a group of siblings whose latest LP, In A Special Way (like their last one, All This Love), has been certified gold. It’s hard to ignore the comparisons between the Jacksons and DeBarge. You hear them from DeBarge’s management. You hear them from Motown executives. Your read about them in the black teen magazines and the rock press. Even the group itself acknowledges them. “We agree with the comparisons,” says skinny, soft-spoken Eldra “El” DeBarge, the group’s twenty-two-year-old leader, producer and star performer--the Michael Jackson, if you will, of the pop-soul quintet. “We’re very impressed. Whatever we did to get that comparison, I want to keep doing that.”
“As a matter of fact, we’re getting a house built right next door to Micheal Jackson’s,” deadpans twenty-four-year old Mark “Marty” DeBarge.
“And Marty promises to burn his hair,” says El, laughing. “Wait, don’t write that!”
Listen: Chico DeBarge. After Hours.
Listen to: Chico DeBarge. Kiss Serious, "After Hours". Motown, 1987.
Flashback Article: "Coming To You In A Special Way...". Right On! Magazine, 1984.
Written by By Deborah DeForrest for Right On! Magazine, April 1984.
Transcribed for the web by www.thedebarges.blogspot.com
Currently riding high on the charts with a hit album, the popular singing group DeBarge reveals that it wasn’t all that easy to record a hit LP. But they did it their way and in this case, “In A Special Way.”
It’s a rare occasion to find the members of DeBarge sitting quietly in one room. In fact, it’s a rare occasion to find all the members of DeBarge in one room period. But there they all were patiently awaiting their interview--El with a sexy grin on his handsome face looked more like the mischievous little brother than an up-and-coming record producer, Randy trying to coax shy baby brother James into conversation and Mark with a protective arm draped over Bunny who, although the oldest, is still very much looked after by all the brothers.
Yes, thanks to Motown’s miracle worker, Bob Jones, Director of Press and Publicity at the big “M”, all the members of DeBarge were in one spot and ready to answer questions for the readers of Right On! Magazine. None appeared nervous, rather a little anxious for the interview to begin.
Transcribed for the web by www.thedebarges.blogspot.com
Currently riding high on the charts with a hit album, the popular singing group DeBarge reveals that it wasn’t all that easy to record a hit LP. But they did it their way and in this case, “In A Special Way.”
It’s a rare occasion to find the members of DeBarge sitting quietly in one room. In fact, it’s a rare occasion to find all the members of DeBarge in one room period. But there they all were patiently awaiting their interview--El with a sexy grin on his handsome face looked more like the mischievous little brother than an up-and-coming record producer, Randy trying to coax shy baby brother James into conversation and Mark with a protective arm draped over Bunny who, although the oldest, is still very much looked after by all the brothers.
Yes, thanks to Motown’s miracle worker, Bob Jones, Director of Press and Publicity at the big “M”, all the members of DeBarge were in one spot and ready to answer questions for the readers of Right On! Magazine. None appeared nervous, rather a little anxious for the interview to begin.
Words & Motivation: You Are Enough
"You don't need to look to someone else to tell you how good you are."-unknown
Listen: Switch. This Is My Dream.
Listen to: Switch, This Is My Dream, "This Is My Dream", Motown 1980
Video: The Secret Garden Chapter
In 1991, Listen Up!, a documentary on the life of Quincy Jones was released. One part of the documentary,"The Secret Garden Chapter", focuses on Quincy's struggle between his career and 3 marriages, while also sharing some behind the scenes studio footage from the making of "The Secret Garden" to help tell the story. El DeBarge played a significant roll in the creation of this song,he spent two days in Quincy's home studio writing his own verse as well as Barry White's, and lending his vocals to lead vocals and background. It is said that El only did one take of his verse in the studio, Quincy felt it was perfect and used it on the final track. "The Secret Garden" spent 17 weeks on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts and peaked at #1 in March, 1990.
Part 1:
Part 2:
(If you'd like to skip to the portions containing footage of Mr. Debarge they are found in video 1 @ 1:09 and video 2 @ 0:48-0:56, 5:44-6:18, and 6:38. These videos will be archived in our TV appearances section along w/ other great DeBarge related appearances that are found on Youtube, uploaded by various users--check them out!)
Part 1:
Part 2:
(If you'd like to skip to the portions containing footage of Mr. Debarge they are found in video 1 @ 1:09 and video 2 @ 0:48-0:56, 5:44-6:18, and 6:38. These videos will be archived in our TV appearances section along w/ other great DeBarge related appearances that are found on Youtube, uploaded by various users--check them out!)
Words & Motivation: Never Too Late
"It's never too late to grow up and become who you were meant to be" -unknown
Flashback Article: "Jesus Was A Stand Up Guy", Record Magazine,1984.
Written by Susanne Whatley for Record Magazine, 1984
Transcribed by www.thedebarges.blogspot.com
DeBarge finds a role model then strikes chart pay dirt by balancing the scared and the sexual in their music.This Begins Motown’s next Golden Era
What do you do when you’re surrounded by some of the most formidable artists in contemporary music and have to deliver the goods before a national TV audience as well?
You prevail, that’s what.
During the taping of Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, and Forever, the DeBarge family may well have ushered in the labels next golden era. Clocking in ample time onscreen with “Can’t Stop” and the title song from last spring’s All this Love album, the quintet eschewed synchro-steps and put movement to their music with a free-flowing grace that was remarkable for a group which had never performed a concert. At the very least, the siblings’ brief turn in the spotlight marked them in some eyes as the best of Motown’s new generation. And the veterans on hand nodded approval.
“A lot of people backstage were really rooting for us,” recalls Eldra DeBarge, 22. “I guess it was because they know we were young and this is a really big thing for us. They’d pat us on the back and talk a bit. ‘Hey man, you guys are great. I know you’re going to do a good job.’ And by the time we got out there we kind of had a proudness about ourselves. We just went out there and did it.
This demonstrable grace under pressure is common among musicians who, like the DeBarges, have spend their entire lives set apart, living the weird half-light of being both controversial and ignored. The children (there are 10) in the DeBarge family were frequently the focus of attention growing up--much of it disdainful, or curious at best, since their mother Etterlene is black and their father Robert white. It’s a tantalizing notion to think that the legion of Motown 25 viewers who were beguiled by these talented singer/songwriters might include their many Midwest neighbors whose morality just didn’t stretch far enough to enfold 10 exuberant mulatto kids. Undeniably, society’s view of their mixed-race family made them a tighter bunch, and they quickly discovered that coming together in the bond of music made the cold stares a little less bruising.
Transcribed by www.thedebarges.blogspot.com
DeBarge finds a role model then strikes chart pay dirt by balancing the scared and the sexual in their music.This Begins Motown’s next Golden Era
What do you do when you’re surrounded by some of the most formidable artists in contemporary music and have to deliver the goods before a national TV audience as well?
You prevail, that’s what.
During the taping of Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, and Forever, the DeBarge family may well have ushered in the labels next golden era. Clocking in ample time onscreen with “Can’t Stop” and the title song from last spring’s All this Love album, the quintet eschewed synchro-steps and put movement to their music with a free-flowing grace that was remarkable for a group which had never performed a concert. At the very least, the siblings’ brief turn in the spotlight marked them in some eyes as the best of Motown’s new generation. And the veterans on hand nodded approval.
“A lot of people backstage were really rooting for us,” recalls Eldra DeBarge, 22. “I guess it was because they know we were young and this is a really big thing for us. They’d pat us on the back and talk a bit. ‘Hey man, you guys are great. I know you’re going to do a good job.’ And by the time we got out there we kind of had a proudness about ourselves. We just went out there and did it.
This demonstrable grace under pressure is common among musicians who, like the DeBarges, have spend their entire lives set apart, living the weird half-light of being both controversial and ignored. The children (there are 10) in the DeBarge family were frequently the focus of attention growing up--much of it disdainful, or curious at best, since their mother Etterlene is black and their father Robert white. It’s a tantalizing notion to think that the legion of Motown 25 viewers who were beguiled by these talented singer/songwriters might include their many Midwest neighbors whose morality just didn’t stretch far enough to enfold 10 exuberant mulatto kids. Undeniably, society’s view of their mixed-race family made them a tighter bunch, and they quickly discovered that coming together in the bond of music made the cold stares a little less bruising.
Listen: Chico DeBarge. Easier Said Than Done.
We've uploaded rare audio of Chico DeBarge's "Easier Said Than Done", a song that was on the A Fine Mess movie soundtrack released by Motown in 1986. The style of this song is very different from anything released by Chico--listening closely it sounds like El may possibly be singing on the background vocals. Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
