Pointer Sisters's blog

Elektra’s agreement with famed producer Richard Perry’s Planet Records gave the smaller label access to the marketing and distribution clout that only a major can provide. Among the successful results of the Planet/Elektra partnership were the revived fortunes of acclaimed R&B singing group the Pointer Sisters.

The Oakland, California-based group had achieved success with a number of R&B hits recorded while still a quartet. After a brief hiatus following the departure of sister Bonnie, the Pointer Sisters signed with Planet and returned as a trio comprising Ruth, Anita, and June. 1978’s RIAA gold-certified Energy included songs by some of the day’s biggest artists, including Steely Dan, Stephen Stills, and Bruce Springsteen, whose “Fire” became an RIAA gold-certified, #2 pop smash. The Pointers further explored their new rock-influenced sound on their next album, 1979’s Priority. Produced once again by Perry, the collection included a further Springsteen cover in “The Fever” alongside songs by Richard Thompson, Robbie Robertson, and Mick Jagger & Keith Richards.

Released the following year, Special Things saw the Pointer Sisters returning to their R&B roots, only now polished with Perry’s distinctly modern pop production. The result was another RIAA gold-certified success, fueled in part by the gold-certified, top 3 pop classic, “He’s So Shy.” The hits kept coming, with 1981’s Black & White yielding the #2-charting “Slow Hand.”

Elektra’s association with Planet Records ended in 1982, but its impact on the Pointer Sisters’ extraordinary career would continue – the trio went on to define ‘80s R&B dance-pop with such top 10 smashes as “I’m So Excited,” “Neutron Dance,” and “Jump (For My Love).”