MUSIC
COURTESY HILTON HAWAIIAN VILLAGE
The Pointer Sisters now: Original members Ruth and Anita, center and right, with Ruth's daughter Issa.
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The Pointer Sisters
The siblings keep moving forward, despite the loss of June
"We're the real Dreamgirls."
Anita Pointer is only half joking when describing what the lengthy career of the Pointer Sisters has come to be. In fact, her tone is slightly rueful. Consider what's happened in the last several years. There's the unexpected passing of Anita's daughter Jada in 2003. The death of her youngest sister, June, due to cancer in April of this year. And the death of their mother six months later.
The Pointer Sisters
New Year's Eve show: 9 p.m. Sunday
Place: Coral Ballroom, Hilton Hawaiian Village
Tickets: $90, $120, $170 and $200
Call: 947-7877 or online at hiltonhawaiianvillage.com/events
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But come New Year's Eve at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, Anita, Ruth and Ruth's daughter Issa will carry on like the troupers they are. And coming along on the Hawaii trip will be Anita's granddaughter, now in her care.
"My granddaughter, Roxy, she's my little heart," Pointer said last week by cell phone while driving to Malibu on the Pacific Coast Highway. "She loves to surf, and she's 16 years old.
"But the last six years ... they've been really stressful," she admits. "It's by the grace of God that we're still doing this. It's been unbelievable. My life has taken quite a turn. It's all part of God's plan, I guess.
"The touring has really relieved the pain and the hurt. It's helped keep my mind occupied."
The Pointer Sisters have been responsible for some of the better vocal hits of the 1970s and '80s. When Ruth and Anita joined Bonnie and June's duo act in the Bay Area, they distinguished themselves with not only their church-trained harmonies and vocal dexterity, but also with a singular look.
They sang and danced on stage looking as though they were going to a social -- 30 years ago. The sisters were decked in vintage floral dresses, wide-brimmed hats, feathered boas, knotted pearls and platform shoes.
Their early hits were filled with a lively mix of R&B, funk and jazz. They did dynamite covers of songs such as Allen Toussaint's New Orleans' classic "Yes We Can Can" and "Wang Dang Doodle" by blues legend Willie Dixon.
Their 1974 sophomore album, "That's a Plenty," is an overlooked effort highlighted by a dizzying scat version of the bebop chestnut "Salt Peanuts" and, of all things, an original country song titled "Fairytale." It was a big national hit for the sisters, and surprised audiences that a couple of black women from Oakland could write a tune so faithful to the genre.
The next year the sisters came back with another hit, the ultra-funky "How Long (Betcha Got a Chick on the Side)."
AFTER SISTER Bonnie's exit, the remaining sisters dispensed with the period garb and entered a fortuitous partnership with Los Angeles producer Richard Perry, releasing albums in the late '70s to early '80s on his Planet Records label.
Their sound acquired Perry's trademark touch of radio gloss, and the sisters reached the peak of their career with consecutive hits, from sultry songs like Bruce Springsteen's "Fire" and "Slow Hand" to the dance hits "I'm So Excited," "Automatic," "Jump (For My Love)" and the popular "Neutron Dance."
When asked how the current phase of their career is shaping up, Anita demurred. "We're still in the middle of things right now, although it seems so long. But it still seems like yesterday to me. We've been doin' this quite a while, 30 years, and we're still workin' on the road. We're going to take some time to do some recording. We're writing songs. ... In fact, just last week I wrote a song about June.
"But it was tough to pick up after June died. It's still tough. I miss her so. She was so wonderful, and while it will never be the same, Ruth and I wanted to go on."
Adding Ruth's daughter Issa to the group made that possible. "She has good genetics, between her mom and her father (Dennis Edwards), who was one of the Temptations and the lead who sang 'Papa Was a Rolling Stone.' We approached her when June wasn't well and couldn't go on the road. It was a pretty easy transition at the time."
In stressful times, the backing of their long-time managers the Sterling/Winters Co. has strengthened them, as has fan support, particularly in Europe. "We had wonderful shows in Belgium back in January. We played the 20,000-seat Sportspalace and sold out 10 nights in a row.
"Even though I've visited Hawaii a few times over the years, the Pointer Sisters haven't performed there in about 10 years, and it's about time! We'll definitely give you the hits, plus a few surprises."