Anita Pointer

Anita Marie Pointer (January 23, 1948 – December 31, 2022) was an American singer-songwriter, best known as a founding member of the vocal group the Pointer Sisters.

Early life and family

Pointer was born in Oakland, California, United States, the fourth of six children to Sarah Elizabeth (née Silas; 1924–2000) and Reverend Elton Pointer (1901–1979). Though she was born in California, Pointer's parents were natives of Arkansas. As a result, her family traveled by car almost yearly from California to Arkansas to visit Pointer's grandparents who lived in Prescott.

During that time, her mother allowed her to stay with her grandparents to attend fifth grade at McRae Elementary, seventh grade at McRae Jr. High, and tenth grade at McRae High School. While in Prescott, she played alto sax as a member of the McRae High School band. In 1969, Pointer quit her job as a secretary to join her younger sisters Bonnie and June to form The Pointer Sisters.

Career

She and her sisters found fame in 1973, when the Anita-led "Yes We Can Can" reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1974, Pointer's writing talents helped the group make music history when "Fairytale" became a hit on the country music charts and enabled The Pointer Sisters to become the first black female group to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. "Fairytale" won the group its first Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group, and a Grammy Nomination for the Best Country Song of the year in 1975.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, The Pointer Sisters rose to higher levels of success with "Fire" (1978), "He's So Shy" (1980), "Slow Hand" (1981) and "I'm So Excited" (1982). In 1983, the trio's album Break Out reached multi-platinum status and won the group two more Grammy Awards. In 1986, Pointer found chart success with country superstar Earl Thomas Conley on the song "Too Many Times", which reached no. 2 on the country chart and in 1987, she released her first solo album Love for What It Is. Her album's first single "Overnight Success" reached no. 41 on the Billboard R&B chart.

A second single from the album, "More Than a Memory," also charted, reaching No. 73 R&B in 1988. In 1994, Pointer and her sisters received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 1998, Pointer was singularly inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. In 2015, Pointer retired from The Pointer Sisters due to her ill health.

In February 2020, Anita released the book, "Fairytale: The Pointer Sisters' Family Story" which was co-written with her brother, Fritz Pointer. The book chronicles the Pointer family origins and history as well as finding themselves as young black women in the San Francisco Bay Area during the Civil Rights and Black Power movement of the late 1960s. As well, it describes the difficulties and successes they encountered throughout their career and shares their chart history, discography and other surprises along the way. Throughout the book, family members also share their memories of the Pointer family history including Bonnie who passed in June 2020. The book earned positive reviews upon release.

Personal life

Pointer was married several times and had one child. In December 1965, at age 17, Pointer married David Harper. They had a daughter, Jada Rashawn Pointer, born April 9, 1966. They divorced later in 1966.

Her daughter inspired one of the Pointer Sisters' most popular songs, "Jada," written by the group and released on their debut album in 1973. In October 1981, Pointer married Richard Gonzalez. Pointer and Gonzalez later divorced.

Pointer's older brother, Aaron Pointer, was an MLB player and later NFL referee. Her cousin, Paul Silas, was an NBA player and head coach.

In October 2021, Pointer was supposed to be a contestant on season 6 of The Masked Singer, as part of a duet with her sister Ruth, who revealed that Pointer had not performed because she was dealing with an illness.

Pointer died from cancer at her home in Los Angeles on December 31, 2022, at the age of 74. Her daughter Jada died of cancer aged 37 in 2003. Her sister June died in 2006 due to cancer.