Ruth Pointer is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 R&B

Contemporary R&B

Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...

 singer, best known for being the eldest member of The Pointer Sisters.

Early life

Pointer was born in Oakland, California

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

. She began her vocal training as a director of a junior choir in her father's church.

The Pointer Sisters

Joining her sisters in 1972, the Pointer Sisters released their first album in 1973. The group eventually found fame with songs like "Yes We Can Can

Yes We Can Can

"Yes We Can Can" is a 1973 funk classic recorded by the American R&B girl group the Pointer Sisters and released on the Blue Thumb record label...

" (1973), their country

Country music

Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 crossover hit, "Fairytale" (1974) and "How Long (Betcha Got a Chick on the Side)

How Long (Betcha Got a Chick on the Side)

"How Long " is a funk classic by American family girl group the Pointer Sisters, released as the first single from their Steppin album in 1975. The song's mixture of funky R&B with the sisters' soulful harmonies and melodies helped make this song a standout early song in the group's catalog...

" before Bonnie's exit in 1977. Continuing as a trio, the group found their biggest success covering tunes of rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

, pop

Pop music

Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

 and New Wave

New Wave music

New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...

 with singles such as "Fire" (1978), "He's So Shy

He's So Shy

"He's So Shy" is a the title of a song written by Tom Snow and lyricist Cynthia Weil which in 1980 became a top ten Pop hit for the Pointer Sisters.-Background:...

" (1980), and "Slow Hand

Slow Hand

Slow Hand is a ballad written by John Bettis and Michael Clark and recorded by the Pointer Sisters. It was first released in the spring of 1981 as the advance single for Black & White.-Background/ Impact:...

" (1981). The group found its biggest success with the release of the Break Out

Break Out (Pointer Sisters album)

Break Out is the tenth studio album by the American vocal group The Pointer Sisters, released on November 6, 1983 by Planet Records.-History:...

album in 1983 which featured hits such as "Automatic", "Jump (For My Love)", a re-released version of "I'm So Excited

I'm So Excited

"I'm So Excited" is a song by American recording artists The Pointer Sisters. The track, written by The Pointer Sisters and Trevor Lawrence, was originally released in 1982 and saw a re-release in 1984. It is considered to be one of the group's signature songs.-Background:The song appeared...

", "Neutron Dance", and "Baby Come And Get It". It's notable for featuring Ruth's lead vocals on "Automatic

Automatic (Pointer Sisters song)

Ultra Naté covered "Automatic" and released it as the third single from her album Grime, Silk, & Thunder. Her version topped the US dance chart, hitting number one in the issue dated April 28, 2007.-Music video:...

" and "Neutron Dance", which hit the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and led to the group winning two Grammy Awards. Of the original members, Ruth, along with her sister Anita, are still active with The Pointer Sisters. They were joined by Ruth's daughter, Issa

Issa Pointer

Issa Pointer is the daughter of Pointer Sisters member Ruth Pointer and former Temptations member Dennis Edwards, from their relationship in 1977. Brought up under the guidance of her mother and her aunts, Pointer first embarked in music while on the road with the Pointer Sisters during the...

, in the 1990s. The group was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Hollywood Walk of Fame

The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...

 in 1994.

Personal life

Ruth Pointer's daughter Issa is from a 1977 relationship with the former Temptations member, Dennis Edwards

Dennis Edwards

Dennis Edwards is a soul and R&B singer, most noted for being one of Motown act The Temptations' lead singers replacing David Ruffin. He is the father of Issa Pointer, whose mother is Ruth Pointer of The Pointer Sisters.-Career:...

. Her son Malik is also a singer with his band Fat Sam.