The Jets are a

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

family band from

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, Minnesota, composed of brothers and sisters LeRoy, Eddie, Eugene, Haini, Rudy, Kathi,

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

, and Moana Wolfgramm, who perform pop, R&B, and

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded danc ...

. They started performing as a family band in 1977. The group enjoyed worldwide success in 1985–1990, performing three world tours, and producing five top-10 hits on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Background

The original band consisted of the eight oldest children of Maikeli "Mike" and Vaké Wolfgramm, who were originally from

. The family has 17 children: 15 by birth, and two, Eddie and Eugene, by adoption. The children attended

Robbinsdale Cooper High School Robbinsdale Cooper High School is a 4-year public high school in New Hope, Minnesota, a northwest suburb of Minneapolis, United States. Cooper, as it is informally known, became an IB World School in July 1998, and now offers the IB Middle Years ...

. The family are members of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

. The band initially called themselves Quasar after a now-defunct brand of television sets. They changed their name to the Jets, a name taken from the

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

song "

Bennie and the Jets "Bennie and the Jets" (also titled "Benny & the Jets") is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. The song first appeared on the ''Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'' album in 1973. "Bennie and ...

" on the suggestion of manager Don Powell.

Career

The original members of the Jets had a number of ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hits, five of which reached the top ten, including the 1986 single " Crush on You", which peaked at No. 3 in July 1986 (No. 5 UK, No. 4 US R&B, No. 4 US Dance). They are also known for the singles " You Got It All", " Cross My Broken Heart", "

Rocket 2 U "Rocket 2 U" is a song by the American sibling group, The Jets. It was written and produced by Bobby Nunn. The single, featuring lead vocals by Haini Wolfgramm, received a nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the ...

" and "

Make It Real "Make It Real" is a song by the American sibling group, The Jets, released as a single from their album, ''Magic'' in April 1988. Background Moana Wolfgramm of the Jets would recall: "'Make It Real' was given to us at the eleventh hour .e. last ...

". " Sendin' All My Love", which peaked at No. 88 on the Hot 100, reached No. 1 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' dance chart. "You Got It All" and "Make It Real", both ballads featuring lead vocals by Elizabeth Wolfgramm, were No. 1 hits on the ''Billboard''

adult contemporary chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...

. The band was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

in 1988 for the song "Rocket 2 U" that featured lead vocals by Haini Wolfgramm. The Jets also performed the theme song for ''

Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers may refer to: * ''Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers'' (TV series), 1989 television series * ''Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers'' (film), 2022 film * ''Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers'' (video game), 1990 game based on the TV series ...

'' in 1989. The group performed "

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the b ...

" at the seventh game of the

1987 World Series The 1987 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1987 season. The 84th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Minnesota Twins and the Nation ...

, held in their hometown of Minneapolis, and at Game 3 of the

1991 Stanley Cup Finals The 1991 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1990–91 season, and the culmination of the 1991 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested by the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Minnesota North Stars. It ...

in suburban Bloomington. The band also performed at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

and the

2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internation ...

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

Recent appearances

*On October 10, 2009, seven of the original band members reunited to perform at the Mega 80s & 90s Music Festival in

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

along with fellow MCA recording artists Ready for the World,

the Cover Girls The Cover Girls are an all-female, New York city-based freestyle group that achieved most of its chart success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Among the group's best-known songs are " Show Me, " " Because of You," “ Don't Stop Now,” ...

and

En Vogue En Vogue is an American vocal girl group whose original lineup consisted of singers Terry Ellis, Dawn Robinson, Cindy Herron, and Maxine Jones. Formed in Oakland, California, in 1989, En Vogue reached No. 2 on the US Hot 100 with the single "Hol ...

. *On April 9, 2010, all of the original members except Eugene performed at the State Theatre in Minneapolis. It was billed as their 25th-anniversary reunion show. *In 2015, the band celebrated its 30th anniversary with performances in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

and

Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. *In July 2015 in

Orem, Utah Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Me ...

, the Jets performed a hometown concert with

Debbie Gibson Deborah Ann Gibson (born August 31, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Gibson released her debut album '' Out of the Blue'' in 1987, which spawned several international hits, later being certified triple plati ...

. *The Jets were featured on the TV One music documentary ''Unsung'' on March 17, 2019.

Line-up

The Jets' original lineup consisted of eight of the siblings. *LeRoy Wolfgramm (born July 19, 1965) – vocals,

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

*Eddie Wolfgramm (born August 14, 1966) – vocals,

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

Eugene Wolfgramm Eugene Joseph Wolfgramm, a.k.a. Gene Hunt (born September 24, 1967), is a founding member of the Minneapolis-based group The Jets. Like the other Wolfgramms, Eugene is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Biography Eugene ...

(born September 24, 1967) –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). ...

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

*Haini Wolfgramm (born January 25, 1968) – vocals,

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

*Rudy Wolfgramm (born March 1, 1969) – vocals,

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

*Kathi Wolfgramm (born September 6, 1970) – vocals,

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, percussion * Elizabeth Wolfgramm (born August 19, 1972) – vocals, keyboards, percussion *Moana Wolfgramm (born October 13, 1973) – vocals, keyboards, percussion

Spin-off

In 1988,

and Joe Pasquale formed the duo Boys Club, which recorded for

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...

. Boys Club released the song "I Remember Holding You", which reached No. 8 on the Hot 100. Eugene later reunited for the album ''

The Best of the Jets ''The Best of The Jets'' is the first greatest hits album by Tongan-American family band The Jets, released on July 13, 1990, by MCA Records. It featured four new songs, including "Special Kinda Love", "Sendin' Out a Message", "Forever In My Lif ...

'' (1990), but he and other siblings (Eddie, Elizabeth, Kathi) eventually left the band in succession. The band was also featured on the soundtrack for ''

The Disney Afternoon The Disney Afternoon (later known internally as the Disney-Kellogg Alliance when unbranded), sometimes abbreviated as TDA, was a created-for-syndication two-hour programming block of animated television series. It was produced by Walt Disney T ...

'', on which they performed the ''

'' theme song. They also appeared on the soundtracks for ''Burglar'' (1987) ("Tough Guys"), ''

Beverly Hills Cop II ''Beverly Hills Cop II'' is a 1987 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Tony Scott, written by Larry Ferguson and Warren Skaaren, and starring Eddie Murphy. It is the sequel to the 1984 film ''Beverly Hills Cop'' and the second insta ...

'' (1987) ("Cross My Broken Heart"), ''

The Karate Kid Part III ''The Karate Kid Part III'' is a 1989 American martial arts film, martial arts drama (film and television), drama film, the third entry in the The Karate Kid (franchise), ''Karate Kid'' franchise and a sequel to ''The Karate Kid Part II'' (1986). ...

'' ("Under Any Moon") and ''

The Family Man ''The Family Man'' is a 2000 American romantic fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Brett Ratner, from a screenplay by David Diamond and David Weissman. The film stars Nicolas Cage and Téa Leoni, with Don Cheadle, Saul Rubinek, and Jeremy ...

'' (2000) ("La La Means I Love You").

Influence

American pop singer

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

recorded a new version of "You Got It All" in 1997, which appears on international editions of her 2000 album '' Oops!... I Did It Again''. Musical artists Arnee Hidalgo, Pinay and

MYMP M.Y.M.P. (or MYMP, short for Make Your Momma Proud) is an acoustic band from Quezon City, Philippines. They released their first album, ''Soulful Acoustic'' in 2003 and a double album, ''Beyond Acoustic'' which was a number six charting album, ...

have also covered the song. "Crush on You" is featured as the base sample for the

French house French house, also known as French touch, filter house and tekfunk, is a style of house music originally produced by French musicians in the 1990s. It is a form of Euro disco and a popular strand of the late 1990s and 2000s European dance m ...

anthem "Intro" by

Alan Braxe Alain Quême (), professionally known as Alan Braxe (born 9 July 1971), is a French electronic music artist. Braxe is most widely known for his collaborative work with electronic bassist Fred Falke and Kris Menace, and for being part of the musi ...

and

Fred Falke Frédérick Falke () (born 7 January 1973), known professionally as Fred Falke, is a French house and dance music producer and DJ. Biography Falke started out as a bass player before moving to production work. His first record, a collaboratio ...

(2000). Pop singer

Aaron Carter Aaron Charles Carter (December 7, 1987November 5, 2022) was an American singer and rapper. He came to fame as a teen pop singer in the late 1990s, establishing himself as a star among preteen and teenage audiences during the first years of the ...

included "Crush on You" on his first album, which became a top-10 single in Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom in 1997. Singer

Nayobe Nayobe Catalina Gomez, known professionally as Nayobe (born December 18, 1967, in Brooklyn, New York), is an American singer of Afro-Rican heritage and freestyle dance-pop musician. Her most successful singles are "Good Things Come to Those Who W ...

recorded a version of "Make It Real" that became a hit in Latin America.

Exposé Expose, exposé, or exposed may refer to: News sources * Exposé (journalism), a form of investigative journalism * '' The Exposé'', a British conspiracist website Film and TV Film * ''Exposé'' (film), a 1976 thriller film * ''Exposed'' (1932 ...

recorded a version of "The Same Love" on their 1992 self-titled album. More recently, the UK electronic music act

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...

sampled "Crush on You" on their 2011 track of the same name.

The Jets and the Jets Original Family Band

As of 2022, there are two touring groups of Jets, which include original members: *The Jets: Elizabeth, Eddie, Kathi, Moana *The Jets Original Family Band: Haini, LeRoy, Rudy

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Tours

* 1985–1986: The Jets World Tour * 1986: Christmas with The Jets World Tour * 1987–1988: Magic World Tour * 1989: Believe World Tour * 2015: The Jets - 30th Anniversary Concert