Etterlene "Bunny" DeBarge (born March 10, 1955) is an American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

singer 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 withou ...

–

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

and the lone female sibling of the Motown

family group ''Family Group'' (LH 269) is a sculpture by Henry Moore. It was his first large-scale bronze sculpture, and his first large bronze with multiple castings. Made for Barclay School in Stevenage, it evolved from drawings in the 1930s, through ...

DeBarge DeBarge was an American musical recording group composed of several members of the DeBarge family. In addition to various solo projects completed by members of the family, DeBarge was active between 1979 and 1989. The group originally consisted ...

. She was the lead

vocalist 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 withou ...

on the R&B ballad " A Dream", from the group's ''

In a Special Way ''In a Special Way'' is the third studio album by American R&B group DeBarge, released by Gordy Records on September 24, 1983. It was recorded at Kendun Records in Burbank and Westlake Audio in West Hollywood; written and produced by lead voca ...

'' album, and is also the co-writer of the group's 1982 breakthrough hit, " I Like It" and the number-one hit, "

Time Will Reveal :''For the song by DeBarge, see Time Will Reveal (song)'' ''Time Will Reveal'' is the fourth studio album by the American West Coast hip hop group Above the Law. Released in 1996 by Tommy Boy Records, it was the group's first record after leavin ...

Early life

Etterlene "Bunny" DeBarge is the eldest of 10 children, born to Etterlene (née) Abney and Robert DeBarge, Sr. While spending her initial childhood in Detroit, her family moved to Grand Rapids when she was 16. Bunny would later recall years of physical and sexual abuse at the hands of her father, stating that he had started molesting her when she was seven and this carried on until she was 13. Bunny also detailed troubles in public school where she and her brothers were constantly bullied and taunted by black schoolmates for their multiracial ethnicity. Bunny found solace in music, singing in her uncle's church as a child. She and her brothers soon participated in several groups together in various times. In 1972, DeBarge dropped out of school and married her first husband, for whom she'd be the mother of two children (they later divorced). Since she wasn't into instruments like her brothers were, Bunny taught herself how to write songs and compose melodies, which later paid off as she got older.

Music career

In 1979, after a couple years watching her brothers

Bobby Bobby or Bobbie may refer to: People * Bobby (given name), a list of names * Bobby (actress), from Bangladesh * Bobby (rapper) (born 1995), from South Korea * Bobby (screenwriter) (born 1983), Indian screenwriter * Bobby, old slang for a constabl ...

and Tommy ride to musical stardom as members of the band

Switch In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type of ...

, Bunny teamed up with her three brothers Randy,

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and El and became

. They signed with Motown after their demo tape was passed off by Switch's Gregory Williams to Motown CEO

Berry Gordy Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record l ...

, who was left impressed by the siblings and soon put the band on a salary. Between 1979 and 1981, Bunny and her brothers worked behind the scenes mainly on the works of Switch, with Bunny in particular collaborating with her brother Bobby on songs such as "Hold On to My Love", "Love Over and Over Again" and "My Friend in the Sky". In 1981, Bunny co-produced the DeBarges' self-titled debut album and was featured on lead vocals alongside brother El on "Share My World" which they wrote. A year later, in 1982, the group brought along their teenage brother

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...

, and shortened their name to just DeBarge. That year, they released their second album, '' All This Love'', with which the siblings found musical success, particularly with " I Like It", for which Bunny wrote parts of the lyrics, alongside her brothers Randy and El. The group followed up this success with their third album, ''

In A Special Way ''In a Special Way'' is the third studio album by American R&B group DeBarge, released by Gordy Records on September 24, 1983. It was recorded at Kendun Records in Burbank and Westlake Audio in West Hollywood; written and produced by lead voca ...

'', in 1983. The album yielded another hit with Bunny as a lyricist, with the gospel-influenced "

". The album also included several more highlights including two more Bunny-composed ballads, " Stay with Me" and " A Dream", the last song Bunny took lead vocals on. Like ''All This Love'' before it, ''In a Special Way'' went gold, paving the way for the group's biggest success in 1985 with the '' Rhythm of the Night'' album, with the

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may a ...

becoming a top five crossover hit.

Personal life

Bunny DeBarge has been married twice. In several of DeBarge's albums, she is listed as Etterlene Jordan and is sometimes referred to as either Etterlene Jordan-Knight or Etterlene DeBarge Knight. Bunny is the mother of four children and a grandmother of fifteen and still lives in Michigan, having moved back to Grand Rapids after years living in California. Much like her brothers, Bunny DeBarge has dealt with drug issues, going back to her teen years, which started with marijuana and moving up to

prescription medication A prescription drug (also prescription medication or prescription medicine) is a pharmaceutical drug that legally requires a medical prescription to be dispensed. In contrast, over-the-counter drugs can be obtained without a prescription. The r ...

during her heyday with DeBarge. It soon escalated to usage of

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...

. Bunny entered rehab several times to kick her habit. In 2008, she broke her silence issuing her autobiography, ''The Kept Ones'', in which she talked about her father's abuse towards her and her siblings and her dealings with substance abuse. That year she appeared on the debut episode of the TV One series, '' Unsung'', in which she talked about her childhood and her time with DeBarge, along with brothers Randy and James. The trio again appeared on TV three years later in September 2011, on the show ''

Lifechangers ''Lifechangers'' was an American half-hour daytime show hosted by Drew Pinsky. It premiered on September 19, 2011, as part of The CW Daytime. Overview The show featured Drew Pinsky and a panel of experts including celebrities and doctors, helpin ...

'' alongside Bunny's daughter Janae. James entered the rehabilitation program but left a few hours later. Randy left a few days later. Bunny entered the rehabilitation program and completed her entire experience. After leaving the rehabilitation program in West Hollywood, California, Bunny has been touring and focusing on her new album.

Discography

;with DeBarge * ''

The DeBarges ''The DeBarges'' is the debut album of DeBarge, released by Gordy Records on April 6, 1981. It saw limited success and stalled on the charts; the group felt it was not properly promoted. As a result, they revisited ''The DeBarges'' by including t ...

'' (1981) * '' All This Love'' (1982) * ''

'' (1983) * '' Rhythm of the Night'' (1985) * '' Back on Track'' (1991) ;Solo * '' In Love'' (1987)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Debarge, Bunny 1955 births Living people DeBarge members 20th-century American singers American women singer-songwriters African-American women singers American sopranos Musicians from Grand Rapids, Michigan American gospel singers American soul singers Motown artists American contemporary R&B singers American women composers 20th-century American composers American Christians DeBarge family Singers from Detroit 20th-century American women singers 20th-century women composers Singer-songwriters from Michigan