''The DeBarges'' is the debut album of

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 ...

, released by

Gordy Records Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

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 two songs on their subsequent recordings: "Queen of My Heart" was included on 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 vocal ...

'', while "Share My World" would be included on their fourth, '' Rhythm of the Night''.

Track listing

;

Side A The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

.: #"What's Your Name" (

Bobby DeBarge Robert Louis DeBarge, Jr. (March 5, 1956 – August 16, 1995) was an American singer and musician. DeBarge was the lead singer of the Motown R&B/soul vocal group Switch and was noted for his falsetto vocals. Later on, he served as both mentor ...

Bunny DeBarge Etterlene "Bunny" DeBarge (born March 10, 1955) is an American soul singer–songwriter and the lone female sibling of the Motown family group DeBarge. She was the lead vocalist on the R&B ballad " A Dream", from the group's ''In a Special Way'' ...

El DeBarge Eldra Patrick "El" DeBarge (born June 4, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He was the focal point and primary lead singer of the family group DeBarge. Popular songs led by El DeBarge include "Time Will Reveal", "Who's Holding ...

) - 4:35 #"Dance The Night Away" (

Mark DeBarge Mark "Marty" DeBarge (born June 19, 1959) is an American R&B/soul singer-songwriter, drummer, percussionist, and plays a variety of wind instruments, such as the saxophone, flugelhorn, trumpet, and flute. He is best known for his work as member o ...

Randy DeBarge William Randall DeBarge (born August 6, 1958) is an American R&B/soul singer and bass guitarist, best known for being one of the original members of the popular Motown singing family group DeBarge. Randy is also known for singing co-lead and pen ...

) - 4:50 #"You're So Gentle, So Kind" (Bunny DeBarge, El DeBarge) - 4:40 #"Queen of My Heart" (El DeBarge) - 3:49 ;

Side B Side or Sides may refer to: Geometry * Edge (geometry) of a polygon (two-dimensional shape) * Face (geometry) of a polyhedron (three-dimensional shape) Places * Side (Ainis), a town of Ainis, ancient Thessaly, Greece * Side (Caria), a town of an ...

.: #"Hesitated" (Bunny DeBarge, El DeBarge, Mark DeBarge, Randy DeBarge) - 3:42 #"Saving Up (All My Love)" (Bill Gable,

Jon Lind Jonathan Gus Lind (April 14, 1948 – January 15, 2022), professionally known as Jon Lind, was an American songwriter, performer and A&R Executive Biography Lind was born in Brooklyn, New York on April 14, 1948, and raised in New York City. H ...

) - 4:16 #"Share My World" (Bunny DeBarge, El DeBarge) - 5:39 #"Strange Romance" (Joe Blocker, Reggie Andrews) - 5:00

Personnel

The DeBarges

* Etterlene "Bunny" DeBarge – lead and backing vocals, vocal arrangements (1-7) * Eldra "El" DeBarge –

Fender Rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, th ...

, lead and backing vocals, vocal arrangements (1-7), rhythm arrangements * Robert "Bobby" DeBarge, Jr. – keyboards, lead and backing vocals, vocal arrangements (1-7), rhythm arrangements, horn and string arrangements * William "Randy" DeBarge – bass, lead and backing vocals, vocal arrangements (1-7) * Mark "Marty" DeBarge – percussion, lead and backing vocals, vocal arrangements (1-7)

Additional Personnel

* Reggie Andrews – keyboards, rhythm arrangements, vocal arrangements (8) * Larry Von Nash – keyboards *

Michael Boddicker Michael Lehmann Boddicker (born January 19, 1953) is an American film composer and session musician, specializing in electronic music. He is a three times National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (N.A.R.A.S.) Most Valuable Player "Synthesi ...

– synthesizer programming * Todd Cochran – synthesizer programming * Charles Fearing – guitars *

Paul Jackson, Jr. Paul Milton Jackson Jr. (born December 30, 1959) is an American fusion/urban jazz composer, arranger, producer and guitarist. He was born and raised in Los Angeles. Jackson knew by the age of fifteen that he wanted to become a professional musi ...

– guitars *

Nathan East Nathan Harrell East (born December 8, 1955) is an American jazz, R&B, and rock bass player and vocalist. With more than 2,000 recordings, East is one of the most recorded bass players in the history of music. East holds a Bachelor of Arts degr ...

– bass * Eddie Watkins, Jr. – bass * Ollie E. Brown – drums *

Leon "Ndugu" Chancler Leon "Ndugu" Chancler ( ; July 1, 1952 – February 3, 2018) was an American pop, funk, and jazz drummer. He was also a composer, producer, and university professor. Biography Early life Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on July 1, 1952, Leon C ...

– drums *

Harvey Mason Harvey William Mason (born February 22, 1947) is an American jazz drummer, record producer, and member of the band Fourplay. Mason, who attended Berklee in the 1960s, received an Honorary Doctorate at Berklee's 2015 Commencement Ceremony for ...

– drums * Joe Blocker – vocal arrangements (8) * Eric Butler – horn and string arrangements *

Clare Fischer Douglas Clare Fischer (October 22, 1928 – January 26, 2012) was an American keyboardist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. After graduating from Michigan State University (from which, five decades later, he would receive an honorary doctorate ...

– horn and string arrangements

Production

* Producer – Bobby DeBarge * Co-Producers – Bunny DeBarge and Eldra DeBarge * Engineer – Bobby Brooks * Assistant Engineer – Michael Johnson * Recorded and Mixed at Motown/Hitsville U.S.A. Recording Studios (Hollywood, CA). * Art Direction – Johnny Lee * Design – Ginny Livingston * Photography –

Matthew Rolston Matthew Russell Rolston is an American artist, photographer, Music video director, director and creative director, known for his lighting techniques and detailed approach to art direction and design. Rolston has been identified throughout his care ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:DeBarges 1981 debut albums DeBarge albums Gordy Records albums