''We Are Family'' is the third

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by the American R&B vocal group

Sister Sledge Sister Sledge is an American musical vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed in 1971, the group consisted of sisters Debbie, Joni, Kim, and Kathy Sledge. The siblings achieved international success at the height of the disco era. ...

, released on January 22, 1979, in the United States and on April 30, 1979, in the United Kingdom by Cotillion Records. The album was written and produced by

Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, record producer and composer. The co-founder of Chic, Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million ...

and

Bernard Edwards Bernard Edwards (October 31, 1952 – April 18, 1996) was an American bass player and record producer, known primarily for his work in disco music with guitarist Nile Rodgers, with whom he co-founded Chic. In 2017, Edwards was selected as the ...

of the band Chic, and includes four hit singles: the title track, " He's the Greatest Dancer", "

Lost in Music "Lost in Music" is a song by American vocal group Sister Sledge, released in July 1979 as the third single from their third studio album, '' We Are Family'' (1979), an album entirely written, produced, and arranged by Nile Rodgers and Bernard ...

" and " Thinking of You", all of which have been sampled, remixed, and reissued in the decades after the album's release. The album reached number one on the Top R&B Albums chart and peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200, making it the band's most commercially successful album.

Background

Chic worked with Sister Sledge, who had signed to Atlantic in 1973, at the inspiration of Atlantic president

Jerry L. Greenberg Jerry L. Greenberg is an American music executive, who at 32, was the youngest president of any major record company in the recording industry and received that title in 1974 as President of Atlantic Records. He started his career in the music ...

. Nile Rodgers remembered later; " That's why we came up with ''We Are Family''. ��Everything he said about them gave us a picture of them. You've got to remember, we never even met them. All of the content on that record came from that one day with the president ��I was fascinated and enthralled by the concept of people who loved music who could be in the midst of the whole disco era." ''We Are Family'' is one of two albums produced by

and

in 1979, the other being Chic's third album ''

Risqué Risqué may refer to: * Material that is slightly indecent or liable to shock, especially as sexually suggestive * ''Risqué'' (album), album by Chic * Risque (comics) Risque (Gloria Dolores Muñoz) is a fictional character, a mutant appearing ...

'' including hit singles "

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African ...

" and " My Forbidden Lover". Nile Rodgers has written that of the various albums produced by The Chic Organization for themselves and others, "pound for pound, I think ''We Are Family'' is our best album hands down." The lead vocals to " We Are Family" were recorded in a single take by the then 19-year-old Kathy Sledge.Turn The Beat Around, Peter Shapiro, p.165 " He's the Greatest Dancer" was the first single from the album and became the group's first major hit, reaching the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the R&B chart. ''We Are Family'' was digitally remastered and reissued on CD by Rhino Records in 1995.

Track listing

All songs written by

and

. # " He's the Greatest Dancer" – 6:16 # "

" – 4:52 # "Somebody Loves Me" – 4:59 # " Thinking of You" – 4:31 # " We Are Family" – 8:24 # "Easier to Love" – 5:05 # "You're a Friend to Me" – 5:31 # "One More Time" – 3:17

Re–mastered CD bonus tracks

The re–mastered CD was released in 1995. # "We Are Family" (Sure Is Pure Remix) – 8:05 # "We Are Family" (Steve Anderson DMC Remix) – 8:13 # "Lost in Music" (Sure Is Pure Remix) – 8:38 # "Lost in Music" (1984 Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers Remix) – 6:37

Personnel

;Sister Sledge * Kathy Sledge – lead vocals (tracks: 1, 3, 4, 5) * Debbie Sledge – lead vocals (on "You're a Friend to Me") *

Joni Sledge Joan Elise Sledge (September 13, 1956 – March 10, 2017) was an American singer best known as a founding member of the family vocal group Sister Sledge. The group was known for their hits during the mid-1970s through the mid-1990s; most notably ...

– lead vocals (on "Lost in Music" and "Easier to Love") * Kim Sledge – lead vocals (on "One More Time") with: *

– guitar *

– bass * Tony Thompson – drums * Robert Sabino – piano, Hohner clavinet * Raymond Jones – keyboards, Fender Rhodes electric piano * Andy Schwartz – piano *

Sammy Figueroa Sammy Figueroa (born November 16, 1948, The Bronx, New York) is an American percussionist. At 18 he joined the band of bassist Bobby Valentín and also co-led the Brazilian/Latin fusion group Raíces. Selected Discography Jon Faddis Jon Faddis (born July 24, 1953) is an American jazz trumpet player, conductor, composer, and educator, renowned for both his playing and for his expertise in the field of music education. Upon his first appearance on the scene, he became known ...

– trumpet * Ellen Seeling – trumpet * Barry Rogers – trombone * Jean Fineberg – saxophone * Alex Foster – saxophone, flute * Gene Orloff – concertmaster * Cheryl Hong – strings * Marianne Carroll – strings * Karen Milne – strings *

Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his sweet and soulful vocals, Vandross has sold over 40 million records worldwide. He achieved eleven consecutive P ...

– backing vocals * Norma Jean Wright – backing vocals * David Lasley – backing vocals * Alfa Anderson – backing vocals * Diva Gray – backing vocals *

Simon LeBon Simon John Charles Le Bon (born 27 October 1958) is a British singer. He is best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the new wave band Duran Duran and its offshoot Arcadia. Le Bon has received three Ivor Novello Awards from the Britis ...

– additional vocals on "Lost in Music" (1984 mix) * Andy Taylor – additional vocals on "Lost in Music" (1984 mix) ;Technical * Bob Defrin – art direction * Jim Houghton – photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

*
Sister Sledge - ''We Are Family'' (1979) album to be listened
as stream on Spotify {{Authority control 1979 albums Cotillion Records albums Albums produced by Nile Rodgers Albums produced by Bernard Edwards Sister Sledge albums