Patricia "Bonnie" Pointer was born on July 11, 1950 in Oakland, California. She's the second youngest member of the hugely popular and successful Soul/R&B group, The Pointer Sisters. Bonnie began singing in the choir of her father Reverend Elton Pointer's church. She also sang with her youngest sister June as a teenager. In 1969 Bonnie founded The Pointers (otherwise known as The Pair). After her sister Anita joined the duo that same year, they changed their name to The Pointer Sisters and recorded several singles for Atlantic Records between 1971 and 1972. In December 1972, they recruited oldest sister Ruth and released their debut album as The Pointer Sisters in 1973. Their self-titled debut yielded the hit "Yes We Can Can.” Between 1973 and 1977, the Pointers' donned 1940s fashions and sang in a style reminiscent of The Andrews Sisters. They also melded the sounds of R&B, funk, rock and roll, gospel, country and soul. Anita and Bonnie wrote the group's crossover country hit, "Fairytale," in 1974, which also became a Top 20 pop hit and won the group their first Grammy for Best Vocal by a Duo or Group, Country. Bonnie and Anita also were nominated for Best Country Song at the same ceremony. In 1977, Bonnie left the group to begin a solo career. She co-wrote the song "Bring Your Sweet Stuff Home to Me" for Stevie Wonder's album "Having a Party." In 1978, Bonnie signed with Motown and released "Heaven Must Have Sent You," which reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She released three solo albums, including two self-titled albums for Motown, before retiring from the studio. Bonnie later appeared on Soul Train on March 2, 1985. She still continues to perform, and has reunited with her sisters on two separate occasions: when the group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994, and during a Las Vegas performance in 1996 singing "Jump (for My Love).” In 2008, Bonnie embarked on a European tour. She ended the year by performing at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City on Saturday, October 25, 2008. She also starred in Monte Hellman's 2010 romantic film thriller “Road to Nowhere.” To date, she continues to perform all over the country and has appeared at several Gay Pride celebrations throughout the United States. During this time, she has continued to work on her autobiography.
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