Bonnie Pointer of the Pointer Sisters Dies at 69

Bonnie Pointer, one of the two founding members of the Pointer Sisters, died Monday morning at age 69. The cause of death was not announced. In a statement, her older sister Anita said, “Bonnie was my best friend and we talked every day. We never had a fight in our life. I already miss her and I will see her again one day.”

The Pointer Sisters hailed from Oakland, California, and grew up singing in church; their father was a minister. Calling themselves “The Pointers, A Pair,” June and Bonnie started the original group in 1969. By 1973, the group had expanded to include their two oldest sisters, Anita and Ruth. While touring with Dave Mason, they were asked to wear dresses instead of jeans, and on the road in New Orleans, they found a thrift shop that sold Depression-era garb. Their new look matched their sound, a funky blend of jazz, R&B, scat, and 1940s harmonizing that also fit in with Bette Midler’s retro look and music of that period.

The Pointers’ first major pop hit, “Yes We Can Can,” arrived during this time; written by Allen Toussaint, the song was a funky unity anthem. In another groundbreaking move, the Pointer Sisters became one of the earliest African American groups to cross over to country: Their fiddle-driven 1974 ballad, “Fairytale,” written by Bonnie and June, was a hit on the country charts and scored the group its first of three Grammys (that one in the country category).