Bunny DeBarge facts for kids

Etterlene "Bunny" DeBarge (born March 10, 1955) is an American soul singer and songwriter. She is the only girl in the famous DeBarge music group. Bunny was the main singer on the song "A Dream". She also helped write two big hits for the group: "I Like It" and the number-one song "Time Will Reveal".

Early Life and Music

Bunny DeBarge is the oldest of ten children. She was born in Detroit, Michigan, but her family moved to Grand Rapids when she was 16 years old.

Bunny loved music from a young age. She sang in her uncle's church choir. Even though her brothers played instruments, Bunny taught herself how to write songs and create melodies. This skill became very important later in her music career.

Joining the DeBarge Group

In 1979, Bunny's brothers Bobby and Tommy were already famous in a band called Switch. Bunny then joined three of her other brothers, Randy, Mark, and El, to form their own group called DeBarge.

Their demo tape was given to Motown CEO Berry Gordy. He was very impressed by the siblings' talent and signed them to his record label.

Early Work and First Album

Between 1979 and 1981, Bunny and her brothers worked behind the scenes. Bunny worked with her brother Bobby on songs like "Hold On to My Love."

In 1981, Bunny helped produce the group's first album, The DeBarges. She sang lead vocals on the song "Share My World," which she also helped write.

Finding Success

In 1982, their younger brother James joined the group, and they shortened their name to just DeBarge. That year, they released their second album, All This Love. This album brought them a lot of success, especially with the song "I Like It." Bunny helped write the lyrics for this popular song.

The group continued their success with their third album, In A Special Way, released in 1983. This album featured another hit song that Bunny helped write, "Time Will Reveal." Bunny also wrote other songs on the album, like "Stay with Me" and "A Dream." "A Dream" was the last song where Bunny sang lead vocals. Both All This Love and In a Special Way sold very well.

Their biggest success came in 1985 with the album Rhythm of the Night. The song "Rhythm of the Night" became a huge hit, reaching the top five on the music charts.

Later Life

Bunny DeBarge has four children and fifteen grandchildren. She lives in Michigan, having moved back to Grand Rapids after living in California for many years.

Bunny has appeared on TV shows to talk about her life and time with DeBarge. In 2008, she was on the show Unsung on TV One. She appeared again in 2011 on the show Lifechangers with her daughter Janae and brothers Randy and James. After this, Bunny focused on touring and creating new music.

Discography

with DeBarge

• The DeBarges (1981)
• All This Love (1982)
• In a Special Way (1983)
• Rhythm of the Night (1985)
• Back on Track (1991)

Solo

• In Love (1987)