El DeBarge facts for kids

Eldra "El" Patrick DeBarge (born June 4, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is famous for his amazing voice and for being the main singer of the family music group DeBarge.

El DeBarge helped create many popular songs with his group, like "Time Will Reveal" and "Rhythm of the Night". As a solo artist, he is known for his unique high voice and hits such as "Who's Johnny". He has also worked with many other famous artists, including Dionne Warwick and Quincy Jones.

El DeBarge has been nominated for a Grammy Award five times. He is the only member of his family to receive Grammy nominations both with his group and as a solo artist. In 2023, Rolling Stone magazine named him one of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. They described his voice as smooth and easy, especially when he sings very high notes.

Early Life and Family

Eldra was born in Detroit, Michigan. He was the sixth of many children born to Robert Louis DeBarge Sr. and Etterlene DeBarge. His parents separated when he was 13 years old.

As a child, El sang in his local church choir and learned to play the piano. Later, his family moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan. There, he and his family began performing at their uncle's church. El DeBarge has both African-American and French family roots.

He was very close to his oldest brother, Bobby, and learned a lot about singing from him. For several years, El also studied music with a teacher named Ricky Callier. By 1975, he knew he wanted to be a performer. He started a family at 16 and later had many more children. In 1977, he left high school to perform with his older brothers in clubs around Michigan.

In 1979, El moved to Los Angeles with some of his brothers and a cousin to form a band called SMASH. In 1980, because his brothers Bobby and Tommy were successful with their group Switch, El got a chance to sing and play piano for Motown CEO Berry Gordy. Gordy was very impressed and quickly signed El's group, then called The DeBarges, to his record label.

Motown helped the group learn and grow. El and his family members also helped write and produce songs for Switch. El's first professional recording was singing in the background for Switch's 1979 song "I Call Your Name". He also helped arrange music for other Switch songs.

Music Career

In 1981, the group's first album, The DeBarges, was released. The family worked hard on it for a year. El was the main producer and arranger for all of the group's albums with Motown.

Their next album, All This Love, came out in 1982. It included popular songs like "I Like It" and the title track. In 1983, DeBarge released In a Special Way, which had hits like "Time Will Reveal". In 1984, the band became very popular while touring with singer Luther Vandross.

Even though the group was successful, there were some disagreements. Motown wanted El to be the main star, similar to how they promoted Smokey Robinson from The Miracles. By the end of the tour, El was mostly in charge of producing DeBarge's next album, Rhythm of the Night, with less help from his siblings.

Rhythm of the Night became the group's best-selling album ever. The song "Rhythm of the Night" became a huge hit in many countries. In late 1985, El appeared on the TV show The Facts of Life and performed his song "You Wear it Well".

In 1986, El left the group to start his solo career. His first solo album, El DeBarge, had hits like "Who's Johnny" and "Love Always". Three years later, in 1989, he released his second album, Gemini, which included "Real Love".

El's contract with Motown ended in 1990, and he signed with Warner Bros.. .....

In 1992, El DeBarge released his third album, In the Storm. This album featured a duet with Chanté Moore called "You Know What I Like". Critics noticed that the album sounded a lot like Marvin Gaye's music. El later said that Marvin Gaye was a big influence on his style. That same year, El also had success with Fourplay on their version of Marvin Gaye's "After the Dance".

His next album, Heart, Mind and Soul, came out in 1994. He worked on this album with Babyface. It had songs like "Slide" and "Where is My Love," which featured Babyface singing along.

El continued to work with other artists, including his brother Chico DeBarge and rapper DJ Quik. He did not release any more solo albums until 2010. After a 16-year break, he released Second Chance. This album followed some successful comeback performances, including one at the 2010 BET Awards. The album earned him three Grammy Award nominations. On February 4, 2022, El DeBarge performed a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR Music from his home, playing keyboards and singing. This concert was part of a celebration for Black History Month.

Discography

Solo albums

• El DeBarge (1986)
• Gemini (1989)
• In the Storm (1992)
• Heart, Mind and Soul (1994)
• Second Chance (2010)

with DeBarge

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

See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart