Song:Yes We Can Can
Album:Yes We Can Can: The Best Of The Blue Thumb Recordings
Yes We Can Can was the first hit single by The Pointer Sisters in 1973. They had a lot of success in the 70s and then almost retired before producer Richard Perry revived them in 1979 and he brought them a lot of success in the 80s. I prefer their earlier recordings. Of course June, Bonnie, Ruth and Anita Pointer grew up as Preacher's Kids in Oakland, CA. so obviously they grew up singing in church. Ruth and Anita had already started families when June and Bonnie started performing in Bay Area clubs in 1969 as Pointers, A Pair. Anita joined the group and they started doing backup vocals for various artists. They were doing exactly that at a 1971 Elvin Bishop show when signed by Atlantic Records. Nothing came of that but it got Ruth to join the group and then Blue Thumb Records signed them up. Blue Thumb was a label owned by former King and Buddah exec Bob Krasnow and they were known for their eclectic roster. The girls wanted to go against current trends and the loved the clothing of the 40s. And their stage show was unique at the time. So their debut album The Pointer Sisters was released in 1973 and Yes We Can Can reached #11 in the Billboard Hot 100. Of course Yes We Can Can was written by New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint and first recorded by Lee Dorsey in 1970. It's a great song and really suited The Pointer Sisters church background. The album was produced by veteran producer David Rubinson who was a staff producer at Columbia in the late 60s. He's best known for producing Moby Grape. So they had several more hits in the 70s including some country music hits. And you can get them all on this 1997 Hip-O comp. In 1977, June left to take a break and Bonnie left to go solo with Motown. Then in 1978, Ruth gave birth to her second daughter and it appeared at the time like they were planning to disband or even retire. But they signed a deal with producer Richard Perry's new company Planet Records and convinced June to rejoin the group. Perry had worked with Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson and Barbra Streisand among others. He was a more pop oriented producer than Rubinson. So he was behind The Pointer Sisters cover of Bruce Springsteen's Fire and that led to their 80s pop stardom. Just don't overlook the early music. Here's The Pointer Sisters performing Yes We Can Can 1974.
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