雪橇姊妹

Sister Sledge was an American vocal group composed of members of the Sledge family. The group was formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1965, and originally consisted of sisters Debbie, Joni, Kim, and Kathy Sledge. Their music crosses genres of R&B, disco, pop, rock and Philly soul.

Sister Sledge first performed in talent shows and clubs in Philadelphia and eventually signed with Money Back Records. In 1972, they left Money Back Records and signed with Atlantic Records subsidiary label Atco Records, where they released two Top 10 dance songs "Love Don't You Go Through No Changes on Me" (1974) and "Pain Reliever" (1975). The group were moved to another subsidiary label Cotillion Records in 1976. They released six studio albums between 1977 and 1983, including the successful albums We Are Family (1979) and Love Somebody Today (1980) and singles "He's the Greatest Dancer" (1979), "We Are Family" (1979), "Lost in Music" (1979), "All American Girls" (1981), and "My Guy" (1982). In mid-1980s, they experienced a resurgence in mainstream popularity after the release of their single "Thinking of You" and a remix of their earlier single "Lost in Music" peaked at number 4 in the United Kingdom. In 1985, their single "Frankie" topped the UK Singles chart for four consecutive weeks and became the fifth highest-selling single in the UK for that year.

In 1989, lead singer Kathy Sledge left the group and pursued a successful solo career. The three remaining members released the poorly received And Now...Sledge...Again compilation album in 1992, which featured several re-recordings of their earlier hit songs. In 1993, Kathy rejoined with the group for a European Tour after several dance remixes of their singles "We Are Family", "Lost in Music", and "Thinking of You" began charting in the UK Top 40. From 2000 to 2003, the four original members reunited on special occasions, among them was for the We Are Family Foundation. Following this, Sister Sledge went through different incarnations of the group composed of several family members and friends began performing in the group. After Joni's death in 2017 and Kim's exit in 2019, different factions of Sister Sledge surfaced. By 2021, Kathy Sledge began performing as Sister Sledge featuring Kathy Sledge, and Debbie Sledge began performing as Sister Sledge featuring Sledgendary. As of 2025, Kathy Sledge holds the rights to the trademark name "Sister Sledge".

Sister Sledge have sold over 20 million records worldwide, making them one of the highest-selling female groups of the 1970s. In 2017, they were inducted into the Philadelphia Music Alliance Walk of Fame. Their song "We Are Family" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and the National Recording Registry.

History

1965–1971: Formation and early years

In 1965, Philadelphia siblings Debbie Sledge (born 1954), Joni Sledge (1956–2017), Kim Sledge (born 1957), and Kathy Sledge (born 1959) formed the female group the Sledge Sisters. Vocally trained by their grandmother and opera singer Viola Williams, and managed by their mother Florez "Flo" Sledge, the group began performing regularly at their family's church Williams Temple Christian Methodist Episcopal and soon began performing in local clubs and political events throughout their hometown of Philadelphia. Over the early years of their career, they went through several name changes, becoming A Group Called Sledge, and the Brand New Generation. In 1971, they debuted as Sisters Sledge, releasing their first single "Time Will Tell" on New York City-based record label Money Back Records.

1972–1975: Atco Records

In 1972, the group began performing as Sister Sledge and signed with Atco Records, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records. In 1973, they released two singles, "The Weatherman" and "Mama Never Told Me", the latter of which peaked at number 20 on the UK singles chart. In 1974, the group released another single titled "Love Don't Go Through No Changes On Me", which became a moderately successful song on the charts.

In 1975, Sister Sledge released their debut album Circle of Love. The album peaked at number 56 on Billboard's Soul LP's chart. The album spawn the singles "Love Has Found Me", "Circle of Love (Caught in the Middle)", and "Pain Reliever"; the latter of which peaked at number 7 on the US National Disco chart. By the mid-1970s, Atco Records began focusing more on hard rock acts and some British and European bands. As a result, Sister Sledge changed label rosters to Cotillion Records, another subsidiary of Atlantic Records.