June Pointer

The youngest of the Pointer Sisters' original line-up, June was born on November 30, 1953 in Oakland, California. Prior to the Pointer Sisters getting their start as a quartet in the early 70's, both June and elder sister Bonnie originally sang as a duo, calling themselves Pointers-A-Pair. June also stepped out on her own many times; her solo recording career debuted with the release of 1983's "Baby Sister" on Planet Records. The single "Ready for Some Action" reached the Top 30 on the R&B charts and "I'm Ready for Love," another song from the same album did not make any of the charts in the States. Both preceded the group's phenomenally successful album 297985 which would also come out later that year. In 1986, the Pointers, with June on lead vocal, joined Bruce Willis for his cover of the classic "Respect Yourself," which featured the Sisters both on vinyl and in the video. The single climbed to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold thanks in large part to the Sisters' vocal talents and specifically June's solo performance in the video, which itself became one of the biggest clips on MTV of the year. June has also done other side projects while still remaining a member of the Pointer Sisters proper. In 1987 June recorded a duet with Dionne Warwick, "Heartbreak of Love," for Dionne's duets album, "Reservations for Two." June released her self-titled second solo album in 1989 and continued to tour live with sisters Anita and Ruth until 2001, when she decided to leave the group to pursue other interests. Sadly, June Pointer, youngest of the Pointer siblings, died of cancer at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica on the 12th of April, 2006, at the age of 52.