The Jets (Minnesota band)

The Jets are a Tongan-American family band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, composed of brothers and sisters LeRoy, Eddie, Eugene, Haini, Rudy, Kathi, Elizabeth, and Moana Wolfgramm, who perform pop, R&B, and dance music. They started performing as a family band in 1977. The Jets were discovered by Don Powell, who previously managed Stevie Wonder and David Bowie, among other artists.

The Jets
Birth nameThe Wolfgramm Family
OriginMinneapolis, Minnesota, United States
GenresTeen pop, dance-pop, R&B, freestyle, Minneapolis Sound
Years active1985–present
LabelsMCA, Shadow Mountain, Liberty Park
Associated actsBoys Club, My Sisters, Against the Season, Jett17
Websiteinstagram.com/the80sjets
MembersLeRoy Wolfgramm
Eddie Wolfgramm
Eugene Wolfgramm
Haini Wolfgramm
Rudy Wolfgramm
Kathi Wolfgramm
Elizabeth Wolfgramm
Moana Wolfgramm

The group enjoyed worldwide success in 1985–1990, performing three world tours, and producing eight top-10 hits.

Background

The original band consisted of the eight oldest children of Maikeli "Mike" and Vaké Wolfgramm, who were originally from the country of Tonga. The family has 17 children: 15 by birth, and two, Eddie and Eugene, by adoption. The children attended the School District 281 at Robbinsdale Cooper High School. They are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The band initially called themselves Quasar, after a then-popular but now-defunct brand of television sets. They changed their name to "The Jets", which was taken from the Elton John song "Bennie and the Jets" on the suggestion of then-manager Don Powell.[1]

Career

The original members of the Jets had a number of Billboard Hot 100 hits and eight top 10 singles, including the 1986 "Crush on You", which peaked at #3 in July 1986 on the USA Billboard Hot 100 (#5 UK, #4 US R&B, #4 US Dance). They are also known for the singles "You Got It All", "Cross My Broken Heart", "Rocket 2 U", and "Make It Real". "Sendin' All My Love", which peaked at #88 on the Hot 100, reached #1 on the Billboard dance chart; "You Got It All" and "Make It Real", both ballads featuring lead vocals by Elizabeth Wolfgramm, were #1 hits on the Billboard adult contemporary chart. The band was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1988 for the song "Rocket 2 U" featuring lead vocals by Haini Wolfgramm. The Jets also performed the theme song for Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, in 1989.

The group performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the seventh game of the 1987 World Series, held in their hometown of Minneapolis, and game three of the 1991 Stanley Cup Final in suburban Bloomington. The band also performed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea and the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Recent appearances

  • On October 10, 2009, seven of the original band members reunited to perform at the Mega 80s & 90s Music Festival in Honolulu, Hawaii, at the Blaisdell Center Arena along with fellow MCA recording artists Ready for the World, The Cover Girls and En Vogue.
  • On April 9, 2010, all the original members except Eugene performed at the State Theatre in Minneapolis. It was billed as their 25th Anniversary Reunion Show.
  • In 2015, the band celebrated its 30th anniversary with performances in Manila and Cebu, Philippines.[1]
  • In July 2015 in Orem, Utah, a hometown concert with Debbie Gibson.
  • The Jets were featured on the TV One music documentary Unsung on March 17, 2019. [2]

Material loss

On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed The Jets among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.[3]

Lineup

The Jets' original lineup consisted of eight of the siblings.

Spin-off

In 1988, Eugene Wolfgramm and Joe Pasquale formed the duo Boys Club, which recorded for MCA Records. Boys Club released the song "I Remember Holding You", which reached #8 on the Hot 100. Eugene later reunited for the album The Best of The Jets (1990), but he and other siblings (Eddie, Elizabeth, Kathi) eventually left the band in succession. The band was also featured on the soundtrack for The Disney Afternoon, where they performed the Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers theme song. They also appeared on the soundtracks for "Burglar" (1987) ("Tough Guys"), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) ("Cross My Broken Heart"), The Karate Kid Part III ("Under Any Moon") and The Family Man (2000) ("La La Means I Love You").

Influence

American pop singer Britney Spears recorded a new version of "You Got It All" in 1997,[4] which appears on international editions of her 2000 album Oops!... I Did It Again. Musical artists Arnee Hidalgo, Pinay and MYMP (Make Your Momma Proud) have also covered the song. "Crush On You" is featured as the base sample for the French house anthem "Intro" by Alan Braxe and Fred Falke (2000).

Pop singer Aaron Carter included "Crush on You" on his first album, which became a top-10 single in Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom in 1997. Singer Nayobe recorded a version of "Make It Real" that became a hit in Latin America. Exposé recorded a version of "The Same Love" on their 1992 self-titled album. More recently, the UK electronic music act Nero sampled "Crush on You" on their 2011 track of the same name.

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album Peak chart positions Certifications Record label
US
[5]
US
R&B

[5]
CAN
[6]
UK
[7]
1985 The Jets 17 16 77 57
  • US: Platinum[8]
MCA
1986 Christmas with The Jets
1987 Magic 35 26
1989 Believe 107 74
1995 Love People Liberty Park
1997 Love Will Lead the Way Shadow Mountain
1998 Then & Now K-tel
2006 Versatility Hip-O
2014 Reunited Refinement Records
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Live albums

Year Album details
2007 Greatest Hits Live

Compilation albums

Year Album details
1990 The Best of The Jets
  • Released: November 27, 1990
  • Label: MCA
2001 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Jets
  • Released: October 9, 2001
  • Label: MCA
2004 All Their Best
  • Released: August 8, 2004
  • Label: K-tel

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Album
US
[5]
US
R&B

[5]
US
Dan

[5]
US
A/C

[5]
AUS
[9]
CAN
[6]
NLD
[10]
NZ
[11]
UK
[7]
1985 "Curiosity" 8 21 23 41 The Jets
1986 "Crush on You" 3 4 4 9 43 5
"Private Number" 47 28
"You Got It All" 3 2 1 11 79
1987 "Cross My Broken Heart" 7 11 8 17 32 Magic
"I Do You" 20 19 68
1988 "Rocket 2 U" 6 5 3 79 12 90 69
"Make It Real" 4 24 1 6
"Anytime" 35
"Sendin' All My Love" 88 72 1
1989 "You Better Dance" 59 73 28 Believe
"The Same Love" 87 15
1990 "Somebody to Love Me"
"Under Any Moon" (re-issue)
"Special Kinda Love" 83 The Best of The Jets
1991 "Forever in My Life"
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Tours

Previous tours

  • 1985–1986: The Jets World Tour
  • 1986: Christmas with The Jets World Tour
  • 1987–1988: Magic World Tour
  • 1989: Believe World Tour
  • 2015: The Jets - 30th Anniversary Concert

References

  1. "The Jets to perform in Manila and Cebu for 30th anniversary tour". MSN Entertainment. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  2. TV One's 'Unsung' Celebrates The Jets
  3. Rosen, Jody (25 June 2019). "Here Are Hundreds More Artists Whose Tapes Were Destroyed in the UMG Fire". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  4. Knopper, Steve (2009-01-06). Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry ... - Steve Knopper - Google Books. ISBN 9781416594550. Retrieved 2012-04-13.
  5. "US Charts > The Jets". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
  6. "CAN Charts > The Jets". RPM. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
  7. "UK Charts > The Jets". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
  8. "US Certifications > The Jets". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
  9. David Kent (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. "NLD Charts > The Jets". MegaCharts. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
  11. "NZ Charts > The Jets". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 2013-07-23.

Further reading

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.