El Debarge

Born Eldra DeBarge, c. 1960, in Grand Rapids, MI; formed band DeBarge with siblings Marty, James, Randy, and Bunny, 1978, and moved to Hollywood, CA; signed with Motown Records; released three albums, 1983-85; group disbanded, 1985; El DeBarge signed with Motown Records for his solo project; released two albums on Motown, 1986-89; signed with Warner Bros., 1991.

Eldra "El" DeBarge and his nine brothers and sisters all displayed musical talent at an early age. They sang in the gospel choir at the Bethel Pentecostal Church, where their uncle James Abney led the choir and another uncle, Reverend William Abney, served as pastor. Belting out gospel songs stimulated a love for music in the members of the DeBarge family, including Eldra. In time, however, the siblings outgrew the Bethel Pentecostal Church and looked to the recording industry to further their musical aspirations. In 1978, when Eldra was just 18 years old, he moved from his home state of Michigan to Hollywood, California, with his three older brothers--Marty, James, and Randy--and his older sister, Bunny. They planned to impress the executives at Motown Records enough to land a record contract. Two other older brothers, Tommy and Bobby, already had a contract with the label as part of the funk group Switch, which was managed by Jermaine Jackson of the famous Jackson clan.

Under the name DeBarge, Eldra and his bandmates sent Jackson their demo tape; apparently, he didn't even listen to it. But the group didn't give up on their dream that easily. They found out when Jackson had his next scheduled meeting with Switch at the Motown offices and mounted an impromptu concert for him in the hallway. A few months later, DeBarge signed a contract with Motown. Label founder Berry Gordy, Jr., made DeBarge his own special project and personally worked with El DeBarge on his songwriting Five years after DeBarge landed in Hollywood, they released their first album on Motown Records, All This Love. The title track became the band's first hit, and they received their first gold album. Comparisons between DeBarge and the Jacksons flew from everywhere, including the band's management and label. DeBarge's youngest member--producer and star performer El DeBarge--was tagged the next Michael Jackson.