El DeBarge

8FnM...nem8

3 Feb 2024

El DeBarge

Eldra "El" Patrick DeBarge, born on June 4, 1961, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his contributions to the family group DeBarge as the focal point and primary lead singer. Some of DeBarge's popular songs include "Time Will Reveal," "Who's Holding Donna Now," "Stay with Me," "All This Love," and "Rhythm of the Night."

In addition to his work with DeBarge, El DeBarge has had a successful solo career, gaining recognition for his unique high tenor register and strong falsetto. His solo hits include "Who's Johnny" and "Love Always." Throughout his career, he has collaborated with various artists spanning different genres, including Dionne Warwick, Al Green, Lalah Hathaway, Tone Loc, Babyface, Faith Evans, Quincy Jones, Fourplay, and DJ Quik.
DeBarge's talent and contributions to music have earned him five Grammy Award nominations, highlighting his impact and influence in the music industry.

Eldra DeBarge, born in Detroit, Michigan, was the sixth child of Robert Louis DeBarge Sr. and Etterlene DeBarge née Abney. His parents' marriage was troubled, marked by Robert's jealousy and abusive behavior, leading to their divorce when Eldra was 13. Eldra's musical journey began in his local church choir, where he sang and played piano as a child. After his family relocated to Grand Rapids, Michigan, they started performing at their uncle's Pentecostal church. Eldra, who is of African-American and French descent, looked up to his eldest brother Bobby and emulated his vocal style.

Under the guidance of music educator Ricky Callier, Eldra began to hone his musical talents. By 1975, he expressed a desire to pursue a career in music. At the age of 16, he became a father for the first time and eventually had a total of twelve children. In 1977, Eldra dropped out of high school and started performing with his older brothers at clubs and venues across Michigan.

In 1979, Eldra's musical journey took him to Los Angeles, thanks to Bernd Lichters securing a deal with Source Records/MCA to release the Pall Mall Groove – Hot Ice album as SMASH for the USA/Canada market. Eldra, along with his brothers Mark and Randy DeBarge, cousin Andre Abney, Elliot Townsend, and Stanley Hood, formed the SMASH band. His eldest sister Bunny also joined them in California. In 1980, Eldra had the opportunity to showcase his talent in front of Motown CEO Berry Gordy, thanks to the success of his brothers Bobby and Tommy DeBarge with the group Switch. Motown signed the group, initially known as The DeBarges, to the label.

At Motown, Eldra and his siblings worked closely with Switch, contributing songwriting, arrangements, and production to Switch's recordings, including the albums "This Is My Dream" and "Reaching for Tomorrow." Eldra's first professional recording was as a background vocalist on Switch's 1979 hit "I Call Your Name." He also helped arrange music for several Switch songs, including "Love Over and Over Again" and "My Friend in the Sky," which he, Bunny, and Bobby co-wrote. These contributions would later be sampled by artists like Queen Pen and Raheem DeVaughn.

In 1981, The DeBarges released their self-titled album after spending a year recording it. Most of the songs on the album were produced and written by all four family members, including Bobby DeBarge, who contributed to the ending of the album track "Queen of My Heart" after Eldra had led the song for most of its duration. The subsequent album, 1982's "All This Love," featured younger brother James and achieved success with the compositions "I Like It" and the title track. Eldra remained the producer and arranger for all of the group's Motown albums.

In 1983, DeBarge released "In a Special Way," which produced hits like "Time Will Reveal" and "Love Me in a Special Way." The band gained significant attention in 1984 while touring with Luther Vandross on his Busy Body tour. However, tensions arose between Eldra and his brothers due to Motown's push to establish Eldra as the primary star of the group, echoing a pattern seen with Smokey Robinson and The Miracles. By the end of the tour, Eldra was primarily responsible for producing DeBarge's next album, "Rhythm of the Night," without much assistance from his siblings. Although Eldra and Bunny were not part of the DeBarge family's last album, "Bad Boys," it became the group's best-selling album, with Eldra being the primary member featured on most tracks, except for the title track.

In 1986, Eldra left the group to embark on his solo career, releasing his self-titled debut album, which featured hits like "Who's Johnny" and "Love Always." After three years, he released his second album, "Gemini," in 1989, which included hits such as "Real Love" and "Somebody Loves You." DeBarge's contract with Motown ended in 1990, and he signed with Warner Bros. He collaborated with Quincy Jones on the single "The Secret Garden" in 1990, alongside Al B. Sure!, James Ingram, and Barry White.

In 1992, Eldra released his third album, "In the Storm," produced by Maurice White, featuring the Chanté Moore duet "You Know What I Like." He found success on the R&B charts with collaborations, including one with Fourplay on their version of Marvin Gaye's "After the Dance." His 1994 album, "Heart, Mind and Soul," co-produced with Babyface, produced modestly charted singles like "Slide" and "Where is My Love." Despite collaborating with other artists, including his brother Chico and rapper DJ Quik, Eldra did not release any albums between 1994 and 2009.

In 2010, Eldra made a comeback with the appropriately titled album "Second Chance," which yielded two singles, "Second Chance" and the Faith Evans duet "Lay With You." The album earned three Grammy Award nominations. In February 2022, Eldra performed a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR Music, and in 2023, Rolling Stone ranked him at number 137 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time, praising his lean and elastic voice and his ability to seamlessly transition into falsetto.