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 name | The Wolfgramm Family |
| Origin | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States |
| Genres | Teen pop, dance-pop, R&B, freestyle, Minneapolis Sound |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Labels | MCA, Shadow Mountain, Liberty Park |
| Associated acts | Boys Club, My Sisters, Against the Season, Jett17 |
| Website | instagram |
| Members | LeRoy 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.
- LeRoy Wolfgramm (born July 19, 1965) – vocals, electric guitar
- Eddie Wolfgramm (born August 14, 1966) – vocals, tenor saxophone, percussion
- Eugene Wolfgramm (born September 24, 1967) – vocals, conga, alto saxophone
- Haini Wolfgramm (born January 25, 1968) – vocals, bass guitar
- Rudy Wolfgramm (born March 1, 1969) – vocals, drums
- Kathi Wolfgramm (born September 6, 1970) – vocals, keyboards, percussion
- Elizabeth Wolfgramm (born August 19, 1972) – vocals, keyboards, percussion
- Moana Wolfgramm (born October 13, 1973) – vocals, keyboards, percussion
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 |
|
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
|
| 2001 | 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Jets
|
| 2004 | All Their Best
|
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
- "The Jets to perform in Manila and Cebu for 30th anniversary tour". MSN Entertainment. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
- TV One's 'Unsung' Celebrates The Jets
- 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.
- 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.
- "US Charts > The Jets". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
- "CAN Charts > The Jets". RPM. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
- "UK Charts > The Jets". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
- "US Certifications > The Jets". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
- David Kent (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- "NLD Charts > The Jets". MegaCharts. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
- "NZ Charts > The Jets". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
Further reading
- Ward, Brooke; Spencer, Jenny (September 18, 2014), "Johnny Lingo Cast, The Jets, and Other Mormon Celebs: Where They Are Now", LDS Living, Deseret Book
Authority control  |
|
|---|