Anita, (Born: January 23, 1948 - December 31, 2022) the second eldest sister in the Pointer family, was married at the age of 17 and had one daughter, Jada, who was immortalized in the Pointer Sisters' song of the same name.
Anita began her professional singing career in 1969, when she quit her job as a secretary in a legal office and joined her sisters Bonnie and June, who were then performing as a duo, calling themselves Pointers-A-Pair. When the group became three, The Pointer Sisters were born. (Prior to their debut album, Ruth joined to form the quartet. (see group bio).
A prolific songwriter, Anita has contributed generously to many of the Pointer Sisters' albums. Her talents even attracted the King himself, Elvis Presley, who recorded "Fairytale" (written by Anita and Bonnie). She has also penned material for other artists, including Jeff Lorber's '80s classic, "Step By Step"
Throughout her career, Anita has worked on various solo projects. In 1986, her duet with Earl Thomas Conley, "Too Many Times" reached #2 on Billboard's Country Chart. She filmed a video for the country hit that featured her singing in the studio with Earl. Anita appeared on various tv shows with Earl to promote the song, including Solid Gold, Crook and Chase and Earl's TNN special. They also performed at the Country Music Awards and presented at the American Music Awards. Anita made her official solo debut in 1987 when RCA Records released "Love For What It Is". The album revisited the country influence that first appeared in the Pointers' "Fairytale". Highlights included a romantic duet with Philip Bailey, "The Pledge", and the record's first single, "Overnight Success", which reached #41 on the R&B chart. A stylish video accompanied the single and Anita performed on various television shows to promote the album, including: American Bandstand, Soul Train and The Arsenio Hall Show. In 2014, Big Break Records re-released "Love For What It Is" remastered with bonus tracks. The liner notes include a new interview with Anita.
In 1998, Anita was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. Although a native of California, as a child she spent many summers with relatives in Arkansas. For more information visit: The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture .
Anita is also a collector of black memorabilia. Over the years, while traveling the world on tour, her collection has grown tremendously in size and in value. A representative from Sotheby's visited her Beverly Hills home to appraise the collection and was overwhelmed by it. He suggested that she loan items to a museum or open a museum of her own! In an interview with Celebrity Collector Magazine, Anita said it's much harder to find black memorabilia today than it was twenty years ago. "I started collecting in the early '80's, and you could pretty much find items everywhere. Not any more. Black memorabilia has become a very popular collectible. I know what I've accumulated is valuable, and I've even thought about putting it on Ebay, but I just can't part with it"
In 2005, Anita recorded "Take Me Home" for an All-Star Tribute to Cher on Cleopatra Records. In 2006, she appeared on "Celebrity Duets" (FOX) performing with Olympic champion Carly Patterson. She can also be seen in the film/documentary "The Secret Revolution of Disco" (2013). Anita released a new single "Feels Like June" and a book in 2020, "Fairytale:The Pointer Sisters' Family Story", now available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Anita's exhibit, “Ever After, A Pointer Sister Collection” opened at the Hollywood Museum in June, 2019 and is currently on display. The exhibit features 50 years of iconic fashion worn by the group and Pointer Sisters' memorabilia.
Songs that are fan favorites with Anita on lead vocal include: "Yes We Can, Can", "Fire", "Slow Hand", "I'm So Excited", "Freedom", "Insanity" and "I Want Fireworks".
By: Paul Ciulla
POINTER FACT: In 1977, Anita recorded an album for ABC records that was never released.
visit: AnitaPointer.com
Anita began her professional singing career in 1969, when she quit her job as a secretary in a legal office and joined her sisters Bonnie and June, who were then performing as a duo, calling themselves Pointers-A-Pair. When the group became three, The Pointer Sisters were born. (Prior to their debut album, Ruth joined to form the quartet. (see group bio).
A prolific songwriter, Anita has contributed generously to many of the Pointer Sisters' albums. Her talents even attracted the King himself, Elvis Presley, who recorded "Fairytale" (written by Anita and Bonnie). She has also penned material for other artists, including Jeff Lorber's '80s classic, "Step By Step"
Throughout her career, Anita has worked on various solo projects. In 1986, her duet with Earl Thomas Conley, "Too Many Times" reached #2 on Billboard's Country Chart. She filmed a video for the country hit that featured her singing in the studio with Earl. Anita appeared on various tv shows with Earl to promote the song, including Solid Gold, Crook and Chase and Earl's TNN special. They also performed at the Country Music Awards and presented at the American Music Awards. Anita made her official solo debut in 1987 when RCA Records released "Love For What It Is". The album revisited the country influence that first appeared in the Pointers' "Fairytale". Highlights included a romantic duet with Philip Bailey, "The Pledge", and the record's first single, "Overnight Success", which reached #41 on the R&B chart. A stylish video accompanied the single and Anita performed on various television shows to promote the album, including: American Bandstand, Soul Train and The Arsenio Hall Show. In 2014, Big Break Records re-released "Love For What It Is" remastered with bonus tracks. The liner notes include a new interview with Anita.
In 1998, Anita was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. Although a native of California, as a child she spent many summers with relatives in Arkansas. For more information visit: The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture .
Anita is also a collector of black memorabilia. Over the years, while traveling the world on tour, her collection has grown tremendously in size and in value. A representative from Sotheby's visited her Beverly Hills home to appraise the collection and was overwhelmed by it. He suggested that she loan items to a museum or open a museum of her own! In an interview with Celebrity Collector Magazine, Anita said it's much harder to find black memorabilia today than it was twenty years ago. "I started collecting in the early '80's, and you could pretty much find items everywhere. Not any more. Black memorabilia has become a very popular collectible. I know what I've accumulated is valuable, and I've even thought about putting it on Ebay, but I just can't part with it"
In 2005, Anita recorded "Take Me Home" for an All-Star Tribute to Cher on Cleopatra Records. In 2006, she appeared on "Celebrity Duets" (FOX) performing with Olympic champion Carly Patterson. She can also be seen in the film/documentary "The Secret Revolution of Disco" (2013). Anita released a new single "Feels Like June" and a book in 2020, "Fairytale:The Pointer Sisters' Family Story", now available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Anita's exhibit, “Ever After, A Pointer Sister Collection” opened at the Hollywood Museum in June, 2019 and is currently on display. The exhibit features 50 years of iconic fashion worn by the group and Pointer Sisters' memorabilia.
Songs that are fan favorites with Anita on lead vocal include: "Yes We Can, Can", "Fire", "Slow Hand", "I'm So Excited", "Freedom", "Insanity" and "I Want Fireworks".
By: Paul Ciulla
POINTER FACT: In 1977, Anita recorded an album for ABC records that was never released.
visit: AnitaPointer.com