The Jets (Minnesota band)
The Jets | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | The Wolfgramm Family |
| Origin | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States |
| Genres | Teen pop, dance-pop, R&B, freestyle |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Labels | MCA, Shadow Mountain, Liberty Park |
| Members | LeRoy Wolfgramm Haini Wolfgramm Rudy Wolfgramm Etivise Haunga Donnie Wolfgramm Kelela Wolfgramm |
| Past members | Eugene Wolfgramm Eddie Lavatia Kathi Wolfgramm Elizabeth Atuaia Moana Feinga |
| Website | Official website |
The Jets are a polynesian family band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, composed of brothers and sisters who perform pop, R&B, and dance music. They were discovered by Don Powell, who formally managed Stevie Wonder, David Bowie among other artists.
The group officially formed in 1985 and the original lineup fizzled out by 1990. Several family members remained throughout the 1990s and unofficially revived the group in the mid-to-late 1990s as a gospel outfit including most of the original members.
Various record companies have released collections of songs from the group's popular period, while the modern incarnation of the group continues to perform at various small venues, primarily casinos and private corporate functions.
Background
The original band consisted of the eight oldest children of Maikeli "Mike" and Vaké Wolfgramm, who were originally from the South Pacific island kingdom of Tonga. The family has 17 children: 15 by birth, and two, Eddie and Eugene, by adoption. They are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The band had initially planned to call themselves Quasar, after a then-popular but now-defunct brand of television sets. They eventually took their name from the Elton John song "Bennie and the Jets after being suggested by manager Don Powell, who also created their look. "[1]
Because of a booking mixup, the Jets performed a full set to an empty New Orleans Superdome in the summer of 1987.[2]
Original lineup
- LeRoy Wolfgramm (born July 19, 1965) – vocals, electric guitar
- Edward "Eddie" Wolfgramm (born August 14, 1966) – vocals, tenor saxophone, percussion
- Eugene Wolfgramm (born September 24, 1967) – vocals, conga, alto saxophone
- Heinrich "Haini" Wolfgramm (born January 25, 1968) – vocals, bass guitar
- Rudolph Harold "Rudy" Wolfgramm (born March 1, 1969) – vocals, drums
- Katherine "Kathi" Wolfgramm (born September 6, 1970) – vocals, keyboards, percussion
- Elizabeth "Liz" Wolfgramm (born August 19, 1972) – vocals, keyboards, percussion
- Moana "Grizz" Wolfgramm (born October 13, 1973) – vocals, keyboards, percussion
Successes
The original members of the Jets had a number of Billboard Hot 100 hits and five 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.
Spin-off
In 1988, brother Eugene Wolfgramm (under the alias "Gene Hunt") 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").
Recent appearances
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 Covergirls, and En Vogue.
On April 9, 2010, all the original members (except for Eugene) performed at the State Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was billed as their 25th Anniversary Reunion Show.
In 2013, LeRoy, Eddie, Haini, Rudy, Kathi, Liz, and Moana, along with Natalia, reformed as the Jets to release a new album called "Reunited". The single is a remake of "Crush On You".
In 2015 the band celebrated their 30th anniversary with performances in Manila and Cebu, Philippines.[1]
Their last appearance together was inn July 2015 in Orem, Utah, The 7 original members performed together in a concert with Debbie Gibson.
Sporting event performances
The group performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the seventh game of the 1987 World Series, held in its hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and game three of the 1991 Stanley Cup Final in suburban Bloomington. The band also performed at both the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea and the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Influence
American pop singer Britney Spears recorded a cover version of "You Got It All" in 1997[3] which appears on international editions of her 2000 hit album Oops!... I Did It Again. Also, musical artists Arnee Hidalgo, Pinay and MYMP (Make Your Momma Proud) have covered the same song. Pop singer Aaron Carter covered their song "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 the song "Make It Real" which became a hit in Latin America. Furthermore, Exposé recorded a version of the song "The Same Love" for their self-titled 1992 album Exposé. More recently, the UK electronic music act Nero sampled the song "Crush on You" for their 2011 album track of the same name.
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Record label | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [4] |
US R&B [4] |
CAN [5] |
UK [6] | |||||||||||
| 1985 | The Jets | 17 | 16 | 77 | 57 |
|
MCA | |||||||
| 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 [4] |
US R&B [4] |
US Dan [4] |
US A/C [4] |
AUS [8] |
CAN [5] |
NLD [9] |
NZ [10] |
UK [6] | ||||||
| 1985 | "Curiosity" | — | 8 | 21 | — | — | — | — | 23 | 41 | The Jets | |||
| 1986 | "Crush on You" | 3 | 4 | 4 | — | — | 9 | — | 43 | 5 | ||||
| "Private Number" | 23 | 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" | — | 98 | — | 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" | — | — | — | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Under Any Moon" (re-issue) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Special Kinda Love" | — | 83 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 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
Current Tour
- 2015: The Jets - 30th Anniversary Concert
References
- ^ a b "The Jets to perform in Manila and Cebu for 30th anniversary tour". MSN Entertainment. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
- ^ Kasem, Casey (February 27, 1988). American Top 40 (Radio broadcast). United States: Premiere Networks.
- ^ Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry ... - Steve Knopper - Google Books. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2012-04-13.
- ^ a b c d e f "US Charts > The Jets". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b "CAN Charts > The Jets". RPM. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b "UK Charts > The Jets". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
- ^ a b "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
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