High Inergy | |
|---|---|
 Michelle Martin, Linda Howard, Barbara Mitchell (1979) | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Pasadena, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop, R&B, soul, disco |
| Years active | 1977–1983 |
| Labels | Gordy |
| Past members | Linda Howard Michelle Martin Barbara Mitchell Vernessa Mitchell (1977-1978) |
High Inergy was an American R&B and soul girl group who found fame on Motown Records in the late 1970s. They are best known for the hit song, "You Can't Turn Me Off (In the Middle of Turning Me On)".
High Inergy started in 1976 when the four founding singers were discovered by Gwen Gordy Fuqua during a Bicentennial show in Pasadena, California. [1] The members of the group included lead singer Vernessa Mitchell, her sister Barbara Mitchell, Linda Howard and Michelle Martin (or Rumph). [1] The Mitchell sisters were singers, while the remaining members were known primarily for their dancing. [2]
Fashioned after Martha and the Vandellas and the Supremes, the group was signed to Motown's Gordy subsidiary in 1977. [1] They quickly found success with the R&B/pop hit, "You Can't Turn Me Off (In the Middle of Turning Me On)," [1] which reached R&B number 2 and U.S. number 12.
It has always been a mystery as to why Berry Gordy held on to this female group for so long and kept releasing albums and numerous singles. Between 1977 and 1983, Motown released 8 albums on the group. Only the debut set was a bonafide hit with lesser returns on the second and third albums. The company lost money on the last five albums issued. The only real explanation for retaining them is that High Inergy was the brainchild of Gwen Gordy, Berry's sister. Original lead singer Vernessa Mitchell left at the start of their third album "Shoulda Gone Dancin'" to go into gospel music. Motown did feature the remaining trio on its highly rated Motown 25 tv special in 1983. Unaware by viewers was that a second girl, Michelle Rumph, left due to ill health during rehearsals for the special. She was replaced by dancer Pat Douglas. Their single "He's A Pretender" was the last to make a dent on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Just when Motown released their last album, "Groove Patrol," lead singer Barbara Mitchell left for a solo career, thus finally ending the unimpressive careers of High Inergy at Motown.
The group would score a total of nine R&B hits before disbanding for solo careers in 1984. [1]
Group member Linda Howard died on December 9, 2012.
On their 1980 album, Hold On , the group collaborated with labelmates Switch on the track "Hold On to My Love." The song features Switch member Bobby DeBarge as the male lead vocalist. DeBarge also produced and co-wrote the song. [3]
Smokey Robinson performed two duets with Barbara Mitchell on Groove Patrol , [1] High Inergy's last album, which was released in 1983. [4]
| Year | Album | Cat. # | R&B | Pop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Turnin' On [5] | Gordy G6-978 S1 | 6 | 28 |
| 1978 | Steppin' Out [6] | Gordy G7-982 R1 | 46 | 42 |
| 1979 | Shoulda Gone Dancin' [7] | Gordy G7-987 R1 | 72 | 147 |
| Frenzy [8] | Gordy G7-989 R1 | — | 205 | |
| 1980 | Hold On [3] | Gordy G8-996 M1 | 70 | 208 |
| 1981 | High Inergy [9] | Gordy G8-1005 M1 | — | 203 |
| 1982 | So Right [10] | Gordy 6006GL | — | — |
| 1983 | Groove Patrol [4] | Gordy 6041GL | 62 | 206 |
| Year | Single | Cat. No. | R&B | Pop | Dance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | "You Can't Turn Me Off (In the Middle of Turning Me On)" b/w "Save It for a Rainy Day" [5] | Gordy G 7155F | 2 | 12 | - |
| 1978 | "Love Is All You Need" b/w "Some Kinda Magic" [5] | Gordy G 7157F | 20 | 89 | - |
| "We Are the Future" b/w "High School" | Gordy G 7160F | 77 | - | - | |
| "Lovin' Fever" b/w "Beware" | Gordy G 7161F | 51 | - | - | |
| 1979 | "Shoulda Gone Dancin'" b/w "Peaceland" [7] | Gordy G 7166F | 50 | 101 | 35 |
| 1980 | "Make Me Yours" b/w "I Love Makin' Love (To the Music)" | Gordy G 7187F | 68 | - | - |
| 1981 | "Goin' Through the Motions" | Gordy | 73 | — | - |
| 1982 | "First Impressions" b/w "Could This Be Love" | Gordy 1613GF | 50 | - | - |
| 1983 | "He's a Pretender" b/w "Don't Let Up on the Groove" [4] | Gordy 1662GF | 62 | 82 | 25 |
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Turnin' On is the debut album by the group High Inergy. It was released on Motown's Gordy label in 1977.
Shoulda Gone Dancin' was the third album by High Inergy. Now reduced to a trio, this album features Barbara Mitchell on lead vocals, with Vernessa leaving the group during the recording sessions of this album to become a minister and gospel singer. Vernessa is featured lead vocalist on two of the seven songs included, and a brief solo at the beginning of the title track. Barbara would sing lead on the remaining tracks and on all other songs released as High Inergy from this point forward. The album peaked at #72 on Billboard's R&B Album charts and #147 on the Pop Album charts. The album spawned one chart single, the title track, which was a moderate dance and R&B hit. The extended dance mix of the title track also made a respectable showing on Billboard's Disco chart. Because of the sudden shake up in personnel, the album featured no photos of the group on the front or back cover.
Hold On is the fifth album by High Inergy. Like their previous three albums, this one was a commercial and critical disappointment. It peaked at #70 on Billboard's R&B Album charts and failed to make the Top 200 Pop Album charts. The album spawned one chart single, a cover of Bettye Swann's #1 R&B hit, "Make Me Yours", which Andrew Hamilton in his All Music Guide review described as "better-than-the-original." Unfortunately, High Inergy's version failed to achieve the chart success of the original, peaking at just #68.
Groove Patrol was the eighth and final album by High Inergy. It was unique among their albums because instead of using a plethora of producers, the entire album was produced by the same production team. It featured the song, "He's a Pretender," that was a Top 30 Dance single on Billboard and one of their few recordings to hit the Hot 100 pop charts. Smokey Robinson also appeared on two songs. The song, "So Right" was also the title track of the group's previous album. "Groove Patrol" peaked at #62 on the R&B charts. Although original member Michelle Martin Rumph is pictured with the group on both sides of the album, she left just before the album's release. She was replaced by dancer Pat Douglas who performed with Linda Howard and lead singer Barbara Mitchell on Motown 25 and on Soul Train promoting this album. Shortly after those performances Barbara Mitchell left for a solo career with producer George Tobin and Motown retired the group.
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