The Jets (Minnesota band)

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The Jets
Birth nameThe Wolfgramm Family
Origin Robbinsdale, Minnesota, U.S.
Genres
Years active1985–present
Labels MCA, Shadow Mountain, Liberty Park
MembersLeRoy Wolfgramm
Eddie Wolfgramm
Haini Wolfgramm
Rudy Wolfgramm
Kathi Wolfgramm
Elizabeth Wolfgramm
Moana Wolfgramm
Past membersEugene Wolfgramm (deceased)
Website instagram.com/the80sjets

The Jets are a Tongan American pop and R&B family band from Robbinsdale, a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota. [1] The Jets are composed of brothers and sisters LeRoy, Eddie, Eugene, Haini, Rudy, Kathi, Elizabeth, and Moana Wolfgramm, who perform pop, R&B, and dance music. [2] They started performing as a family band in 1977. The group enjoyed worldwide success in 1985–1990, performing three world tours, and producing five top-10 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Contents

Background

The original band consisted of the eight oldest children of Maikeli "Mike" and Vaké Wolfgramm, who were originally from Tonga. [3] The family has 17 children: 15 by birth, and two, Eddie and Eugene, by adoption. The children attended Robbinsdale Cooper High School. The family are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The band initially called themselves Quasar [3] after a now-defunct brand of television sets. They changed their name to the Jets, a name taken from the Elton John song "Bennie and the Jets", on the suggestion of manager Don Powell. [4]

Member Eugene Wolfgramm died on April 15, 2024, at the age of 57. [5]

Career

The original members of the Jets had a number of Billboard Hot 100 hits, five of which reached the top ten, including the 1986 single "Crush on You", [3] which peaked at No. 3 in July 1986 (No. 5 UK, No. 4 US R&B, No. 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 No. 88 on the Hot 100, reached No. 1 on the Billboard dance chart. "You Got It All" and "Make It Real", both ballads featuring lead vocals by Elizabeth Wolfgramm, were No. 1 hits on the Billboard adult contemporary chart. [6] The band was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1988 for the song "Rocket 2 U" that featured 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 Minneapolis, and at Game 3 of the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals 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

Line-up

The Jets' original lineup consisted of eight of the siblings.

Spin-off

In 1988, Eugene Wolfgramm (who reverted to his birth name [5] of Eugene Hunt) and Joe Pasquale formed the duo Boys Club, which recorded for MCA Records. [3] Boys Club released the song "I Remember Holding You", which reached No. 8 on the Hot 100. [3] 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 , on which 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, [8] which appears on international editions of her 2000 album Oops!... I Did It Again . Musical artists Arnee Hidalgo, Pinay, and MYMP 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.

The Jets and the Jets Original Family Band

As of 2022, there are two touring groups of Jets, which include original members:

Discography

Studio albums

YearAlbumPeak chart positions Certifications Record label
US
[9] 		US
R&B
CAN
[10] 		UK
[11]
1985 The Jets 21167757 MCA
1986 Christmas with The Jets ————
1987 Magic 3526——
1989 Believe 10774——
1995 Love People ————Liberty Park
1997 Love Will Lead the Way ————Shadow Mountain
1998 Then & Now ———— Cold Front
2006Versatility———— Hip-O
2014 Reunited ————Refinement Records
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Live albums

YearAlbum details
2007Greatest Hits Live

Compilation albums

YearAlbum details
1990 The Best of The Jets
  • Released: November 27, 1990
  • Label: MCA
2001 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Jets
  • Released: October 9, 2001
  • Label: MCA
2004 Greatest Hits
  • Released: August 8, 2004
  • Label: K-tel

Singles

YearSinglePeak chart positionsAlbum
US
[13] 		US
R&B
[14] 		US
Dan
[15] 		US
A/C
[16] 		AUS
[17] 		CAN
[10] 		NLD
[18] 		NZ
[19] 		UK
[11]
1985"Curiosity"—821————2341The Jets
1986"Crush on You"344——9—435
"Private Number"4728———————
"You Got It All"32—1—11——79
1987"Cross My Broken Heart"7118——17—32—Magic
"I Do You"2019———68———
1988"Rocket 2 U"653—791290—69
"Make It Real"424—1—6———
"Anytime"———35—————
"Sendin' All My Love"88721——————
1989"You Better Dance"597328——————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

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References

  1. ↑ "Minnesota's Impact on 80s Music". May 23, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  2. ↑ Prato, Greg. "Biography". AllMusic . Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1284. ISBN   0-85112-939-0.
  4. 1 2 "The Jets to perform in Manila and Cebu for 30th anniversary tour". MSN Entertainment. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Eugene Fh Hunt". Legacy. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  6. ↑ "The Jets [pop band] Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography". Music VF. Archived from the original on February 18, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  7. ↑ "TV One's 'Unsung' Celebrates The Jets". Eurweb.com. March 17, 2019. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  8. ↑ Knopper, Steve (January 6, 2009). Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry ... - Steve Knopper - Google Books. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   9781416594550. Archived from the original on August 22, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
  9. ↑ "The Jets: Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard . Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  10. 1 2 "CAN Charts > The Jets". RPM . Retrieved July 23, 2013.
  11. 1 2 "UK Charts > The Jets". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on February 18, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
  12. 1 2 "American certifications – The Jets". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  13. ↑ "The Jets: Chart History - Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  14. ↑ "The Jets: Chart History - Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  15. ↑ "The Jets: Chart History - Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  16. ↑ "The Jets: Chart History - Adult Contemporary". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  17. ↑ David Kent (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  18. ↑ "NLD Charts > The Jets". MegaCharts. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
  19. ↑ "NZ Charts > The Jets". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2013.

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