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.
The group became a trio when Vernessa left after the second album to pursue a career in gospel music. [1] Barbara Mitchell replaced her sister as lead singer. [2]
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 |
DeBarge was an American musical recording group composed of several members of the DeBarge family. In addition to various solo projects completed by members of the family, DeBarge was active between 1979 and 1989. The group originally consisted of El, Mark, Randy, and Bunny. James joined the group a year later for their second album. Bobby joined in 1987, following the departures of Bunny and El.
Etterlene "Bunny" DeBarge is an American soul singer–songwriter and the lone female sibling of the Motown family group DeBarge. She was the lead vocalist on the R&B ballad "A Dream", from the group's In a Special Way album, and is also the co-writer of the group's 1982 breakthrough hit, "I Like It" and the number-one hit, "Time Will Reveal".
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"Shake Me, Wake Me " is a song recorded by the American quartet Four Tops for their third studio album, On Top (1966). It was released in February 1966 as a 7" vinyl single through Motown records. It was written and produced by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland. A gospel rock track, its lyrics detail a relationship that has ended. It has since been regarded as one of Four Tops' most successful singles ever. It charted moderately well in both the United States and Canada, and became the group's fifth consecutive entry to chart within the top five of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Four Tops has performed "Shake Me, Wake Me " on various occasions throughout their careers and have included it on several greatest hits albums, including on The Four Tops Greatest Hits (1967) and The Ultimate Collection (1997).
"You Can't Turn Me Off (In the Middle of Turning Me On)" is the debut single by R&B girl group High Inergy, released in 1977. The song was written by Pam Sawyer and Marilyn McLeod and was produced by Kent Washburn and arranged by Sylvester Rivers. It was the first single off their debut album, Turnin' On.
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Romance in the Night is a soft rock album by José Feliciano, consisting of six covers and four Feliciano originals. It was released after Rick Jarrard's return to Motown in 1983. The track "Let’s Find Each Other Tonight” was his first single to make the Country charts and was performed live in the 1996 movie Fargo by the Coen brothers.
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 and the first after the departure of lead vocalist Vernessa Mitchell. Now reduced to a trio, this album features Barbara Mitchell on lead vocals. It 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.
Hold On was 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.
Steppin' Out was the second album by the group High Inergy. It was released on Motown's Gordy label in 1978.
Frenzy is an album by the American musical group High Inergy. It was released in 1979 on Motown's Gordy label.
Clarence R. "Clay" Drayton is an American songwriter, arranger, producer, and sideman best known for his work at Motown. He was the arranger on Diana Ross’s certified gold record, “Love Hangover.”
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This is a discography for albums released by the American rhythm and blues record label Motown as well as its subsidiaries and imprints.
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