# The Pointers are down a sister **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 12, 2006, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pointers-are-down-a-sister/352421 "2006-04-12T19:35:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pointers-are-down-a-sister/352421/1 "2006-04-12T19:35:54Z")
June Pointer, of the 80s group The Pointer Sisters, has [died](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060412/ap_en_mu/obit_pointer). ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pointers-are-down-a-sister/352421/2 "2006-04-12T22:03:36Z")
Amazing, after reading that link I find that I know the words toa lot more Pointer Sister songs than I thought I did . ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pointers-are-down-a-sister/352421/3 "2006-04-12T23:30:35Z")
This makes me very sad. I was a fan from way back. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pointers-are-down-a-sister/352421/4 "2006-04-13T00:32:50Z")
I liked their harmonies. They used to appear on the Carol Burnett Show–they were good and actually good comedic performers. 52 is young to die. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![buns3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c89c15/32.png) [@buns3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buns3000)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pointers-are-down-a-sister/352421/5 "2006-04-13T03:42:55Z")
I’m so not excited. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pointers-are-down-a-sister/352421/6 "2006-04-13T06:13:53Z")
The second to last paragraph seems extraneous to the story and kind of shits on the obit. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pointers-are-down-a-sister/352421/7 "2006-04-13T08:23:10Z")
Also famous for the Pinball Number Count: Ready kids?: (Song and animation on the link) [1 2 3 4 5, 6 7 8 9 10, 11 12!!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xalqmWHgnjo&search=%26quot%3BPinball%20Number%20Count%26quot%3B) ---
**Author:** ![Cordial\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/94ad74/32.png) [@Cordial\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cordial_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pointers-are-down-a-sister/352421/8 "2006-04-13T13:06:11Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Also famous for the Pinball Number Count: > > Ready kids?: > > (Song and animation on the link) > [1 2 3 4 5, 6 7 8 9 10, 11 12!!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xalqmWHgnjo&search=%26quot%3BPinball%20Number%20Count%26quot%3B) And for being the first black female singers to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. They won a Grammy Award in 1975 for **Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal** for “Fairytale”. Pretty wild. RIP June ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pointers-are-down-a-sister/352421/9 "2006-04-13T15:09:30Z")
> [@Cordial Jim](#): > > And for being the first black female singers to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. They won a Grammy Award in 1975 for **Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal** for “Fairytale”. > > Pretty wild. > > RIP June I remember this song and am astonished that it even got a mention it the obit. It was a great one–I remember my dad telling us all about this terrific new song by a group called The Pointer Sisters and how we all loved it when we finally got to hear it! But when they became such an 80’s pop icon, I would always get a blank look from people when I mentioned this tune. ---
**Author:** ![Cordial\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/94ad74/32.png) [@Cordial\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cordial_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2006, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pointers-are-down-a-sister/352421/10 "2006-04-14T16:52:39Z")
Yeah, and they did some **Bee-Bop** and **Jazz** back in the early days, too. These cats were more than just an 80s Pop act. It’s a shame more people don’t realize that. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2006, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pointers-are-down-a-sister/352421/11 "2006-04-14T20:41:07Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Also famous for the Pinball Number Count: > > Ready kids?: > > (Song and animation on the link) > [1 2 3 4 5, 6 7 8 9 10, 11 12!!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xalqmWHgnjo&search=%26quot%3BPinball%20Number%20Count%26quot%3B) No Way!! Really? My toddlers are now watching SS videos & that bit, which I love, is included on a lot of them (notably _Let’s Make Music_ featuring STOMP, released in 2000). Anyway, so sorry to hear about her passing. Her music still brings me joy, _That’s a Plenty_ is wonderful. And yeah, tacky way to end an obit. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2006, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pointers-are-down-a-sister/352421/12 "2006-04-14T20:42:54Z")
I had to order _That’s a Plenty_ from Japan, BTW. Worth every penny. When _Fairytale_ started getting a lot of play, people were amazed to learn that the singers were Black. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2020, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pointers-are-down-a-sister/352421/13 "2020-06-08T23:38:47Z")
Updating this thread they are now down another sister: Bonnie died at age 69: > **[Bonnie Pointer of the Pointer Sisters Dies at 69](https://variety.com/2020/music/news/bonnie-pointer-dead-dies-pointer-sisters-1234628072/)** > > Bonnie Pointer, who rose to fame as a member of the Pointer Sisters, has died at age 69. A representative said the cause of death was cardiac arrest. “It is with great sadness that I have to announ… ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pointers-are-down-a-sister/352421/14 "2020-06-09T13:58:20Z")
That really blows. I remember being bummed in 2006, and now this. Time for a Pointer Sisters music listening session. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2020, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pointers-are-down-a-sister/352421/15 "2020-06-10T16:18:47Z")
A relative of mine was Bonnie Pointer’s high school drama teacher. Actually he taught all of the Pointer sisters I think. I told him about her death today; he hadn’t heard about it. He says Bonnie was a very talented actress but very emotional and challenging to teach sometimes. She was still using her birth name “Pat” back then.