How many debarge brothers

Their mother had now said goodbye to six of her children. No matter what happens and comes your way, love one another through thick and thin. A test of love. The siblings met Jermaine Jackson in an elevator; he asked them to sing for him and, once again, was all in, signing the group to Motown Records. Mama D moved to California for a few years to support her children and be there for them as they grappled with newfound fame. Immediately, comparisons were made between the fresh-faced DeBarge siblings and the Jackson 5.

Top 40 hits. DeBarge would go on to score five Top 40 pop singles, two No. DeBarge was one of the few Motown success stories of the s. Five things to know about Mama DeBarge:. When the pop star would tour through Grand Rapids, she always made sure Mama D had tickets to the show. Thank the Lord, says their mama. My emotions were all over the place. Fame and addiction. Legendary Motown founder Berry Gordy played the same trick on the DeBarges he had played on the Jacksons: He exalted one of them above the others.

El being set apart caused each one of them to have bad feelings. Of the DeBarge children who struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, some of them ended up serving hard time in prison for drug-related offenses, including Bobby, El and Chico.

When Barry broke the group up, some of the members reemerged to form a group named Hot Ice and they released an album in The group connected with Jermaine Jackson and signed to Motown Records.

It is believed that Bobby was already addicted to heroin and other drugs well before Switch became the official group. His battle with drugs would continue for years to come. Counting the two albums they released under different names, Bobby DeBarge released 6 albums with Greg Williams and the Switch members. The last Switch album was released in Bobby DeBarge Arrest Bobby DeBarge ended up being sentenced to 5 years on drug trafficking charges for his role in trying to smuggle drugs across the country.

He was arrested in Grand Rapids Michigan in and served time until in a Wisconsin prison until Bobby physically and sexually abused his brother. James admitted to such on an episode of Lifechangers with Dr. Bobby was physically and sexually abused by his father and in turn Bobby did the same to James. No surprise this James DeBarge abuse and torment led to some troubling times for James as well. Yes, he did marry Janet Jackson, becoming her first husband, but that was his height of good times and it was short lived.

The couple eloped back in , but the marriage was over less than a year later and they divorced in El DeBarge has 12 children. Bobby burst into the limelight as the lead singer of Motown group Switch.

Besides singing, Bobby served as a co-producer and mentor for the other DeBarge brothers. His musical career was marred by numerous personal problems ranging from drug trafficking charges to substance abuse. How old was Bobby DeBarge when he passed on? He was 39 years old. The singer was born on March 5, , in Detroit, Michigan, and he died on August 16, His parents were Robert DeBarge Sr.

The DeBarge family relocated to Grand Rapids in the s, after which Bobby began performing as part of various local bands. He later joined a few of his friends to form White Heat, Barry White's background music group. Who is Bobby DeBarge? Here is a look at the life of the famed Switch singer. Bobby was the oldest male child of the DeBarge family, born to Etterlene and Robert DeBarge over the course of their marriage, which lasted 21 years.

Etterlene Louise was a gospel singer who really pushed her children and helped them hone their talent. She was 17 and romantically inexperienced. Robert was four years older, in the army, and white, which made him socially forbidden fruit. Unfortunately, he was also "insanely jealous," according to Etterlene, and ordered her not to wear jewelry, makeup, or anything else that might attract another man.

After a hasty wedding, things rapidly went downhill. Etterlene said Robert tormented her physically and emotionally, even keeping her "continuously pregnant. Etterlene's children had horrific memories of their father. Bobby allegedly took the bulk of the abuse, but all the children suffered.

Bunny would blame the siblings' professional woes and personal struggles on the ugliness they endured as children. Robert Sr. It's easy to spot similarities between the DeBarges and the Jacksons yes, those Jacksons. Eight of the 10 DeBarge siblings had music careers while all nine Jacksons had solo hits. Heck, he kind of sounded like Michael with a slight cold. As the Michael of the group, El received special treatment from Motown architect Berry Gordy, who saw El as a budding solo artist.

But the prospect of being split up "was very painful" for the close-knit siblings, according to their mother. However, in a interview with the LA Times , El seemed to remember things a little differently, explaining, "I wanted to move out of the group and give the others some creative space.

El officially started dancing to his own drum beat after DeBarge released Rhythm of the Night , but he stumbled out of the gate. Previously hailed as the creative soul of DeBarge, he did zero writing or producing for his first solo album, plainly titled El DeBarge. He blamed his lack of involvement on a failed romance, but it wasn't his only source of sadness.

El felt lonely without his siblings. In a interview with the LA Times , El DeBarge made a weirdly unsettling admission: "There are these personalities in me, so many of them.

In El pleaded no-contest to causing a misdemeanor disturbance after a Michigan woman accused him of attacking her. As reported by Jet , the year-old singer had allegedly "pulled her hair, dragged her to the floor, and hit her" when she refused his advances at a hotel.

That's not even a slap on the wrist for a wealthy musician — more like a wrist massage. In the singer found himself in handcuffs again, this time for possible domestic violence. Afterward, El's more peaceful personalities appeared to take over, but in TMZ revealed he tried to settle an argument by arming himself with a wrench and chasing a dude. The dude, who wanted no part of El or his wrench, fled to an RV, at which point El bashed in the vehicle's windshield.

He was charged with felony vandalism. Far too often in life, we're forced to choose between career success and personal happiness. As People detailed , in Janet Ms. Jackson, if you're nasty eloped with James DeBarge above. But her manager wanted to cultivate the image of nasty Janet, not a carnally unavailable married woman. Plus, Janet's family wasn't exactly thrilled about the union, which caught them off guard. Not everyone seemed startled by the elopement.