Sister Sledge
Sister Sledge is an American music group from Philadelphia, formed in 1965 by four sisters: Debbie, Joni, Kim, and Kathy Sledge. Their mother Florez Sledge managed them early on. They sing R&B, disco, pop, soul, and more.
They began performing in clubs and talent shows, and after changing record labels they found major success with Atlantic Records’ Atco and Cotillion. In the 1970s they released hits like Love Don’t You Go Through No Changes On Me and Pain Reliever. Their big break came when Chic’s Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards produced their disco-era albums We Are Family (1979) and Love Somebody Today (1980), which included the hits He’s the Greatest Dancer, We Are Family, and Lost in Music. The UK also loved Frankie in 1985.
In 1989 Kathy Sledge left to pursue a solo career, and the group continued with different lineups. They released And Now...Sledge...Again (1992) and later albums as members changed. Joni Sledge died in 2017, and Kim Sledge left the group in 2019. By the early 2020s, new versions of Sister Sledge toured with different members, including Debbie and Kathy leading their own versions.
Sister Sledge has sold more than 20 million records, making them one of the best-selling female groups of the 1970s. They were inducted into the Philadelphia Music Alliance Walk of Fame in 2017, and We Are Family was later honored in the Grammy Hall of Fame and the National Recording Registry.
Their music helped shape disco and pop, influencing groups like En Vogue, Spice Girls, TLC, and Destiny’s Child. They are also noted for name-checking fashion designers in their lyrics, a detail highlighted by Nile Rodgers.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 12:24 (CET).