DJ Cassidy’s Pass The Mic Inaugural edition included Earth, Wind & Fire performing “Singasong” and Kathy Sledge with Nile Rodgers reigniting their hit “We Are Family.” Together they all celebrated the beginning of the Biden-Harris presidency with the warmth of soul classics and a message of unity. 

[youtube id=”oMVe_HcyP9Y”] Joni Sledge of the family singing group Sister Sledge has passed at age 60. Sledge was found dead at her home in Arizona on Friday. Sister Sledge became popular upon the release of their breakthrough album We Are Family in 1979. Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic wrote and produced all of the music on that album which held their two biggest songs “We Are Family” and “He’s The Greatest Dancer.” Sledge and her sisters Debbie, Kathy and Kim formed Sister Sledge in 1971 but did not become famous until the disco era. They released eight albums and performed for the Clinton Administration’s White House, the Glastonbury Music Festival, Oprah’s Women Who Rock episode and a charity show for Pope Francis. The group last performed together in October of last year.

Kathy, Debbie, Joni and and Kim Sledge are sisters from Philadelphia who formed their Baptist trained singing group in 1971. Their grandmother Viola Williams was an opera singer and they used to perform under the name of Mrs. Williams’ Grandchildren. First albums Circle Of Love and Together in ’75 and ’77 produced modest R&B hits “Love, Don’t You Go Through No Changes On Me” and “Blockbuster Boy.” It wasn’t until they worked with Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic in ’79 that their voices began to travel up the charts and into the nation’s permanent musical memories. The Chic connection is how their classic album We Are Family got produced and this is where “He’s The Greatest Dancer” came from under the disco style tutelage of Rodgers and Edwards. “We Are Family” their most successful song was the title track to the album and “Lost In Music” is another dance favorite also from that set. Love Somebody Today and All American girls followed and made an impression with “Got To Love Somebody,” “Pretty Baby” and “Next Time You’ll Know.” The sisters went on to release ten more albums with the Earth, Wind and Fire influenced African Eyes from ’97 being their last critical success. The band still tours and Kathy Sledge is known on the dance scene for “Take Me Back To Love Again” and “Another Star.”