El DeBarge
Eldra "El" DeBarge (born in 1959 in Grand Rapids, Michigan) was an African-American/Latino R&B and soul singer, the older brother of singers James and Chico DeBarge, and the focal point and lead singer of the DeBarge family group throughout the early-1980s. After founding the group in 1978, the family was discovered by Jermaine Jackson, who signed them and El's older brothers' group Switch to Motown. While Switch went on to some success during the late-1970s, it took The DeBarges three years before their self-titled debut was released. El took more of a vocal leadership and also a penmanship as a songwriter and producer with the release of DeBarge's breakthrough, All This Love, which featured the hit title track and "I Like It", throughout 1982/1983. El's finest moment in DeBarge, however, was 1983's In A Special Way album, writing and singing most of the songs, including hits like the title track and "Time Will Reveal". After the commercial pop success of their 1985 album, Rhythm of the Night, El left the group in 1986 to begin a solo career. He has had modest hits including his collaboration with Quincy Jones on the 1990 quiet storm R&B classic, "Secret Garden", and his cover of the classic 1976 Marvin Gaye ballad, "After the Dance", which he recorded with jazz group 4-Play in 1992. El has since withdrawn from public view following the death of his brother Bobby from an AIDS-related disease. He has now settled into singing primarily gospel music, as has most of his family.
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