The Bridge: So Excited and Breaking Out
Interviewer and Pointer Sisters expert Christian John Wikane says all the Pointers were vocal titans, which gave them an edge.
[This edition of my Hit Parade—“The Bridge” bonus series is available to Slate Plus subscribers only. A link to the episode show page is below. To sign up for Plus—and tell Slate that Hit Parade sent you!—visit slate.com/hitparadeplus.]
In this mini-episode of Hit Parade, host Chris Molanphy is joined by music journalist and interviewer of vocal legends Christian John Wikane. He says what set apart the Pointer Sisters—including Ruth Pointer, whom Christian has interviewed numerous times—was their across-the-board vocal quality: all three sisters (four in the ’70s, including Bonnie Pointer) were both gifted lead vocalists and natural harmony singers.
Next, Chris quizzes a Slate Plus listener with some music trivia, gives him a chance to turn the tables with a question of his own, and previews next month’s full-length episode. Slate Plus members can sign up for a chance to be our trivia contestant on a future episode here.
Podcast production by Kevin Bendis.