HatrinaHaterwitz said:

We also must remember that whippings and spankings were common during that time. I'm not trying to justify anything or anyone's actions, but that was popular during that time.

I, too, would rather not hear about the abuse.

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

You just contradicted your own statement. You DO NOT know. You are only going by gossip. Therefore, you do not have first hand info. When you get first hand info, I'll leave it alone. I'm not trying to justify anything but the fact that we DON'T KNOW.

If you are a member of the family or saw him first hand, you don't know it's a fact. That's Journalism 101.
[Edited 9/1/09 20:26pm]

daPrettyman said:

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Well we all have heard about it so let's not pretend he was just giving out normal parental spankings. He was molesting and beating the crap out of these kids and their lives as adults are in a disastous state

laurarichardson said:

I'm not in denial. There are 3 sides to every story and no one really knows the truth.

daPrettyman said:

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Well let’s just discount what all 10 children are saying as well as the mom and her family. They are all just making up these stores for grins and giggles.

Well, I don't know what went on with the DeBarge family while they were being raised, but I worked with them in 83 and 84, booking them on TV and Radio appearances for the company. With the exception of Bunny and El, the rest of the members were on a salary at Motown of about $500.00 per week. I think El was paid $25,000.00 total for the "Love Me In A Special Way", and Bunny I think got the same. They were all so hard to wrangle together, and they all were vying for the spotlight in some sense. James was a little quiet - turns out he was having a clandestine relationship with Janet. Their elopement was a surprise. I barely knew they knew each other. Joseph Jackson had an office in the same building a few floors beneath ours, so I'd often see Janet or Katharine or LaToya back then. Michael used to come up to the offices too, but he usually dropped in after 7pm to see Suzanne DePasse or Suzanne Costen or Tony Jones or my old boss, Bob Jones. Once we were doing a spot for some TV show at a rehearsal studios. I was trying to get their social security numbers for a form we needed to fill out. None of them had a clue as to what theirs might be. I laugh at that because as untogether I thought they were, when they sat down together and harmonized it was like they were consummate pros. And each of them could sing lead beautifully. That day I was talking with Marty at the piano. He started explaining to me how he was tapping around on the keyboard and came up with the melody for "All This Love". I felt sad because I don't believe he was credited with writing the song. Yet, I knew he was telling he truth. The last time I saw any of them I believe it was several years ago (maybe more) on Sunset Blvd. near Highland. I just spoke briefly about the good old days around the time of Motown 25 (another eventual night for me - with MJ). The only thing they ever said to me about their dad was the he was a terrible dancer...like father, like sons...

Well, I don't know what went on with the DeBarge family while they were being raised, but I worked with them in 83 and 84, booking them on TV and Radio appearances for the company. With the exception of Bunny and El, the rest of the members were on a salary at Motown of about $500.00 per week. I think El was paid $25,000.00 total for the "Love Me In A Special Way" album, and Bunny I think got the same. They were all so hard to wrangle together, and they all were vying for the spotlight in some sense. James was a little quiet - turns out he was having a clandestine relationship with Janet. Their elopement was a surprise. I barely knew they knew each other. Joseph Jackson had an office in the same building a few floors beneath ours, so I'd often see Janet or Katharine or LaToya back then. Michael used to come up to the offices too, but he usually dropped in after 7pm to see Suzanne DePasse or Suzanne Costen or Tony Jones or my old boss, Bob Jones. Once we were doing a spot for some TV show at a rehearsal studios. I was trying to get their social security numbers for a form we needed to fill out. None of them had a clue as to what theirs might be. I laugh at that because as untogether I thought they were, when they sat down together and harmonized it was like they were consummate pros. And each of them could sing lead beautifully. That day I was talking with Marty at the piano. He started explaining to me how he was tapping around on the keyboard and came up with the melody for "All This Love". I felt sad because I don't believe he was credited with writing the song. Yet, I knew he was telling he truth. The last time I saw any of them I believe it was several years ago (maybe more) on Sunset Blvd. near Highland. I just spoke briefly about the good old days around the time of Motown 25 (another eventful night for me - with MJ). The only thing they ever said to me about their dad was that he was a terrible dancer...like father, like sons...
[Edited 9/3/09 13:11pm]

Rkngwthu said:

$500 per week? That's it? El and Bunny only getting 25k for the whole damn album? What the hell kind of rip off mess is that! And I thought TLC and NE had it bad.

DesireeNevermind said:

I just can't wait for the TRUE story of Berry Gordy to be told!

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

There are a lot of them floating around. There are LOTS of Motown books that have court filings and stories from artists. He shafted LOTS of people.

laurarichardson said:

Look, if you'd read my other posts, you'll see how I really feel.

I'm not discounting any of the family's accounts on what happened. The people here were acting as if the man beat and abused them and acting as if Robert had done something to them or their family. Truth is, we don't know if the family had forgiven him. We don't know the entire situation.

daPrettyman said:

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Dude people here are acting like Robert did something to the family because that is what the family is stating and it did appear that they had forgiven him because they did not really rake him over the coles when the family was profiled on Unsung on TVONE.

Did you even see the program?

laurarichardson said:

You misunderstood what I said. I said that the people here were acting as if they were personally beat and abused by Robert and that definitely is NOT the case.

Yes, I saw the program....more than once. I saw that and feel that they had actually forgiven him.

I guess I'm so adamant about us not knowing everything because I know a few people that work closely with industry insiders. I hear stories and "gossip" all of the time about abuse, neglect, denial, etc. from them all of the time about different celebrities. The truth is that all of us in the public DO NOT know the full stories. We only know what is fed to us through the media machine. Sometimes these stories of abuse are fabricated to make the story more appealing to the public. I'm not saying this is the situation with the Debarge family, but it is in many celebrity families.

laurarichardson said:

You misunderstood what I said. I said that the people here were acting as if they were personally beat and abused by Robert and that definitely is NOT the case.

Yes, I saw the program....more than once. I saw that and feel that they had actually forgiven him.

I guess I'm so adamant about us not knowing everything because I know a few people that work closely with industry insiders. I hear stories and "gossip" all of the time about abuse, neglect, denial, etc. from them all of the time about different celebrities. The truth is that all of us in the public DO NOT know the full stories. We only know what is fed to us through the media machine. Sometimes these stories of abuse are fabricated to make the story more appealing to the public. I'm not saying this is the situation with the Debarge family, but it is in many celebrity families.

daPrettyman said:

I'm curious DP, where is an instance where you think a story of abuse was in fact fabricated to make an artist "more appealing???"

daPrettyman said:

I'm curious DP, where is an instance where you think a story of abuse was in fact fabricated to make an artist "more appealing???"

Rkngwthu said:

$500 per week? That's it? El and Bunny only getting 25k for the whole damn album? What the hell kind of rip off mess is that! And I thought TLC and NE had it bad.

SCNDLS said:

I guess I should have said "abuse" specifically. I should have also used "sensationalized".

However, if you look at the Chris Brown and Rihanna situation. It is a good example of how stories have been twisted and turned to make them more sensational. For instance, we had never really heard how violent Rihanna is/was. All we keep hearing about is Chris' history. Some stories have gone as far as to blame his mother for his abusive behavior.

daPrettyman said:

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Chris is a man do you really think Rihanna has the albility to hurt Chris. In addtion, he admitted to the police he had hit her three earlier times.

Chris closed the case on himself when he did not walk away from the situation that third a final time and I am not saying that both don't have problems but be a fucking a man and know how to keep your hands to yourself and walk away.

laurarichardson said:

Yes, I think she had the ability to do damage to him. Maybe not hurt him as bad as he did her, but from what I've heard from the people I know that worked closely with them, they were beating each other up. This, like so many other cases, is one where we will never hear the whole truth.

daPrettyman said:

Do you think the same about the Jacksons and Ike & Tina Turner? Just asking. Nothing personal.

You seem to have very interesting arguments lately.

Timmy84 said:

I know....I don't know what I'm on. Maybe it's because I'm getting closer to another birthday.

Anyway, the Ike and Tina thing I feel was mostly him. I say that only because I used to work with a guy that played bass with Ike for a while and he told me a LOT of crazy stories about Ike and his love of guns, women and abuse to women, men and his children.

The Jacksons: I don't buy a lot of the "abuse" stories from them either. I think it was more good ole' ass whoopin's that Joe gave. If there was "abuse", I think it was more mental abuse because he thought he was the shit. Not to mention he was a playa even during those times.

DesireeNevermind said:

Most of the Motown acts - besides Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross (in later years), MJ and Stevie Wonder - were broke by the time they left Motown, they didn't get a lot of money despite giving Motown hits. The DeBarges were just one of many.

DesireeNevermind said:

Most of the Motown acts - besides Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross (in later years), MJ and Stevie Wonder - were broke by the time they left Motown, they didn't get a lot of money despite giving Motown hits. The DeBarges were just one of many.

Timmy84 said:

That's true This is why Teena Marie left Motown.Her 1981 album 'It Must Be Magic' was a huge seller but she was paid very little for it,even though she wrote and produced it herself.

SoulAlive said:

aw that is messed up. This is why some folk don't want to do business with black companies because they probably figured they will get ripped off just as much if not moreso than they would with white companies. I'm thinking of Mike Tyson and how he went to work with Don King cuz he thought the brotha was gonna get him paid and he turned out to still get ripped off and exploited. dayum shame.


wow....digressing from Daddy Debarge and his abuse.


ok. like I said before. Fuck Robert Debarge Sr. may be rot in hell.