Timmy84 said:

Boy, that ain't nuthin but an ultraperm

bboy87 said:

Or Soul Glo.

Timmy84 said:

WTF were our people thinking back then? And it was funny as hell seeing old folks wearing that sh!t.

The debarges were/are much better looking than the Jacksons, but we are OT

filmnoirdame said:

Lol. Look at pictures of both these groups above. The Debarge guys are weird looking.
The sister was hot but Janet was hotter..
[Edited 10/2/08 16:19pm]

El, James, Chico and Bobby were gorgeous. El, James and Chico still look good.

Re that whole soul train mess-El has had really bad luck with women and it surprises the hell out of me that it was hushed up like that. Knowing what we know now, I still don't get why the media and the public bought the squeaky clean Debarge act.

Found this interview with El from dec 2007

By far one of my favorite artists, groups, family bands of all time. It's so sad that the DeBarge family had to go out the way they did. Unlike the Jacksons, whose talent depended heavily on the creative forces Michael, the DeBarge's were individually greater than the sum of their parts. Read more of this AHHA interview after the jump.


While the ‘80s babies were babbling nursery rhymes in their playpens, El DeBarge was evolving from a lead singer in a group to a solo sensation. Early on in his career, he witnessed the effect of cocaine on his siblings and initially, seemed as if he was going to be spared from the addiction.
But the lifestyle of a famous celebrity eventually caught up to him and the commonality of drug use in the entertainment business during the ‘90s encouraged it and came along with the territory. Although he was the last to mount the "white horse,” El DeBarge eventually began experimenting with drugs and served jail time, as did his brothers for drug-related charges.
Today, El DeBarge is clean and rejuvenated with hope for the future and lessons learned from the past. He clears up recent slander in regards to a weekend spent in the slammer for fictitious charges concocted by the media, Janet Jackson’s rumored child with his brother, and sheds light on dark, family secrets.
Allhiphop.com Alternatives: You and your brothers and sisters formed the Motown super group, DeBarge. Jermaine Jackson discovered you guys?
El DeBarge: Yeah. Jermaine Jackson did discover us. My brother Bobby was lead singer in Switch, rest in peace. He had set up an audition that we didn't know that we were doing. He told us to go to Jermaine Jackson's office and wait for him until he gets out of his meeting with Jermaine Jackson. I've always been a sort of shy person, so what he did was had us wait in Jermaine's piano room. He had a piano room on the other side of his office. While he was having his meeting, there was a beautiful, baby grand piano. You know I had to play it. So anyway, my brothers and sisters were there with me and we're waiting for Bobby to get out of his meeting, so we're going through songs, and songs and songs. We're just having fun. When we got finished, there was a huge applause in back of us, and Jermaine was listening to us the whole time.
Bobby set this up as an audition, which in hindsight was very clever because he knew I would shy up if I knew we were auditioning. So he talked to Jermaine about us because it was his dream for DeBarge for it to get on its feet and become famous as a "family group," but he was stuck in the group, Switch at the time and contractually he couldn't get out of it so he put us all together. He made me the lead singer of the group; it was the focal point of Bobby's vision. And Bunny – he handpicked everybody for the group, just as well as he did that audition. We turned around and realized that we'd been tricked! The audition was done! That's how Jermaine discovered us.
AHHA: There's a rumor that your brother James fathered Janet Jackson's child although she denied it in 2005. For the record, are you an uncle to Janet's daughter?
El DeBarge: Well, you know it has been in the media for a long time. It has been a whisper and a "hush, hush" kind of thing. "I wonder if there's a baby." I've never seen this child. I've yet to see it. It's something we don't talk about whenever we see Janet. We don't speak about it. My brother Janet and James – that info is privy to them. We just, you know, they'll let us know when they're ready to talk about it. We just respect it. [laughs]
AHHA: In the past, outlandish remarks were made about you and your family – in particular about drug addiction, child abuse and constant questioning of sexual orientation. How have you been able to remain sane during the media madness??
El DeBarge: How have I managed to stay sane? [laughs] That's all due to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He has strengthened me and has replenished me. And it's just that simple. My spiritual background, my spiritual upbringing has a lot to do with that. The road that I took, I never forgot about God. Even when I was addicted to drugs, I would always talk to Him, and He was always there. He let me know, one day, "Just hold on, I understand.” (Excerpts from AllHipHop Alternatives)

filmnoirdame said:

Here is a link to that full interview:

http://allhiphop.com/stor...25497.aspx

That article has some inaccuracies. "I call your name" was a Switch tune, not a Debarge one. And I hate to say it, but I wouldn't call El famous anymore and it seems that the family is still in denial re how Bobby got AIDS

I read that article and while El is fine as hell, he may be a bit off. He is a bit too religious for me and I hate to say it, but he is a Debarge, so his baby making and scandal making days are far from over. Them Debarges could repopulate the earth with all the kids htey have.

filmnoirdame said:

Most of it.I have his 1992 CD 'In The Storm' which I like alot.That's probably his second best solo album.

filmnoirdame said:

Hell no! The debarges aren't even average looking. There's something hillbilly/inbred looking about them. And while admittedly Tito and Jermaine are no lookers, the other boys are gorgeous. Especially Michael and Jackie

filmnoirdame said:

I really get the vibe with chico for some reason however the source that told it to me grew up with him. he only mentioned bobby as far as being gay. I never got that vibe from bobby.

So your source for real said Chico was gay/bi? What else did that source say about the Debarges.

There is nothing hillybilly or inbred looking about Debarge.

filmnoirdame said:

No my source did not say chico was gay he said bobby was. he only said he and chico use to get high together. and that janet was indeed pregnate by james debarge. and that they'd leave here at james mothers house while they all went out and f***ed with other girls.

And as previously stated there was an incident at church where I guess bobby was going through some things and they wanted to pray for him.he went ballistic
saying"I don't need no m****f***ing body praying for me"

Wait, when was this church incident?

filmnoirdame said:

I am not sure what year this went down. I was told of this incident 1994 so I am assuming it was prior to 1988 because the person that told me spoke about things prior to him joining the military. since I had joined before him it had to be 1988 or earlier

Wow. I had always heard Bobby was sweet and quiet

filmnoirdame said:

im still waiting for you to reveal how you are related to debarge

filmnoirdame said:

All of the DeBarges appeared to be "sweet and quiet" until drugs, abuse and all of that hit the picture. I don't understand how anyone thought they were pretty boys/girls.

Their image - crafted by MOTOWN - and sound made you think everything was peachy keen but we know better...right?

a Documentary should be made about them!

For the last time, not related to Debarge. I fell for the image cause I was really young. Way too young to know there was some "behind the music" ish going down

filmnoirdame said:

How old are you? LOL

I'm 26

filmnoirdame said:

you seem to know alot about them,you even know stuff about the mother, how young could you have been? debarge wasnt exactly a kiddie act and their success was short lived

I think I said my older cousins were into them and I was practically raised with them, so I soaked up what they were into, plus I got into El in the 90s and have done some research on them. Why are you giving me the 3rd degree? Anyone can find out what I know about Debarge-it's called Google.

this thread and peeping in
that remasters thread has got me
interested in hearing the JACKSONS
albums ya'll mentioned...

thanx

daingermouz2020 said:

Hello dangermouse, that information you got is private, keep it that way,

filmnoirdame said:

Only two years younger. I knew about the DeBarges' controversy around the time Bobby died, lol.

MArzellus, with all the dirt that came out about Debarge via that Vibe article, you can't be upset w/what dangermouse said. The truth always outs