I was just googling Tommy DeBarge's name and read that his autobiography, one he co-wrote with his longtime wife April (which I'm not mistaken is his only wife but I'm not sure), will be out on the 28th of this month.

It's called "There'll Never Be: A Story of Forgiveness".

You can pre-order it here:

http://www.amazon.com/The...mp;sr=8-22

Hmm, his full name is Thomas Keith DeBarge, didn't know that.

He follows his moms and his sister with biographies out.

I just received Tommy's book today via Amazon. There had been a delay on gettingout most of the copies, but they're moving now.

I was quite surprised that it's hardbound w/ a dust jacket. I'd expected a paper bound book like w/ his mother and sister. It's beautifully done (nice cover art) and 331 pages long. I'm about to plunge in for what I know will be an incredible read from the 1st male DeBarge to talk extensively about their family.

Anybody else buy this book?

Damn how many Debarges have written a book? sounds interesting though.

WHAT?! How did this news get pass me? Thank God for this site. Okay, it says large print. Exactly how large? They're not talking JUMBO, are they? Thanks for this. Yeah, the book is on the expensey side.

nursev said:

Damn how many Debarges have written a book? sounds interesting though.

I wonder if Bunny is going to ever come with Part 2 of her book. The first book was really good, better than the Mama's, but I liked hers, too. Bunny's book had more details and juice and it was a bit of a cliff-hanger.

kellistarr120 said:

nursev said:

Damn how many Debarges have written a book? sounds interesting though.

I wonder if Bunny is going to ever come with Part 2 of her book. The first book was really good, better than the Mama's, but I liked hers, too. Bunny's book had more details and juice and it was a bit of a cliff-hanger.

I need to check these books out-their Unsung is enough to make anybody cry. That family will forever have my sympathy.

I just ordered the book. I'll chime back in when I receive it and read it!

kellistarr120 said:

WHAT?! How did this news get pass me? Thank God for this site. Okay, it says large print. Exactly how large? They're not talking JUMBO, are they? Thanks for this. Yeah, the book is on the expensey side.

Oh sorry, I should have said somethng about this. This large print issue was the cause of the delay for the books coming out. The sites selling it were supposed to change that in the listing. The orders are being sent out now w/o a problem, so if you wanna order, you'll get it ASAP.

This book isn't large print at all. In fact, the print is rather small and dense.

OK if anyone wants some detailed reviews of the book, I've read most of it and can give some tidbits about what's there. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but if anybody has any content questions I'm willing to answer.

I've never read Bunny's book*, but I have read MamaD's. I'll say that Tommy is far better w/ timelines and sequences of events than MamaD and/or Bunny in interviews. He clears up some important qustions that the others seem to obscure. Most of his sibling info deals w/ Bobby and not El. PapaD comes thru as both more of a human and more of a sociopath than in other accounts. MamaD is shown as a far more complex and complicated woman than she comes across in her version of things.

Last but not least, Tommy confirms MamaD's account of Ducky's death.

*If anyone has a copy of Bunny's book they want to part w/, Orgnote me.

I haven't even read Bunny's book or their mother's book yet.

brooksie said:

OK if anyone wants some detailed reviews of the book, I've read most of it and can give some tidbits about what's there. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but if anybody has any content questions I'm willing to answer.

I've never read Bunny's book*, but I have read MamaD's. I'll say that Tommy is far better w/ timelines and sequences of events than MamaD and/or Bunny in interviews. He clears up some important qustions that the others seem to obscure. Most of his sibling info deals w/ Bobby and not El. PapaD comes thru as both more of a human and more of a sociopath than in other accounts. MamaD is shown as a far more complex and complicated woman than she comes across in her version of things.

Last but not least, Tommy confirms MamaD's account of Ducky's death.

*If anyone has a copy of Bunny's book they want to part w/, Orgnote me.

Thanks Brooksie. Does he cover his time in Switch, or is this more about their childhood?

MadamGoodnight said:

brooksie said:

OK if anyone wants some detailed reviews of the book, I've read most of it and can give some tidbits about what's there. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but if anybody has any content questions I'm willing to answer.

I've never read Bunny's book*, but I have read MamaD's. I'll say that Tommy is far better w/ timelines and sequences of events than MamaD and/or Bunny in interviews. He clears up some important qustions that the others seem to obscure. Most of his sibling info deals w/ Bobby and not El. PapaD comes thru as both more of a human and more of a sociopath than in other accounts. MamaD is shown as a far more complex and complicated woman than she comes across in her version of things.

Last but not least, Tommy confirms MamaD's account of Ducky's death.

*If anyone has a copy of Bunny's book they want to part w/, Orgnote me.

Thanks Brooksie. Does he cover his time in Switch, or is this more about their childhood?

Both. He spends maybe 1/3 of the book on his childhood+Switch and from there mostly deals w/ his relationships w/ his wives Ducky then April to the present. The parent he focuses on most in PapaD from childhood, but MamaD figures more in his adult years. His older siblings Bobby and Bunny play a much larger role in the childhood section than any others, tho he talks extensively about how he tortured Marty and how Bobby abused James.

Switch goes by rather fast, but it's pretty intense. That was the era when he started to get sexually obsessed and seriously drug addicted. It's all tied up (for him at least) in his relationship w/ Ducky at one extreme and Bobby at the other. Interestingly after he and Bobby left Switch, Tommy didn't seek any work w/ bands outside of his family. He worked a bit on some DeBarge songs, but not even much there...something like 4 songs. It's like after Switch he just shut down as a musician. He felt/feels very guilty about doing secular music, but can't deal w/ churchfolks for some interesting reasons.

He does say that after the 1st Switch album, Motown brought in sessions guys to play the music for their next two LPs. It was down to them being too high to play in a reasonably cost effective time frame.

Here's an odd fact that I didn't know and it surprised me. Switch and Rick James were both managed by Jermaine AND Hazel (Gordy) Jackson. Talk about a conflict of interests!

[Edited 3/13/12 9:58am]

brooksie said:

MadamGoodnight said:

Thanks Brooksie. Does he cover his time in Switch, or is this more about their childhood?

Both. He spends maybe 1/3 of the book on his childhood+Switch and from there mostly deals w/ his relationships w/ his wives Ducky then April to the present. The parent he focuses on most in PapaD from childhood, but MamaD figures more in his adult years. His older siblings Bobby and Bunny play a much larger role in the childhood section than any others, tho he talks extensively about how he tortured Marty and how Bobby abused James.

Switch goes by rather fast, but it's pretty intense. That was the era when he started to get sexually obsessed and seriously drug addicted. It's all tied up (for him at least) in his relationship w/ Ducky at one extreme and Bobby at the other. Interestingly after he and Bobby left Switch, Tommy didn't seek any work w/ bands outside of his family. He worked a bit on some DeBarge songs, but not even much there...something like 4 songs. It's like after Switch he just shut down as a musician. He felt/feels very guilty about doing secular music, but can't deal w/ churchfolks for some interesting reasons.

He does say that after the 1st Switch album, Motown brought in sessions guys to play the music for their next two LPs. It was down to them being too high to play in a reasonably cost effective time frame.

Here's an odd fact that I didn't know and it surprised me. Switch and Rick James were both managed by Jermaine AND Hazel (Gordy) Jackson. Talk about a conflict of interests!

[Edited 3/13/12 9:58am]

Great rundown! @ Tommy torturing Marty and Bobby abusing James!

So many of them have been on drugs, dang! Tommy was a bad ass musician. Too bad the drugs-sex consumed him. @ them being too high to play after the first LP! Wow!

Jermaine and Hazel managed both Slick Rick and Switch, I didn't know that either! Big time conflict of interest.

MadamGoodnight said:

Great rundown! @ Tommy torturing Marty and Bobby abusing James!

So many of them have been on drugs, dang! Tommy was a bad ass musician. Too bad the drugs-sex consumed him. @ them being too high to play after the first LP! Wow!

Jermaine and Hazel managed both Slick Rick and Switch, I didn't know that either! Big time conflict of interest.

The Switch thing was surprising given how soon Switch 1 was followed by Switch 2. It was around 1 year or so between these LPs. That's mighty fast for him (and other members I gathered...he didn't say outside of Bobby) to get so junked up to be unable to play. At that time, he was really into PCP, so that might explain it.

The Marty thing was a real eye opener. He says he didn't go to the lengths that Bobby went w/ James, but frankly I'm a bit doubtful. It was known that Bobby physically/sexually abused James, but he also physically/sexually abused Tommy too. From what Tommy said, James didn't exaggerate when he said Bobby frequently tried to kill him. Bobby comes off as a real Tin Hilter here.....PapaD Part 2. Tyrant, bully, sexual deviant, control freak, etc....

The sad thing here is that the neighbors and church folks HAD to have known some of this was going on, but it seems like nobody really tried to help these folks.

I'll say this book goes much further than the others, but Tommy's leaving out some of the REALLY bad stuff. That's saying alot given what he DID say.

brooksie said:

MadamGoodnight said:

Great rundown! @ Tommy torturing Marty and Bobby abusing James!

So many of them have been on drugs, dang! Tommy was a bad ass musician. Too bad the drugs-sex consumed him. @ them being too high to play after the first LP! Wow!

Jermaine and Hazel managed both Slick Rick and Switch, I didn't know that either! Big time conflict of interest.

The Switch thing was surprising given how soon Switch 1 was followed by Switch 2. It was around 1 year or so between these LPs. That's mighty fast for him (and other members I gathered...he didn't say outside of Bobby) to get so junked up to be unable to play. At that time, he was really into PCP, so that might explain it.

The Marty thing was a real eye opener. He says he didn't go to the lengths that Bobby went w/ James, but frankly I'm a bit doubtful. It was known that Bobby physically/sexually abused James, but he also physically/sexually abused Tommy too. From what Tommy said, James didn't exaggerate when he said Bobby frequently tried to kill him. Bobby comes off as a real Tin Hilter here.....PapaD Part 2. Tyrant, bully, sexual deviant, control freak, etc....

The sad thing here is that the neighbors and church folks HAD to have known some of this was going on, but it seems like nobody really tried to help these folks.

I'll say this book goes much further than the others, but Tommy's leaving out some of the REALLY bad stuff. That's saying alot given what he DID say.

Wow.

Timmy84 said:

Wow.

Well Timmy you and I've been trying to puzzle where the money went re: Motown and the De Barges. Well if Jermaine and Hazel were Switch's management, things make some more sense. I wonder if they managed De Barge too? Had you heard about the Rick James part? Tommy gives a funny little story involving Rick cutting a hge fart around jermaine and Hazel to show his disapproval of what he felt were their pretensions.

Oh yeah, here's a 'nother music tidbit. When the younger ones 1st came out to Cali, they had a drummer by the name of Freddie Gardner who didn't have the lean and light skinned look of the De Barges. Motown gave him the heave ho and he ended up an OD back in Grand Rapids. I guess there really was something to that light skinned Motown talk from the Unsung doc.

brooksie said:

Timmy84 said:

Wow.

Well Timmy you and I've been trying to puzzle where the money went re: Motown and the De Barges. Well if Jermaine and Hazel were Switch's management, things make some more sense. I wonder if they managed De Barge too? Had you heard about the Rick James part? Tommy gives a funny little story involving Rick cutting a hge fart around jermaine and Hazel to show his disapproval of what he felt were their pretensions.

Oh yeah, here's a 'nother music tidbit. When the younger ones 1st came out to Cali, they had a drummer by the name of Freddie Gardner who didn't have the lean and light skinned look of the De Barges. Motown gave him the heave ho and he ended up an OD back in Grand Rapids. I guess there really was something to that light skinned Motown talk from the Unsung doc.

Yeah they managed DeBarge too. I never heard the Rick story... I always assumed he had a manager before signing with Motown so that's REAL interesting!

^^ I don't know what Motown's deal was about how skin color mattered but it probably did because Diana Ross, despite what people proclaimed was "preferrential treatment", was actually one of the darkest-skinned label mates in Motown and she got clowned by everyone (including Berry Gordy, her supposed lover) for being "too black". Her nickname was "Blackie" actually so it made sense.

Timmy84 said:

^^ I don't know what Motown's deal was about how skin color mattered but it probably did because Diana Ross, despite what people proclaimed was "preferrential treatment", was actually one of the darkest-skinned label mates in Motown and she got clowned by everyone (including Berry Gordy, her supposed lover) for being "too black". Her nickname was "Blackie" actually so it made sense.

Are you for real about them managing De Barge? I was just (kinda) joking, but wow...that's truly fucked. I'm surprised at Rick tho given how long he'd been around the scene by that time. I guess when you're desparate....you're ripe pickings.

re:Skin Color..I knew Diana and Berry called each other "Black" but I had no idea it was like that. Oddly, Motown's actual acts don't add up to this light skinned stuff. Almost all of their big acts were brown-dark brown very few were light. All I can think of off the top of my head are Smokey, Tammi Terrell, Lionel Richie, and Flo Ballard. Most of Switch were dark skinned, except Bobby and maybe Tommy...that said, I don't doubt his story about the drummer. Berry even turned down Freda Payne, so this color thing stumps me, I must admit.

[Edited 3/13/12 13:58pm]

brooksie said:

Timmy84 said:

^^ I don't know what Motown's deal was about how skin color mattered but it probably did because Diana Ross, despite what people proclaimed was "preferrential treatment", was actually one of the darkest-skinned label mates in Motown and she got clowned by everyone (including Berry Gordy, her supposed lover) for being "too black". Her nickname was "Blackie" actually so it made sense.

Are you for real about them managing De Barge? I was just (kinda) joking, but wow...that's truly fucked. I'm surprised at Rick tho given how long he'd been around the scene by that time. I guess when you're desparate....you're ripe pickings.

re:Skin Color..I knew Diana and Berry called each other "Black" but I had no idea it was like that. Oddly, Motown's actual acts don't add up to this light skinned stuff. Almost all of their big acts were brown-dark brown very few were light. All I can think of off the top of my head are Smokey, Tammi Terrell, Lionel Richie, and Flo Ballard. Berry even turned down Freda Payne, so this color thing stumps me, I must admit.

Jermaine did discover them (via Bobby)... so it's possible.

Yeah it's strange because as you said most of Motown's early superstars and artists were brown (Marvin, Mary Wells, etc.) or dark brown (Kim Weston)...

I'm thinking the color issue came after Bob Jones joined Motown in 1974...

Timmy84 said:

brooksie said:

Are you for real about them managing De Barge? I was just (kinda) joking, but wow...that's truly fucked. I'm surprised at Rick tho given how long he'd been around the scene by that time. I guess when you're desparate....you're ripe pickings.

re:Skin Color..I knew Diana and Berry called each other "Black" but I had no idea it was like that. Oddly, Motown's actual acts don't add up to this light skinned stuff. Almost all of their big acts were brown-dark brown very few were light. All I can think of off the top of my head are Smokey, Tammi Terrell, Lionel Richie, and Flo Ballard. Berry even turned down Freda Payne, so this color thing stumps me, I must admit.

Jermaine did discover them (via Bobby)... so it's possible.

Yeah it's strange because as you said most of Motown's early superstars and artists were brown (Marvin, Mary Wells, etc.) or dark brown (Kim Weston)...

I'm thinking the color issue came after Bob Jones joined Motown in 1974...

Gimme some more details.Most of their acts even after '74 were brown-dark from what I see. Funny you mention Kim Weston tho....I've always wondered if she didn't get the luv at Motown because of her skin color? She's the only one I wondered about tho. Mickey seemed to suspect something and bailed, dunno what tho.

Mostly I see where they might have thought De Barge = crossover due to their look, but their sound was basically RnB.

brooksie said:

Timmy84 said:

Jermaine did discover them (via Bobby)... so it's possible.

Yeah it's strange because as you said most of Motown's early superstars and artists were brown (Marvin, Mary Wells, etc.) or dark brown (Kim Weston)...

I'm thinking the color issue came after Bob Jones joined Motown in 1974...

Gimme some more details.Most of their acts even after '74 were brown-dark from what I see. Funny you mention Kim Weston tho....I've always wondered if she didn't get the luv at Motown because of her skin color? She's the only one I wondered about tho. Mickey seemed to suspect something and bailed, dunno what tho.

Mostly I see where they might have thought De Barge = crossover due to their look, but their sound was basically RnB.

I think Motown actually had a problem trying to market DeBarge. People to this day believe they were Latino or Puerto Rican when they were actually of Black American, English and French Canadian descent. So maybe they really didn't have a color issue... I don't get it myself. Also for a group whose skin was lighter than most at Motown, their sound actually had more GRIT.

Timmy84 said:

brooksie said:

Gimme some more details.Most of their acts even after '74 were brown-dark from what I see. Funny you mention Kim Weston tho....I've always wondered if she didn't get the luv at Motown because of her skin color? She's the only one I wondered about tho. Mickey seemed to suspect something and bailed, dunno what tho.

Mostly I see where they might have thought De Barge = crossover due to their look, but their sound was basically RnB.

I think Motown actually had a problem trying to market DeBarge. People to this day believe they were Latino or Puerto Rican when they were actually of Black American, English and French Canadian descent. So maybe they really didn't have a color issue... I don't get it myself. Also for a group whose skin was lighter than most at Motown, their sound actually had more GRIT.

The De Barges kept their parents under wraps back then...for very good reasons, it turns out! Motown could have just marketed them as good singers rather than as good Black singers or whatever! I think they just didn't use any imagination w/ them and/or Berry was getting past it. They should have been prime candidates for videos from jump....they were made for MTv (where their skin color might have been a +++).

Tommy confirmed a few more things I've mentiomned on here. 1) that it really was Bobby that brought them out to LA and coached their sound, esp El's. 2) The Mama and Papa D marriage really was one of mutual physical obsession. Recall I said something similar and got a tad of disapproval?

brooksie said:

Timmy84 said:

I think Motown actually had a problem trying to market DeBarge. People to this day believe they were Latino or Puerto Rican when they were actually of Black American, English and French Canadian descent. So maybe they really didn't have a color issue... I don't get it myself. Also for a group whose skin was lighter than most at Motown, their sound actually had more GRIT.

The De Barges kept their parents under wraps back then...for very good reasons, it turns out! Motown could have just marketed them as good singers rather than as good Black singers or whatever! I think they just didn't use any imagination w/ them and/or Berry was getting past it. They should have been prime candidates for videos from jump....they were made for MTv (where their skin color might have been a +++).

Tommy confirmed a few more things I've mentiomned on here. 1) that it really was Bobby that brought them out to LA and coached their sound, esp El's. 2) The Mama and Papa D marriage really was one of mutual physical obsession. Recall I said something similar and got a tad of disapproval?

lol I remember that. But yeah I think Mama D was dickmatized, explains why she continued to have children with him... Robert also as it turned out only had relationships with black women.

Shouldn't Mama D be dickmatized by her own husband???

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Shouldn't Mama D be dickmatized by her own husband???

Well he whupped her and their children's ass on the regular. You think she walked away from the idiot...

Timmy84 said:

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Shouldn't Mama D be dickmatized by her own husband???

Well he whupped her and their children's ass on the regular. You think she walked away from the idiot...

I thought The Jacksons & The Houstons were dysfunctional. The De Barge family had major issues...

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Shouldn't Mama D be dickmatized by her own husband???

I can understand it...to a point. However, when she found out that Bunny was being molested/raped/etc by this man, it should have turned cold quick. Not only was he fathering "outside" kids both near and far to Etterlene and her brood, he was molesting their daughter, perhaps their sons, and allegedly even some kids in the neighborhood.

That said, she's hardly alone in letting "that thing" get in the way of all sane thinking.

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Timmy84 said:

Well he whupped her and their children's ass on the regular. You think she walked away from the idiot...

I thought The Jacksons & The Houstons were dysfunctional. The De Barge family had major issues...

I actually think all families were equally dysfunctional. All of them had abuse issues (drugs, sex, etc.), all had religious issues (Jacksons - Jehovah's Witnesses; DeBarges - Pentecostals; Houstons - Baptists), all ridiculously multi-talented musicians, their fathers and mothers had strange reputations. And there were star pupils in each (Jacksons had Michael, Jermaine and Janet; Houstons/Drinkards had Emily/Cissy, Dionne, Dee, Whitney; DeBarges had Bobby, El and Chico). And the daddies were referred to as "papas" or "daddies". John Houston and Joe Jackson had management teams.