The Jets (Minnesota band)

The Jets are an American family band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, composed of brothers and sisters who specialize in pop, R&B, and dance music, particularly Latin freestyle.

The group officially formed in 1985 and the original lineup fizzled out by 1990. Several family members remained throughout the 1990s and unofficially revived the group in the mid-to-late 1990s as a gospel outfit including most of the original members.

Various record companies have released collections of songs from the group's popular period, while the modern incarnation of the group continues to perform at various small venues, primarily casinos and private corporate functions.

Background

The original band consisted of the eight oldest children of Maikolo "Mike" and Vaké Wolfgramm, who were originally from the South Pacific island kingdom of Tonga. The family has 17 children, 15 by birth and two, Eddie and Eugene, by adoption. They are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).

The band had initially planned to call themselves Quasar, after a then-popular but now-defunct brand of television sets. They eventually took their name from the Elton John song "Bennie and the Jets."^[1]

Original lineup

• LeRoy Wolfgramm (born July 19, 1965) – vocals, electric guitar
• Edward "Eddie" Wolfgramm (born August 14, 1965) – vocals, tenor saxophone, percussion
• Eugene Wolfgramm (born September 24, 1967) – vocals, conga, alto saxophone
• Heinrich "Haini" Wolfgramm (born January 25, 1968) – vocals, bass guitar
• Rudolph Harold "Rudy" Wolfgramm (born March 1, 1969) – vocals, drums
• Katherine "Kathi" Wolfgramm (born September 6, 1970) – vocals, keyboards, percussion
• Elizabeth "Liz" Wolfgramm (born August 19, 1972) – vocals, keyboards, percussion
• Moana "Grizz" Wolfgramm (born October 13, 1973) – vocals, keyboards, percussion

Successes

The original members of The Jets had a number of Billboard Hot 100 hits in the mid-to-late 1980s, including five top 10 singles on the Hot 100 chart—perhaps most notably the 1986 "Crush on You", which peaked at #3 in July 1986 on the USA Billboard Hot 100 (#5 UK, #4 US R&B, #4 US Dance). They are also known for the singles "You Got It All", "Cross My Broken Heart", "Rocket 2 U", and "Make It Real". "Sendin' All My Love", which peaked at #88 on the Hot 100, reached #1 on the Billboard dance chart; "You Got It All" and "Make It Real", both ballads featuring lead vocals by Elizabeth Wolfgramm, were #1 hits on the Billboard adult contemporary chart. The band was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1988 for the song "Rocket 2 U". "Crush on You", "You Got It All", and "Make It Real" continue to receive extensive airplay on urban "slow jam" formats and satellite radio. They also performed the theme song for Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, which became a hit when the show was released in 1989.

Spin-off

In 1988, brother Eugene Wolfgramm (under the alias "Gene Hunt") and Joe Pasquale formed the duo Boys Club, which recorded for MCA Records. It released the song "I Remember Holding You", which reached #8 on the Hot 100, their most popular song. Eugene later reunited for the album The Best of The Jets (1990), but he and other siblings (Eddie, Elizabeth, Kathi) eventually left the band in succession. The band was also featured on the soundtrack for The Disney Afternoon, where they performed the Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers theme song. They also appeared on the soundtracks for "Burglar" (1987) ("Tough Guys"), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) ("Cross My Broken Heart"), The Karate Kid, Part III ("Under Any Moon") and The Family Man (2000) ("La La Means I Love You").

Other changes

Throughout the 1990s the band introduced other members of the family to the band and turned more towards religious music, increasing their following among fellow Mormons. The current lineup includes founding member Haini and younger siblings Donnie, Natalia, Kelela, and Tiare. Although the original Jets themselves rarely perform together, some members are still busy in the music business. From the older sisters' group My Sisters, to Haini's group I'Kona, to the younger siblings' (Mika, Donnie, Kelela, and Tiare) group called ATS (Against the Season), the family continues to make music in various forms.

In 2007 Kathi, Elizabeth and Moana, along with sisters Jennifer and Hinalei, released a gospel-themed album titled My Sisters.

Recent appearances

October 10, 2009, seven of the original band members reunited to perform at the Mega 80s & 90s Music Festival in Honolulu Hawaii at the Blaisdell Center Arena along with fellow MCA recording artists Ready for the World, The Covergirls, and En Vogue. The eighth member, Elizabeth was expecting and was unable to perform. She later gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Younger sister Natalia performed in her place.

On April 9, 2010, all the original members (except for Eugene) performed at the State Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was billed as their 25th Anniversary Reunion Show.

In 2013, LeRoy, Eddie, Haini, Rudy, Kathi, Liz and Moana along with Natalia are reforming as The Jets to release a new album called "Reunited". The new single is a remake of "Crush On You" and can be bought on all digital outlets.

In 2015, the band planned to celebrate their 30th anniversary with performances in Manila and Cebu, Philippines.^[1]

Sporting event performances

The group performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the seventh game of the 1987 World Series, held in its hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and game three of the 1991 Stanley Cup Final in suburban Bloomington. The band also performed at both the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea and the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Influence

American pop singer Britney Spears recorded a cover version of "You Got It All" in 1997^[2] which appears on international editions of her 2000 hit album Oops!... I Did It Again. Also, musical artists Arnee Hidalgo, Pinay and MYMP (Make Your Momma Proud) have covered the same song. Pop singer Aaron Carter covered their song "Crush on You" on his first album, which became a top 10 single in Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom in 1997. Singer Nayobe recorded a version of the song "Make It Real" which became a hit in Latin America. Furthermore, Exposé recorded a version of the song "The Same Love" for their self-titled 1992 album Exposé. More recently the UK electronic music act Nero sampled the song "Crush on You" for their 2011 album track of the same name.

"One Thing" by LawnChair Generals sampled The Jets's "Rocket 2 U".

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Tours

Previous Tours

• 1985–1986: The Jets World Tour
• 1986: Christmas with The Jets World Tour
• 1987–1988: Magic World Tour
• 1989: Believe World Tour

Current Tour

• 2015: The Jets - 30th Anniversary Concert

References

Further reading

• Ward, Brooke; Spencer, Jenny (September 18, 2014), "Johnny Lingo Cast, The Jets, and Other Mormon Celebs: Where They Are Now", LDS Living (Deseret Book)