The bond between brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, in-laws and outlaws and fathers and daughters makes for some interesting musical endeavors. Here’s a list of eight great family bands.
Ike & Tina Turner – Ike & Tina Turner’s tumultuous personal relationship sometimes overshadows the fact that for many years they were an unstoppable rhythm and blues machine. Ike Turner, who is also credited with writing the first rock and roll song ever, “Rocket 88,” led his wife Tina, his band and the fabulous Ikettes to many hit songs and records before his marriage dissolved along with his working relationship with Tina. A stern boss to say the least, throughout all the ups and downs — and there were many — Ike maintained a rigorous touring and recording schedule. Here’s Ike, Tina and the Ikettes performing the venerable “River Deep Mountain High”:
Sly & The Family Stone – Sly & The Family Stone shaped a new direction for funk, soul and R&B with smash hits like “Dance to the Music” and “Everyday People.” Formed by brothers Sly and Freddie Stone (real last name Stewart) in 1966, the band was joined shortly thereafter by sister Rose Stone, who sang and played keyboard. Though its prime spanned from 1968 – 1975, the band has continued to make history, influencing generations of hip-hop artists who liberally sample the Stone family’s material. :
Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players – The self-described “indie-vaudeville conceptual art-rock pop band” includes father and keyboardist Jason Trachtenberg, mother/ singer/ projector operator Tina Piña and drummer Rachel, who began her musical career at the age of six. To muster inspiration, the New York via Seattle combo crisscross the country, hitting up garage sales and Goodwill stores for lost family photos and slides. Their songs are then based on the scenes depicted, which makes for a constantly evolving repertoire. The band has opened for indie rock royalty and released two records, “
Vintage Slide Collections from Seattle, Vol 1” in ’01 and “Adventures in Middle America, Vol 2” in ’06.
The Staple Singers – Chicago’s long-running gospel, soul and R&B family band. Led by father “Pops” Staples, the band started in the South Side churches but quickly moved to a bigger stage, becoming Southern soul stars as artists and backup singers for some of Ardent and Muscle Shoals’ best. The band has collaborated with Booker T & The MG’s and Stephen Stills, and scored massive hits with “I’ll Take You There” and “Respect Yourself.” Here they are backing up The Band on “The Weight” from “The Last Waltz”:
Jackson 5 – Five brothers from Gary, Ind., anchored the lineup of the golden age of Motown and scored hit after hit with “ABC,” “Rockin’ Robin,” “I’ll Be There” and tons of others. The group dissolved in the ’70s with the brothers going on to solo careers of varying success. Of course, young Michael Jackson was the breakout star who eventually became the King of Pop. Also of note: the respectable career of sister Janet (and LaToya!). Here are the Jackson 5 performing “I Want You Back”:
Carter Family – This family band actually went through several generations of lineups. Originally, the group consisted of Alvin “A.P.” Carter, wife Sara Carter and sister-in-law Maybelle Carter (who was married to Alvin’s brother Ezra). The family quickly became a staple on the country gospel circuit of the rural South. Mother Maybelle’s daughters June, Anita and Helen joined the band, and June even became a breakout star. June Carter, of course, met her husband Johnny Cash while performing with the Carter Family, and the rest is country music history. Here they are in 1960 doing the Johnny Cash hit “I Walk The Line”:
Osmonds – Most of Donny and Marie Osmond’s tenure as The Osmonds was dominated by squeaky clean teen idol material, but when the brother-sister duo reached legal age, they broke away from their management and more than redeemed themselves with one of the all-time terrace stomping ’70s glam rock throwdown jams ― “Crazy Horses.” Garry Glitter couldn’t have done better if he wanted to.
Bee Gees – What are the Bee Gees doing here? While it is perfectly acceptable to bag on the Gibbs brothers’ more disco-oriented material, the pre-“Saturday Night Fever” era of the Bee Gees still stands up as some of the best psych pop this side of The Zombies’ “Odessey and Oracle.” Huge stars in their native Australia before their worldwide fame, the Bee Gees had a solid and respectable output of albums that included “Horizontal,” “Idea,” “Cucumber Castle,” and the velvety “Odessa.” Here they are in 1968 with “I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You”: