Biography
Born on March 15, 1955, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to parents Robert and Etterlene DeBarge, Bunny DeBarge grew up as the only female sibling among the R&B/pop ensemble that bore the family name. Her first solo outing produced the Top 20 R&B single “Save the Best for Me (Best of Your Lovin’),” while her songwriting contributions included DeBarge’s chart-topping “Time Will Reveal,” the popular track “I Like It,” and the cuts “Let’s Spend the Night” and “I Still Believe” from her own In Love collection.
She helped establish the group in 1978 under its original billing, the Debarges, alongside brothers James, Randy, Mark, and El, remaining a member through 1987. After the Jackson 5’s exit, Motown sought a comparable act and placed the Debarges on its Gordy imprint in 1979; every release thereafter appeared on that subsidiary. Bunny’s voice appears throughout The Debarges, issued in March 1981 and featuring “I Like It,” which held the number-two R&B position for four weeks, “All This Love,” which reached number five R&B, and additional tracks from the same set. The 1983 follow-up In a Special Way contained “Time Will Reveal,” a number-one R&B single for five weeks. By 1985 the album Rhythm of the Night had arrived, spotlighting Diane Warren’s “Rhythm of the Night”—featured on the soundtrack to Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon—which topped the R&B chart and climbed to number three pop early that year, alongside “Who’s Holding Donna Now,” a number-two R&B hit for four weeks that also reached number six pop during the summer.
Once the remaining members departed Motown for Striped Horse Records, Bunny launched a solo career on the parent label. Her debut album, In Love, introduced the single “Save the Best for Me (Best of Your Lovin’),” crafted by producers Jerry Knight and Aaron Zigman.
She helped establish the group in 1978 under its original billing, the Debarges, alongside brothers James, Randy, Mark, and El, remaining a member through 1987. After the Jackson 5’s exit, Motown sought a comparable act and placed the Debarges on its Gordy imprint in 1979; every release thereafter appeared on that subsidiary. Bunny’s voice appears throughout The Debarges, issued in March 1981 and featuring “I Like It,” which held the number-two R&B position for four weeks, “All This Love,” which reached number five R&B, and additional tracks from the same set. The 1983 follow-up In a Special Way contained “Time Will Reveal,” a number-one R&B single for five weeks. By 1985 the album Rhythm of the Night had arrived, spotlighting Diane Warren’s “Rhythm of the Night”—featured on the soundtrack to Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon—which topped the R&B chart and climbed to number three pop early that year, alongside “Who’s Holding Donna Now,” a number-two R&B hit for four weeks that also reached number six pop during the summer.
Once the remaining members departed Motown for Striped Horse Records, Bunny launched a solo career on the parent label. Her debut album, In Love, introduced the single “Save the Best for Me (Best of Your Lovin’),” crafted by producers Jerry Knight and Aaron Zigman.
Albums
