The Jets

Born into a household of seventeen siblings, the Jets surfaced in the 1980s as a bubblegum ensemble built around eight brothers and sisters: Leroy, Eddie, Eugene, Haini, Rudy, Kathi, Elizabeth, and Moana Wolfgramm. Their parents had moved from Tonga to the United States in 1965, yet the children grew up in Minneapolis. Between 1986 and 1989 the group notched a string of dance-pop singles, foremost among them “Crush on You” and “You Got It All,” while releasing multiple albums; the 1986 self-titled debut and 1987’s Magic each earned gold or platinum status. Their popularity proved short-lived, however, and the hits ceased soon afterward. Eugene became the first to depart, exiting in 1988 to form Boys Club alongside Joe Pasquale under the name Gene Hunt. The Jets remained largely inactive through the early 1990s, but most of the original lineup reconvened later in the decade as a gospel-focused act and released projects that included the 1997 album Love Will Lead the Way. At the turn of the century the younger siblings who had been too young for the 1980s lineup formed their own ensemble, which they named the Jetts.