The Jets (Minnesota band)

The Jets are a Polynesian American family band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, composed of brothers and sisters who perform pop, R&B, and dance music. They started performing as a family band in 1977, after attending the School District 281 at Robbinsdale Cooper High School. They were discovered by Don Powell, who previously managed Stevie Wonder and David Bowie, among other artists.

The group enjoyed worldwide success during the years 1985-1990, performing 3 world tours, and producing 8 top ten hits.

Background

The original band consisted of the eight oldest children of Maikeli "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 unofficial adoption. They are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The band initially called themselves Quasar, after a then-popular but now-defunct brand of television sets. They changed their name to "The Jets", which was taken from the Elton John song "Bennie and the Jets" on the suggestion of then-manager Don Powell.^[1]

Original Lineup

• LeRoy Wolfgramm (born July 19, 1965) – vocals, electric guitar
• Eddie Wolfgramm (born August 14, 1966) – vocals, tenor saxophone, percussion
• Eugene Wolfgramm (born September 24, 1967) – vocals, conga, alto saxophone
• Haini Wolfgramm (born January 25, 1968) – vocals, bass guitar
• Rudy Wolfgramm (born March 1, 1969) – vocals, drums
• Kathi Wolfgramm (born September 6, 1970) – vocals, keyboards, percussion
• Elizabeth Wolfgramm (born August 19, 1972) – vocals, keyboards, percussion
• Moana Wolfgramm (born October 13, 1973) – vocals, keyboards, percussion

Successes

The original members of the Jets had a number of Billboard Hot 100 hits and eight top 10 singles, including 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" featuring lead vocals by Haini Wolfgramm. The Jets also performed the theme song for Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, in 1989.

Spin-Off

In 1988, Eugene Wolfgramm and Joe Pasquale formed the duo Boys Club, which recorded for MCA Records. Boys Club released the song "I Remember Holding You", which reached #8 on the Hot 100. 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").

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 Cover Girls and En Vogue.
• 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 2015 the band celebrated their 30th anniversary with performances in Manila and Cebu, Philippines.^[1]
• In July 2015 in Orem, Utah, a hometown concert with Debbie Gibson.

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.

Discography

Tours

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