MELISSA BLOCK, host:
Today, sad news from the Pointer family. Youngest sister, June, of the music group The Pointer Sister, has died in Santa Monica at the age of 52.
June and her sisters grew up singing gospel in their father's sanctuary, the Church of God in West Oakland, California. But soon their big voices and their sassy rhythms were moving a generation on dance floors across the country.
(Soundbite from Yes We Can Can)
THE POINTER SISTERS (Musicians): (Singing) I know we can make it, if we try. Oh yes can, I know we can, can, yes we can.
BLOCK: Yes We Can Can was the breakout hit for The Pointer Sisters in 1973, and it was not the last for them. Their songs continued to top the charts throughout the '70s and '80s.
How Long, He's So Shy, Slow Hand, and I'm So Excited, I Just Can't Hide It. I'm about to lose control and I think I like it, were just a few of their hits. More recently, June Pointer made two solo albums. Her family says the cause of her death was cancer.
THE POINTER SISTERS: (Singing) We've got to make this land a better land, than the world in which we live. We got to help each man be a better man, with the kindness that we give. I know we can make it, I know that we can. I know darn well we can work it out. Oh yes we can, I know we can, can, yes we can, can, why can't we if we want to...
BLOCK: This is NPR, National Public Radio. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
