There's a new Sister Sledge, and they're still family as next generation joins the band

"We Are Family" is more than a signature song to Debbie Sledge, who rode the slinky funk groove of that optimistic anthem all the way to No. 1 on Billboard's dance and R&B charts when disco was king with sisters Joni, Kim and Kathy. 

It's part of who she is and how she views the world as she prepares to welcome a new generation of family to the legacy with the release on Friday, Feb. 18, of "Free," the first single by Sister Sledge ft. Sledgendary.

The rebranded group is a family affair that also features Debbie's kids, Camille and David Sledge; her sister Joni's son Thaddeus Sledge; and longtime Sister Sledge vocalist Miss Tanya Ti-et.

"We are going out with a message of love," Debbie says. "And the way we’re doing it is through our music and through joy."

Family is a basic human need

It's her hope that the joy they feel — "because we are a family, we’re together and we love each other" — is contagious.

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"There are so many heavy things right now in the air and in the world, but you can fight it with that, with inner strength, with love, just making a difference where you are with who you are and the choices that you make," she says.

"So that’s the message that we want to carry."

In a perfect world, putting all that joy and love into the atmosphere would lead to social change by nurturing that sense of family — or connection, which to Debbie, is a basic human need.

"You belong to the human family," she says. "And you certainly belong to us. We are family, OK?"

Camille has been joining her mother on stage for several years in addition to fronting her own band, Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra, and recording solo music, including last year's excellent hip-hop "Streetlights & Lullabies."

Is Sister Sledge still touring?

After Joni Sledge's death in 2017, Debbie invited her daughter to join her and Ti-et at the helm of Sister Sledge. And as Camille says, "It just sort of stuck."

David and Thaddeus were also doing background vocals with the group.

"And once we all came together on tour, it was so much fun, such a great energy on stage together and such a good connection as a family, it stuck," Camille says.

"And we started saying it was Sledgendary."

To Debbie, introducing this next generation of the family to the world is a dream come true.

"I saw how talented these guys are," Debbie says. 

"And I said, ‘OK, this is their time. They have to shine. And I want them to officially get out there.'"

Blending generations of the Sledge family

The blending of those family voices came together pretty naturally.

"As a vocal arranger that's been doing this for many years, I’ve experienced so many different vocal talents," Debbie says. 

"And these guys are so easy to work with, it’s almost like I’m conducting an orchestra. I have all kinds of instrumentation around me, these great vocalists."

They've also shaped the sound of the new music they've been making, introducing elements of EDM and hip-hop without abandoning the classic Sister Sledge sound. 

"I’m so excited," Debbie says. 

"Because I want to hear all that they have. They have new ears. They have new concepts for the music."

Her sister Joni, in particular, was always interested in all genres of music.

"She would incorporate that into our live shows and our music that she was creating and music that we were creating together," Debbie says.

"She always had a world vision. And this is also her vision coming true."

She's excited to be welcoming those fresh ideas to the table at a time when music is less segregated into separate genres.

"Back in the day, we were kind of stuck into the one genre and producers or record execs didn’t want to hear anything different than what they had in mind for that artist," Debbie says. 

"And there are many facets to creativity. So that’s what we’re able to do with this group."

How faith helped the family deal with loss

Losing Joni left a huge void in the family and in Sister Sledge.

"She had a strong force of life in her, a strong determination," Debbie says.

"I always use the word powerhouse. She really was. And a leader. She had great vision and I could see it. I said, ‘OK, yes, that’s right. That’s what we’re gonna do.’ And I would get behind her vision."

Debbie says they're doing what they do, in part, to honor Joni's memory. 

"One of the things that helped us was the faith in knowing that she’s in a better place," Debbie says. 

"She’s in heaven. That’s what helped me personally. To know that she was not in pain. That she was doing well. That she’s in heaven. She’s actually up there lost in music, teaching music."

That belief that she was in a better place was also very helpful to Camille.

"We’ve always had a very strong spiritual family and a very strong prayer life and I’m really grateful for that because that did help me to process," she says. 

"It was so helpful to be able to have that outlet, knowing that God had her. That was huge."

Debbie agrees, saying, "We know by faith where she is. She’s with mom. They’re probably running things up there."

The Sledge sisters' mother, Florez Sledge, was their manager and tour bus driver.

As Camille says, with a laugh, "We always say Grandma Flo was the first momager."

Growing up in Philadelphia, the sisters were just singing for the fun of it

"We started out just enjoying singing and playing around in the mirror with brushes," Debbie says. "We were the Supremes."

Their older sister, Norma Carol, would have them play her backup singer.

"We just had fun and it developed in school and in church and our mom," Debbie says.

Strong voices go back for generations in the Sledge family

They were also given vocal training by their grandmother Viola Williams, an opera singer. Under their grandmother's guidance, they regularly sang at their family church, Williams Temple Christian Methodist Episcopal, until forming a band and performing at charity and political events throughout Philadelphia, aptly named Mrs. Williams’ Grandchildren. 

"She taught us songs," Debbie says.

"We learned songs from school and from church and I could remember all the harmony parts so I would just teach them to my sisters. And it was a natural thing. We had a natural sister blend. I think I was pretty hard on them back then."

Debbie turns to her daughter and says, "I’m better now, right?"

With a laugh, Camille responds, "Yes, mom. You are. She cracks the whip, man. I’m honest about it. She goes hard on the rehearsals. We don’t say the R-word around her because if you say rehearsal, she’ll find a time for us to start rehearsing right then."

That's just because she's so excited, Debbie says. 

"They’re great vocalists. So whenever we’re together, I’ll say, ‘Oh, can you try this?’ And we just go for it. We’ll sing around the table sometimes. Especially in cars because we’re in one space and we can’t go anywhere."

As much as Camille likes to joke about her mother's work ethic, she's quick to point out that they also have a lot of fun while working on those parts.

"It always ends up turning into something that was fun," she says. "And you still love music when you get done with it. You still love singing and you still love being in a group."

The enduring appeal of 'We Are Family'

To Debbie, having fun is an important part of being a performer. 

"My thing is, you're performing, but the performance is secondary," she says. "What you’re doing is giving yourself. You’re sharing what you have. And if you’re having fun, the audience is gonna have fun."

It would be hard to not have fun while singing "We Are Family," a single that took on a life of its own, from its adoption by the Pittsburgh Pirates as a theme song as they rallied their way to a World Championship to its continued use in films (see last year's "Coming 2 America").

When Sister Sledge played "We Are Family" — twice! — at Alice Cooper's Christmas Pudding concert in 2019, you'd have been hard-pressed to find a face that wasn't smiling. 

"It’s mind-blowing actually," Debbie says of the record's enduring appeal. 

"Because we’re just a small part of that. God took it way beyond us. I think part of that is a tribute to the fact that it’s such an authentic song and everybody can relate to it."

For that, Debbie credits the writing and producing talents of Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards as well as the "awesome job" her sister Kathy did on a lead vocal recorded at 19.

"It’s just amazing to see," Debbie says. "It’s bringing so much joy and continues to do that. I feel very, very blessed to be part of that."

Reach the reporter at ed.masley@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4495. Follow him on Twitter @EdMasley.

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