Bunny DeBarge
| Bunny DeBarge | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Etterlene DeBarge |
| Also known as | Etterlene Jordan Etterlene Jordan–Knight Etterlene DeBarge–Knight |
| Born |
March 15, 1955 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Origin | Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1979–Present |
| Labels | Motown |
| Associated acts | |
Etterlene "Bunny" DeBarge (born March 15, 1955) is an American soul singer–songwriter, best known as the lone female sibling of the Motown family group DeBarge. She is also best known as the lead vocalist behind the classic R&B ballad, "A Dream" from the group's In a Special Way album and is also the co-writer of the group's 1982 breakthrough hit, "I Like It" and the number-one hit, "Time Will Reveal".
Etterlene DeBarge was the eldest of ten children, born to Etterlene (née) Abney and Robert DeBarge, Sr. While spending her initial childhood in Detroit, her family moved to Grand Rapids when she was sixteen. Bunny would later recall years of physical and sexual abuse at the hands of her father, stating that he had started molesting her when she was seven and this carried on until she was thirteen. Bunny also detailed troubles in public school where she and her brothers were constantly bullied and taunted by black schoolmates for their multiracial ethnicity.
Bunny found solace in music, singing in her uncle's church as a child. She and her brothers soon participated in several groups together in various times. In 1972, DeBarge dropped out of school and married her first husband, for whom she'd be the mother of two children (they later divorced). Since she wasn't into instruments like her brothers were, Bunny taught herself how to write songs and compose melodies, which later paid off as she got older.
In 1979, after a couple years watching her brothers Bobby and Tommy ride to musical stardom as members of the band Switch, Bunny teamed up with her three brothers Randy, Mark and El and became the DeBarges. They signed with Motown after their demo tape was passed off by Switch's Gregory Williams to Motown CEO Berry Gordy, who was left impressed by the siblings and soon put the band on a salary.
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