The Jets (Minnesota band) explained

The Jets
Background:group_or_band
Birth Name:The Wolfgramm Family
Origin:Robbinsdale, Minnesota, U.S.
Years Active:1985–present
Label:MCA, Shadow Mountain, Liberty Park
Associated Acts:Boys Club, My Sisters, Against the Season, Jett17
Current Members:LeRoy Wolfgramm
Eddie Wolfgramm
Haini Wolfgramm
Rudy Wolfgramm
Kathi Wolfgramm
Elizabeth Wolfgramm
Moana Wolfgramm
Past Members:Eugene Wolfgramm (deceased)

The Jets are a Tongan American family music group from Robbinsdale, a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota.[1] The Jets are composed of brothers and sisters LeRoy, Eddie, Eugene, Haini, Rudy, Kathi, Elizabeth, and Moana Wolfgramm, who perform pop, R&B, and dance music.[2] They started performing as a family band in 1977. The group enjoyed worldwide success in 1985–1990, performing three world tours, and producing five top-10 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Background

The original band consisted of the eight oldest children of Maikeli "Mike" and Vaké Wolfgramm, who were originally from Tonga.[3] The family has 17 children: 15 by birth, and two, Eddie and Eugene, by adoption. The children attended Robbinsdale Cooper High School. The family are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The band initially called themselves Quasar[3] after a now-defunct brand of television sets. They changed their name to the Jets, a name taken from the Elton John song "Bennie and the Jets", on the suggestion of manager Don Powell.[4]

Member Eugene Wolfgramm died on April 15, 2024, at the age of 57.[5]

Career

The original members of the Jets had a number of Billboard Hot 100 hits, five of which reached the top ten, including the 1986 single "Crush on You",[3] which peaked at No. 3 in July 1986 (No. 5 UK, No. 4 US R&B, No. 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 No. 88 on the Hot 100, reached No. 1 on the Billboard dance chart. "You Got It All" and "Make It Real", both ballads featuring lead vocals by Elizabeth Wolfgramm, were No. 1 hits on the Billboard adult contemporary chart.[6] The band was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1988 for the song "Rocket 2 U" that featured lead vocals by Haini Wolfgramm. The Jets also performed the theme song for Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers in 1989.

The group performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the seventh game of the 1987 World Series, held in Minneapolis, and at Game 3 of the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals in suburban Bloomington. The band also performed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea and the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Recent appearances

Line-up

The Jets' original lineup consisted of eight of the siblings.

Spin-off

In 1988, Eugene Wolfgramm and Joe Pasquale formed the duo Boys Club, which recorded for MCA Records.[3] Boys Club released the song "I Remember Holding You", which reached No. 8 on the Hot 100.[3] 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, on which 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").

Influence

American pop singer Britney Spears recorded a new version of "You Got It All" in 1997,[8] which appears on international editions of her 2000 album Oops!... I Did It Again. Musical artists Arnee Hidalgo, Pinay, and MYMP have also covered the song. "Crush on You" is featured as the base sample for the French house anthem "Intro" by Alan Braxe and Fred Falke (2000).

Pop singer Aaron Carter included "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 "Make It Real" that became a hit in Latin America. Exposé recorded a version of "The Same Love" on their 1992 self-titled album. More recently, the UK electronic music act Nero sampled "Crush on You" on their 2011 track of the same name.

The Jets and the Jets Original Family Band

As of 2022, there are two touring groups of Jets, which include original members:

Discography

Studio albums

YearAlbumPeak chart positionsCertificationsRecord label
US
[9]
US
R&B
CAN
[10]
UK
[11]
1985The Jets21167757 MCA
1986Christmas with The Jets - - - -
1987Magic3526 - -
  • RIAA: Gold
1989Believe10774 - -
1995Love People - - - - Liberty Park
1997Love Will Lead the Way - - - - Shadow Mountain
1998Then & Now - - - - Cold Front
2006Versatility - - - - Hip-O
2014Reunited - - - - Refinement Records
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Compilation albums

YearAlbum details
1990The Best of The Jets
  • Released: November 27, 1990
  • Label: MCA
2001
  • Released: October 9, 2001
  • Label: MCA
2004Greatest Hits
  • Released: August 8, 2004
  • Label: K-tel

Singles

YearSinglePeak chart positionsAlbum
US
[13]
US
R&B
[14]
US
Dan

[15]
US
A/C

[16]
AUS
[17]
CAN
NLD
[18]
NZ
[19]
UK
1985"Curiosity" - 821 - - - - 2341The Jets
1986"Crush on You"344 - - 9 - 435
"Private Number"4728 - - - - - - -
"You Got It All"32 - 1 - 11 - - 79
1987"Cross My Broken Heart"7118 - - 17 - 32 - Magic
"I Do You"2019 - - - 68 - - -
1988"Rocket 2 U"653 - 791290 - 69
"Make It Real"424 - 1 - 6 - - -
"Anytime" - - - 35 - - - - -
"Sendin' All My Love"88721 - - - - - -
1989"You Better Dance"597328 - - - - - - Believe
"The Same Love"87 - - 15 - - - - -
1990"Somebody to Love Me" - - - - - - - - -
"Under Any Moon" (re-issue) - - - - - - - - -
"Special Kinda Love" - 83 - - - - - - - The Best of The Jets
1991"Forever in My Life" - - - - - - - - -
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Tours

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Minnesota's Impact on 80s Music . February 14, 2024.
  2. Web site: Prato. Greg. Biography. AllMusic. 18 February 2022. December 23, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211223201251/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-jets-mn0000089306/biography. live.
  3. Book: The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Colin Larkin. Guinness Publishing. 1992. First. 0-85112-939-0. 1284.
  4. Web site: The Jets to perform in Manila and Cebu for 30th anniversary tour. 2015-10-30. MSN Entertainment. https://web.archive.org/web/20160819100540/https://www.msn.com/en-ph/entertainment/music/the-jets-to-perform-in-manila-and-cebu-for-30th-anniversary-tour/ar-AAe3yzI?ocid=sf. August 19, 2016.
  5. Web site: Eugene Fh Hunt . Legacy . 22 May 2024.
  6. Web site: The Jets [pop band] Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography]. Music VF. 18 February 2022. February 18, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220218201404/https://www.musicvf.com/The+Jets+%5Bpop+band%5D.art. live.
  7. Web site: TV One's 'Unsung' Celebrates The Jets. Eurweb.com. March 17, 2019. March 18, 2019. July 8, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230708220944/https://eurweb.com/2019/exclusive-clip-tv-ones-unsung-celebrates-the-jets-watch/. live.
  8. Book: Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry ... - Steve Knopper - Google Books . 2009-01-06 . 2012-04-13 . 9781416594550 . Knopper . Steve . Simon and Schuster . August 22, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220822190406/https://books.google.com/books?id=Yd2Hm8BlzZUC&q=%22you+got+it+all%22+britney+spears+larry+rudolph&pg=PA92 . live .
  9. The Jets: Chart History - Billboard 200 . Billboard. 18 February 2022.
  10. CAN Charts > The Jets. RPM. 2013-07-23.
  11. Web site: UK Charts > The Jets. Official Charts Company. 2013-07-23. February 18, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220218201404/https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/23870/jets-us/. live.
  12. United States. The Jets. February 8, 2021.
  13. The Jets: Chart History - Hot 100. Billboard. 18 February 2022.
  14. The Jets: Chart History - Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Billboard. 18 February 2022.
  15. The Jets: Chart History - Dance Club Songs. Billboard. 18 February 2022.
  16. The Jets: Chart History - Adult Contemporary. Billboard. 18 February 2022.
  17. Book: Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. David Kent. 0-646-11917-6. 1993. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W..
  18. Web site: NLD Charts > The Jets. MegaCharts. 2013-07-23. May 19, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220519115140/https://dutchcharts.nl/showinterpret.asp?interpret=The+Jets+%5BUS%5D. live.
  19. Web site: NZ Charts > The Jets. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. 2013-07-23. May 19, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220519115135/https://charts.nz/showinterpret.asp?interpret=The+Jets+%5BUS%5D. live.