The Jets are a Polynesian-American family band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, composed of brothers and sisters LeRoy, Eddie, Eugene, Haini, Rudy, Kathi, Elizabeth, and Moana Wolfgramm, who perform pop, R&B, and dance music. They started performing as a family band in 1977. The Jets were discovered by Don Powell, who previously managed Stevie Wonder and David Bowie, among other artists. The group enjoyed worldwide success in 1985–1990, performing three world tours, and producing eight top-10 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 country of Tonga. The family has 17 children: 15 by birth, and two, Eddie and Eugene, by adoption. The children attended the School District 281 at Robbinsdale Cooper High School. They are Mormons. 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.
Career
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. 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 Billboarddance 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. The group performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the seventh game of the 1987 World Series, held in their hometown of Minneapolis, and game three of the 1991 Stanley Cup Final 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
On 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 Eugene performed at the State Theatre in Minneapolis. It was billed as their 25th Anniversary Reunion Show.
In 2015 the band celebrated its 30th anniversary with performances in Manila and Cebu, Philippines.
Elizabeth Wolfgramm – vocals, keyboards, percussion
Moana Wolfgramm – vocals, keyboards, percussion
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 albumThe Best of The Jets, but he and other siblings 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" , Beverly Hills Cop II , The Karate KidPart III and The Family Man .
Influence
American pop singer Britney Spears recorded a new version of "You Got It All" in 1997, 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. 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.
