Anita Pointer
Her soulful voice and songwriting turned the Pointer Sisters into genre-defying hitmakers, capturing a Grammy with the country-tinged 'Fairytale'.
1948–2022 (age 74)·American singer and songwriter·Birthday: January 23·Baby Boomers
Biography
Anita Pointer, born in Oakland, California, helped forge one of American music's most dynamic family acts. The Pointer Sisters began as a backing vocal group but, with Anita's potent contralto and creative drive, they exploded into the spotlight with a style that gleefully ignored category, blending R&B, pop, and country. Her defining moment came in 1974 when she co-wrote and sang lead on 'Fairytale,' a song that not only won a Grammy but also broke barriers by crossing over to the country charts. Throughout the 1970s and 80s, her voice provided the earthy, powerful core to smashes like 'Fire' and the electrifying 'I'm So Excited.' Her life was marked by both triumph and profound personal loss, including the death of her daughter, yet her musical legacy endures as a testament to versatility and raw emotional power.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Anita was born in 1948, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Anita Was Born
The biggest hits of 1948
#1 Movie
The Red Shoes
Best Picture
Hamlet
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Anita's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1948Born
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1953Started school
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1961Became a teenager
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1964Could drive
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1966Could vote
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Turned 21
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1978Turned 30
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 40
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 50
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 60
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 70
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2022Died at 74
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
Key Achievements
- Co-wrote and sang lead on 'Fairytale,' which earned the Pointer Sisters their first Grammy Award in 1975.
- Provided the lead vocals on the group's chart-topping hits 'Fire,' 'Slow Hand,' and 'I'm So Excited.'
- Helped the Pointer Sisters achieve a rare feat by crossing over from pop/R&B to the country charts with 'Fairytale.'
Did You Know?
She initially worked as a secretary for the Oakland Police Department before committing to music full-time.
The song 'Fairytale' was inspired by the end of her marriage to musician David Harper.
She published a memoir in 2021 titled 'Fairytale: The Pointer Sisters' Family Story.'
“We just sang the way we felt. We didn't try to sound like anybody else.”
