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You have been active the giver to an amazing list of songs. What caused all of this to happen? ammcc
The first word that comes to mind is passion – for music, for what I do. If you’re going to be the voice of a song like Ndiwe Banja, which is here for generations to come – to me, it’s more than a song, it’s a voice – it just hurts my heart. We are the group that brought the whole world together as a family through music.
I think if you put a rocker, a pop fan, a metalhead, a hip-hop nut, a techno obsessive and a classical devotee in a room and wear Lost in Music, everyone wyou can go down. What is your relationship with this song?? DeJongandtherestless
The song we are known for is We Are Family, but we really get lost in the music. That should be Sister Sledge’s theme song. I’ve been doing this all my life, since I was 11 years old, but to survive in the industry, there has to be stability. There were times, especially in the early days, when we were traveling so much that we couldn’t get on the air, and, if anything, it made me relate to that voice.
Can you share some of your memories of that time with Chic? Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards (who produced the 1979 album We Are Family)? Were there times when you had different creative visions? Turn on the drik
Whenever you work with a producer, it’s like leaning into being a director like an actor. I feel like he had a vision, the end of what this was going to be like, so you lean in and listen. The word that comes to mind above all else is trust. Nile and Bernard always said: “Trust me, trust us, trust us.” They believed in randomness. I couldn’t hear a song before it was time to sing; they didn’t want it to be heard again and again. And I think to this day, that’s one of the reasons why our music keeps coming back, because there was something new when I recorded it (that).
At that time, I was 15 to 16 years old. I’m a songwriter, but we weren’t allowed to write anything. It was more frustrating for the other sisters than for me. Debbie, for example, always likes to perform in harmony, while these guys, in some cases, already had another record set by some of the singers of Chic and Luther Vandross. But they had given a big hit. In fact, they were offered the Rolling Stones, but they chose us instead. They said: the world is watching us, give us an anonymous system that no one knows, because we have to do this, and for whom it should be. us are in this project, not because (they are) big stars already.
Have you ever seen disco culture as a political or cultural carrier – especially in results of Stonewall violenceand the new freedom of men to dance freely with other men? Dmitry_S
It was really political. It’s all about burning discos in Chicago (1979’s Disco Demolition), it was all about politics, but behind it all, it was about money. Because at that time here in the United States, music was separated: there were R&B charts and pop charts. Until disco came out, the No 1 song was Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand’s You Don’t Send Me Flowers. And here comes Le Freak by Chic and he dropped it to the top spot. It disrupted the entire industry. That’s what, I believe, Disco Demolition was about – it started changing pocketbooks in the industry.
What is the biggest lie What did the reporter say about you? WeirdDuke
I didn’t leave the group, that’s the biggest myth. I was kicked out. I was given a personal project that I wanted to do, but I asked: can I do this and still live? And they say: “No, you must go.” They voted me out. (In a 2024 interview, Debbie Sledge said Kathy “wanted her own job, and that was fine”.)
I was heartbroken. I was the lead singer he liked it to be in a group. When I was given a solo project to work on Jimmy Jam and Terry LewisI really wanted to, but I was given the last command: do this or don’t do it. It was amazing, because everyone else was doing their own work: Phil Collins, Michael (Jackson). But I was the signature word and maybe there was this thought: if you go and do this, what would happen? Like a Diana Ross/Supremes kind of thing. They made sure that I was not allowed to say that I belonged to Sister Sledge and this was very disappointing. It would be like Kool & Gang trying to get a gig, but you can’t say “& Gang”. (In 2024, Debbie said: “After he left, he started another group. We were like: what are you doing? We couldn’t get a hold of him and he didn’t answer any of our calls.”)
Then, of course, I was allowed to use the logo again, we were all allowed to use our logo, and from there I got the idea for this amazing show (Kathy walks as Sister Sledge ft Kathy Sledge, while Debbie walks as Sister Sledge ft Sledgendary). Be brave and know your worth: that’s what keeps me going.
The band rarely wore skirts on stage. Were pants and jumpsuits better for bustin’ styles? staggerstag
Always. It wasn’t about saying, it was about doing the best. This is what we were comfortable with. I have to go on stage. Before us, there was Labelle and the Supremes, but we were a group of girls to come up there and dance to the fullest. We kept it classy but there is a lot of movement. Years ago we won an award, and Destiny’s Child gave this award, and in their speech they said that we were the first girl group to fully dance and inspire them. I feel like we paved the way for the Spice Girls and the En Vogues.
All American Girls was an incredibly powerful story. Why do you think it didn’t do well on the charts? ChikondiPorto2023
That was difficult. All American girls were exactly what the lyrics say: we are all American girls and we love the life we live. It was that simple. But from the R&B market, or the Black market, we get: “What do you mean, you’re all American? You’re trying to be white?” And then maybe it was a big explosion for some people. There was a bit of pushback with the “all-American” thing – we were all a bunch of Black sisters that the pop market might have stopped. And then we had another force that we had to deal with. It was the time of women’s rights and there were lines that we changed. There was one line in there, like, “you drive your cars all day”, something like that, and we’re like: let’s get it out, this is not a man (opposing) women’s thing. Now is a difficult time to sing this song, because America is not in a very good place.
You and your sisters always seemed to like the limelight. Really? pconl
Yes, we did. We lined up. We can do fun trips, like Rick James the trip – it was fun because it was wild, but we didn’t know it. I swear, we didn’t know he was up. We were protected – our grandmother visited with us, so she always had great respect. We were like the Waltons. It was a ball of fire! But then we would do the same kind of journey with someone like Engelbert Humperdinck or Tom Jones. John (Sledge) was so cute, we always told him to be in the dressing room because everyone loved him.
Who is the Great Dancer? 1Love1Life
There was no great dancer, but there are a gazillion great dancers. “The best dancer” is everyone’s change because everyone thinks they are the best dancer!
How do we get funk guitar and bass lines in front of dance culture again? I see a lot of young people who just don’t rock! yogainspain
I need an answer to that! The industry has changed a lot: everyone and their grandmother has a record here, everyone has a chance, but there are some good writers who appear. I love Bad Bunny and someone sent me his mashups and We Are Family – (Sister Sledge) will always be there for new artists to learn and update. Hopefully this will help us keep rocking our thang.
Did Frankie start to remember you? things
No, until today! Frankie (UK No 1 in 1985, with his hit single “Frankie, Do You Remember Me?”) was written by Denise Rich, has written for Céline Dion and other artists. He wrote that song about a high school breakup he had, he gave it to us and it was an album song, very solid. Nile (Rodgers) created it and turned it into this fun pop song.
Are you a fan of the Fall edition of Lost in Music? CheererUpper
No, but I have to. I’ll look into it, I promise. Manchester reminds me a lot of Philadelphia. I’m out of Philly.
Thinking of You is the most life-affirming story I’ve ever heard. Why did it end up on the B-side (of Lost in Music) – no one noticed?! Steve from Nottingham
This, my friends, is called: what record companies do. There’s always a full coat behind the desk who doesn’t know what they’re doing. Did you know that We Are Family was the B-side of She’s a Great Dancer when it first came out? There are people from time to time who come up to me after a concert with this rare record. Apparently, Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards went up to where they wrote (the bosses) and they’re like: please stop (pressing) the record, it’s going to be one day.
What are your hobbies and interests outside of music? Price of SH1961
Well, I taught spinning for about 20 years. I used to say, before Peloton came out, there had to be a bike with a cover. I started by teaching my sisters (fitness) on the street, then the band and the staff, and then I was given a certificate.
Would you change anything if you could go back? DabMaine
I’d probably go solo soon, because I feel like there’s always room for growth and it’s never too late to keep doing what you believe in. The (sister) competition part, I don’t think you can change it. But maybe the way I did it, it could be different. Being very young, I always wanted to go to Michael (Jackson) when we were touring (with the Jacksons), and ask: “Do you feel guilty that the producers always ask you to sing everything?” Maybe I would be more open to doing more and not worrying about what people think.
