The Jets

This biographical article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2008)

The Jets
The Jets in 1990
Background information
Birth name	Wolfgramm Family
Origin	Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Genres	Teen pop, pop rock, dance, dance-pop, R&B, electronica, gospel (recent years)
Years active	1985–present
Labels	MCA, Liberty Park, Shadown Mountain, K-tel, UME
Associated acts	Boys Club, My Sisters, I'Kona, Against The Season, Jett17
Website	Unofficial fansite
Members
Eugene Elizabeth Haini Moana Eddie Rudy Kathi LeRoy

The Jets are a family band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, comprised of brother and sisters who specialize in pop, R&B and dance music.

They officially formed in 1985, with the original lineup fizzling out by 1990. Several members of the family stayed on throughout the 1990s, unofficially reviving the group in the mid to late 1990s as a gospel outfit with most of the original members present.

Various record companies have released collections of songs from the group's popular period, while the modern incarnation of the group continues to perform at various small venues, primarily casinos, and private corporate functions.

Background

The original band consisted of the eight oldest children of Maikeli "Mike" and Vaké Wolfgramm. Mike and Vaké, who have 17 children in total, fifteen by birth and two by adoption, are originally from the South Pacific island kingdom of Tonga. The family is of Tongan, Fijian, and German ancestry.

Original Lineup

• LeRoy (born Jul 19, 1965) - electric guitar
• Eddie (born Aug 14, 1966) - tenor saxophone, percussion
• Eugene (born Sept 24, 1967) - vocals, conga, alto saxophone
• Haini (born Jan 25, 1968) - bass guitar
• Rudy (born Mar 1, 1969) - drums
• Kathi (born Sept 6, 1970) - keyboards, percussion
• Elizabeth (born Aug 19, 1972) - vocals, keyboards, percussion
• Moana (born Oct 13, 1973) - vocals, keyboards, percussion

Successes

The original members of The Jets had a number of Billboard Hot 100 hits in the mid- to late-1980s, including five top 10 singles on the Hot 100 chart: "Crush on You", "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 Billboard dance 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".

Spin-Off

In 1988, brother Eugene Wolfgramm (under the alias "Gene Hunt") and Joe Pasquale formed the duo Boys Club on the MCA Records label. They released the song "I Remember Holding You", which reached #8 on the Hot 100, their most popular song. 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, where they performed the Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers theme song. They also appeared on the soundtracks for 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").

Musical Changes

Throughout the 1990s, the band introduced other members of the family to the band and turned more toward religious music, increasing their following among fellow Mormons. The current lineup includes founding member Haini, and younger siblings Donnie, Natalia, Kelela, and Tiare. Though the original Jets themselves rarely perform together, some members are still busy in the music business. With the older sisters' group "My Sisters", to Haini's group "I'Kona", to the younger sibilings' (Mika, Donnie, Kelela, and Tiare) called "Against the Season", the family continues to make music in its various forms.

In 2007, Kathi, Elizabeth and Moana, along with sisters Jennifer and Hinalei, released a gospel-themed album entitled My Sisters.

Reunion Show

On October 10th 2009, the original band members reunited to perform at the Mega 80's & 90's Music Festival in Honolulu Hawaii at the Blaisdell Center Arena along with fellow MCA recording artists Ready For The World, The Covergirls, and EnVogue.

Sporting Event Performances

They performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the seventh game of the 1987 World Series, held in their hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota,and prior to game three of the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals in suburban Bloomington, Minnesota. The band also performed at both the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea and the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Appreciation

American pop singer Britney Spears recorded a cover version of "You Got It All" in 1997 which appears on international editions of her 2000 hit album Oops!... I Did It Again. Also, musical artists Arnee Hidalgo, Pinay and MYMP (Make Your Momma Proud) have covered the same song. Pop singer Aaron Carter covered their song "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 the song "Make It Real" which became a hit in Latin America. Furthermore, Exposé recorded a version of the song "The Same Love" for their self-titled 1992 album Exposé.

Discography

Albums

• The Jets (1985, MCA) #19 US (certified Platinum by the RIAA)
• Christmas with The Jets (1986, MCA)
• Magic (1987, MCA) #35 US (certified Platinum by the RIAA)
• Believe (1989, MCA) #107 US (certified Gold by the RIAA)
• The Best of The Jets (1990, MCA)
• Love People (1995, Liberty Park)
• Love Will Lead The Way (1997, Shadow Mountain)
• Then & Now (1998, K-tel)
• 20th Century Masters - Millennium Collection (2001, UME)
• All Their Best (2004, K-tel)
• Versatility (2006, digital release, UME)
• Greatest Hits Live (2007, Sony)
• Live, Hana Hou! (2009, K-tel)

Singles

Tours

The Jets have had four successful world tours, being:

• 1985-1986: "The Jets World Tour"
• 1986: "Christmas With The Jets World Tour"
• 1987-1988: "Magic World Tour"
• 1989: "Believe World Tour"

External links

• CrushOnTheJets.com - The Jets Fansite
• [1] My Sisters