Anita Pointer, the beloved and occasionally sultry lead singer of the Pointer Sisters, passed away at 74 in her Beverly Hills home on Saturday. Her publicist, Roger Neal, announced that cancer was the cause.
The Pointer Sisters occupied a unique niche in pop music, straddling the line between the innocent doo-wop of the Ronettes and the assertive girl power of Destiny’s Child.
Anita’s unique voice was a key factor in their appeal. With a vocal style as rich and smooth as molasses, she possessed the ability to sing with delicate virtuosity.
Her soft, non-overpowering approach was showcased in songs like “Slow Hand,” a love ballad that reached No. 2 on the pop charts in 1981, where her voice gently cooed.
When Anita took the lead, her sisters provided harmonious backup, structuring their groovy ’70s sound in a way that echoed a barbershop quartet, yet infused with a distinctive, modern flair.