Etterlene DeBarge Biography
A native of Michigan, Etterlene DeBarge is an American gospel singer, songwriter, and matriarch of the American R&B/Soul vocal group DeBarge.
She is also the author of Other Side of the Pain. The book talked about her struggles in her marriage to her children’s father.
It also documented her children’s rise to fame as well as their struggles under the glare of the spotlight.
Etterlene DeBarge Age
DeBarge was born on October 13, 1935, in Royal Oak, Michigan, U.S. She is 85 years old as of 2020.
Etterlene DeBarge Family
Etterlene was born in Royal Oak, Michigan. She was one of twelve children and has a twin sister.
As a child, her family moved to the Brewster-Douglass housing projects, located on the east side of Detroit. Some of her siblings are Phoebe Marshall, William Charles Abney, Jr., Marjorie Brooks, Mamie Braden, Ernestine Allen, and Clara Hendricks.
Etterlene DeBarge Husband
In 1952, Etterlene met a former Army veteran named Robert DeBarge, Sr., a man of French and English descent from Cicero, Illinois.
She and Robert DeBarge got married in 1953 settling in a predominantly black section of Detroit, where they had ten children.
In 1972, the DeBarges moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Etterlene’s brother, Bishop William Charles Abney, Jr., pastored Bethel Pentecostal Church.
In 1974, she divorced Robert DeBarge. She later got married for a second time. This time to George Rodriguez, a Puerto Rican, leading to the erroneous rumor that the DeBarge family was half-Hispanic.
Etterlene DeBarge Children
During her 21 year marriage to Robert DeBarge, Etterlene had ten children who are;
- Etterlene “Bunny” DeBarge (born March 10, 1955
- Robert “Bobby” DeBarge, Jr. (March 5, 1956 – August 16, 1995); died of AIDS complications.
- Thomas “Tommy” DeBarge (born September 6, 1957)
- William “Randy” DeBarge (born August 6, 1958)
- Mark “Marty” DeBarge (born June 19, 1959)
- Eldra “El” DeBarge (born June 4, 1961)
- James DeBarge (born August 22, 1963)
- Jonathan Arthur “Chico” DeBarge (born June 23, 1966)
- Carol “Peaches” DeBarge (born June 5, 1969); fraternal twin of Darryl.
- Darryl “Young” DeBarge (born June 5, 1969); fraternal twin of Carol.
Grandchildren
Etterlene has many grandchildren. Some of her grandchildren are in the entertainment industry. They include:
- Adris DeBarge, daughter of El DeBarge. She is an executive assistant for producer Tracey Edmonds.
- Andrew DeBarge, son of Tommy DeBarge, was born on September 28, 1989, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His debut album, Your Place, was released in 2008.
- Cheyanne DeBarge, daughter of Chico DeBarge, is an aspiring actress.
- Kristinia DeBarge, daughter of James DeBarge, was born on March 8, 1990, in California. She appeared on 2003’s American Idol spin-off American Juniors.
- Eldra Patrick DeBarge Jr., son of El Debarge.
- Bobby DeBarge III., son of the late Bobby DeBarge is an aspiring singer.
- Kyndall DeBarge Sands, daughter of El DeBarge. She is an actress, singer, and YouTube personality.
Etterlene DeBarge Music Career
Etterlene is a religious woman. In 1991, with the help of her famous children, she released a gospel album, Back on Track, under the DeBarge Family moniker.
Later in 2005, she released a second gospel album, A City Called Heaven. She currently lives in California.
Etterlene DeBarge Switch and DeBarge
In 1975, Etterlene’s children, Bobby, and Greg Williams left Grand Rapids to start the funk-soul band, Switch.
Tommy later joined the band which first went by the moniker, First Class. The group’s debut album, yielding the hit “There’ll Never Be,” sold over one million copies and started the DeBarge musical dynasty.
Later in 1979, Bunny, Marty, Randy, El, and James signed with Motown as the DeBarges. They released their debut album two years later under the guidance of Bobby and Tommy, who left Switch that year to begin mentoring their siblings.
In 1992, the group, now known as DeBarge, found fame with the singles, “I Like It” and “All This Love.” They went on to make several more hit singles, such as “Time Will Reveal,” “Love Me in a Special Way” and “Rhythm of the Night,” reaching R&B superstardom by the mid-1980s.
Their younger brother Chico became a solo success first with his 1986 dance-pop single, “Talk to Me,”. Later after a stint in prison, he made more soulful singles such as “Iggin’ Me” and “No Guarantees.”
The youngest brother of them all, Darrell, released his first solo album in 2005 continuing on the DeBarge name as various members continued solo careers.
Etterlene DeBarge Net Worth
She has a net worth of $400 thousand.
Etterlene DeBarge Twitter
Mama Etterlene DeBarge talks about The Bobby DeBarge Story https://t.co/Sbm1dTNNKH via @YouTube #DeBarge #BobbyDeBarge #BobbyDeBargeStory
— Etterlene DeBarge (@mamadebarge) July 1, 2019