Etterlene Louise Rodriguez (previously DeBarge, née Abney; born October 13, 1935) is an American

gospel singer Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

, songwriter, and matriarch of the American R&B/Soul vocal group

DeBarge DeBarge was an American musical recording group composed of several members of the DeBarge family. In addition to various solo projects completed by members of the family, DeBarge was active between 1979 and 1989. The group originally consisted ...

. She is also the author of ''Other Side of the Pain'', which talked about her struggles in her marriage to her children's father and also documented her children's rise to fame as well as their struggles under the glare of the spotlight.

Biography

Early years

Born Etterlene Abney on October 13, 1935 in

Royal Oak, Michigan Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Royal Oak is about north of Detroit's city limits. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 57,236. Royal Oak is located along ...

, she was one of twelve children and has a twin sister. When she was a child, her family moved to the

Brewster-Douglass housing projects The Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects (officially named the Frederick Douglass Homes, and alternately named Frederick Douglass Projects, Frederick Douglass Apartments, Brewster-Douglass Homes, and Brewster-Douglass Projects) were the largest res ...

, located in the east side of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

. In 1952, she met an Army veteran named Robert DeBarge, a man of

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

and English descent from

Cicero, Illinois Cicero (originally known as Hawthorne) is a suburb of Chicago and an incorporated town in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 85,268. making it the 11th largest municipality in Illinois. The town of Cic ...

.Geni.com Robert DeBarge
/ref> The couple 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 Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...

, where Etterlene's brother, Bishop William Charles Abney, Jr., pastored Bethel

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

Church. Etterlene divorced Robert DeBarge sometime in 1974. She later married a second time, to George Rodriguez, a Puerto Rican, leading to the erroneous rumor that the DeBarge family was half-

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

. However, contrary to popular belief, they are not of Latino descent.

Children and grandchildren

Robert and Etterlene DeBarge had ten children during their 21-year marriage: * Etterlene "Bunny" DeBarge (born March 10, 1955) * Robert "Bobby" DeBarge, Jr. (March 5, 1956 – August 16, 1995) *Thomas "Tommy" DeBarge (September 6, 1957 – October 21, 2021) * William "Randy" DeBarge (born August 6, 1958) * Mark "Marty" DeBarge (born June 19, 1959) * Eldra "El" DeBarge (born June 4, 1961) *

James DeBarge James Curtis DeBarge (born August 22, 1963) is an American R&B/soul singer. He was one of the members of the singing family vocal group DeBarge who became famous with their mid-1980s songs " All This Love", "Love Me in a Special Way", " Rhythm ...

(born August 22, 1963) * Jonathan Arthur "Chico" DeBarge (born June 23, 1966) *Carol "Peaches" DeBarge (born June 5, 1970) *Darrell "Young" DeBarge (born June 5, 1970) Etterlene has dozens of grandchildren, several of whom are involved in the entertainment industry. They include

Kristinia DeBarge Kristinia Jamie DeBarge (; born March 8, 1990) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. DeBarge first appeared on national television in 2003 as a contestant on the ''American Idol'' spin-off, '' American Juniors''. In 2009, DeBarg ...

, daughter of James, a singer who appeared on 2003's '' American Juniors'' followed up with a charting album ('' Exposed'') and single (" Goodbye").

Music career

In 1991, with the help of her famous children, Etterlene, a religious woman, released a gospel album, ''Back on Track'', under the DeBarge Family moniker. In 2005, she released a second gospel album, ''A City Called Heaven''. She is affectionately known to her grandchildren as "Mama D". She currently enjoys her grandchildren and lives in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Debarge, Etterlene 1935 births Living people Identical twins 21st-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers African-American women singers People from Royal Oak, Michigan Musicians from Grand Rapids, Michigan Singers from Detroit American gospel singers American Christians American autobiographers DeBarge family American twins Women autobiographers American women non-fiction writers 21st-century American women