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The Forester Sisters were an American
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
vocal group consisting of sisters Christy, June, Kathy, and Kim Forester. Having performed together locally in their native
Lookout Mountain, Georgia Lookout Mountain is a city entirely within Walker County, Georgia, United States. Bordering its sister town of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, Lookout Mountain is part of the Chattanooga metropolitan statistical area. The population was 1,641 a ...
, since the 1970s, the four sisters began singing full-time in the 1980s and signed to
Warner Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...
Nashville in 1984. Their greatest commercial success came between then and 1991, when they charted fifteen top-ten hits on the ''
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''
Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...
chart, five of which went to number one: " I Fell in Love Again Last Night", " Just in Case", " Mama's Never Seen Those Eyes", " Too Much Is Not Enough" (with
The Bellamy Brothers The Bellamy Brothers are an American pop and country music duo from Darby, Florida. The duo consists of brothers David Milton Bellamy (born September 16, 1950) and Homer Howard Bellamy (born February 2, 1946). The duo had considerable musical s ...
), and "
You Again ''You Again'' is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Andy Fickman and written by Moe Jelline. The film stars Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Odette Yustman, James Wolk, Victor Garber, Billy Unger, Kyle Bornheimer, Krist ...
". They won the
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...
Group of the Year award in 1986 and were nominated three times for a
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
. In addition to their country music albums, they released multiple albums of
gospel music 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 vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...
and one of
Christmas music Christmas music comprises a variety of Music genre, genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas and holiday season, Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or in the case of Christmas ...
. The group's sound is defined primarily by four-part vocal harmonies, most often with Kim or Kathy singing lead vocals. Their style has been compared to other contemporary family-based country music groups such as
The Judds The Judds were an American country music duo composed of lead vocalist-guitarist Wynonna Judd and her mother Naomi Judd on backup vocals. The duo signed to RCA Records in 1983 and released six studio albums between then and 1991. The Judds wer ...
and
The Whites The Whites are an American country music vocal group from Fort Worth, Texas, United States. They consist of sisters Sharon White and Cheryl White, and, until his death, their father, Buck White. Sharon plays guitar, Cheryl is the bassist and Bu ...
, while critical reception to their body of work has generally been mixed. The sisters retired from the music industry in 1996 and found work in other fields.


Early life

The Forester Sisters are four sisters who were born and raised in
Lookout Mountain, Georgia Lookout Mountain is a city entirely within Walker County, Georgia, United States. Bordering its sister town of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, Lookout Mountain is part of the Chattanooga metropolitan statistical area. The population was 1,641 a ...
: Kathy (born January 4, 1955), June (born September 22, 1956), Kim (born November 4, 1960), and Christy (born December 21, 1962). The sisters' parents, Vonnie Geneva (née Gray; 1932–2018) and Clyde D. "Bunk" Forester, would encourage the four to rehearse music for church choir every week, something which Christy later observed would help the sisters learn how to sing in harmony. In addition to their church work, Kathy and June performed in local bands during the late 1970s while also holding jobs as schoolteachers. After Christy had finished college, the four sisters decided to begin performing professionally. Songwriters Bobby Keel and Billy Stone discovered them at a local music festival, and invited them to record a demo at a music studio in
Muscle Shoals, Alabama Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located on the left bank of the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 census, its population was 13,146. The estimated popula ...
. The demo tape was sent to Paige Rowden, the
artists and repertoire Artists and repertoire (or A&R for short) is the division of a record label or music publishing company that is responsible for scouting, financing, and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists and songwriters. It also acts as a l ...
representative for
Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...
' Nashville division, who arranged for them to audition at the label after hearing them open for
Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers are an American country music vocal group. The group consists of lead singer Larry Gatlin (born May 2, 1948) and his brothers, Rudy and Steve Gatlin. The group achieved considerable success within the country ...
.
Jim Ed Norman Jim Ed Norman (born October 16, 1948) is an American musician, record producer, arranger and label-head. As an arranger and producer, he was one of the principal architects of the distinctive sound of West Coast 1970s pop and country rock. He wa ...
, a record producer who was then also the president of Warner Bros. Nashville, signed the sisters in late 1984. According to Kim, when the sisters were first contacted by the label, she thought that the call was a prank and immediately hung up before the label called a second time.


Career

The group's debut single "
(That's What You Do) When You're in Love "(That's What You Do) When You're in Love" is a debut song written by Ken Bell, Terry Skinner and J. L. Wallace, and recorded by American country music group The Forester Sisters. It was released in January 1985 as the first single from the album ...
", released in mid-1985, reached a peak of number ten on the ''
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''
Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...
charts. The song served as the lead single for their self-titled debut album released later that year. Three more singles from the album would reach number one on the same chart by 1986; in order of release, these were " I Fell in Love Again Last Night", " Just in Case", and " Mama's Never Seen Those Eyes". Muscle Shoals-based songwriters Terry Skinner and J. L. Wallace produced the album and co-wrote both "When You're in Love" and "Mama's Never Seen Those Eyes"; they wrote the former with Ken Bell, with whom they had previously recorded in the band
Bama Bama or BAMA may refer to: Places * Bama, shortened form of Alabama, a state of the United States of America ** The University of Alabama, a public university serving the state, often known as simply ''Bama'' * Bama, one of the colloquial Burmes ...
. "Just in Case" was written by
Exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...
members J. P. Pennington and
Sonny LeMaire Alfred William "Sonny" LeMaire (born September 16, 1947) is an American country music artist. LeMaire is best known as being the bass guitarist of the band Exile, a role that he first held in 1977. After lead singer J. P. Pennington quit the band ...
, and previously recorded by that band on their 1984 album ''
Kentucky Hearts ''Kentucky Hearts'' is the eighth studio album by American country pop band Exile. It was released in 1984 via Epic Records. The album peaked at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' Top Country Albums chart. "Just in Case" was later a number 1 hit for Th ...
''. Sales figures from Warner Bros. Nashville indicated that more than 100,000 copies of "I Fell in Love Again Last Night" were sold. Coinciding with the success of this album, the sisters were nominated by the
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...
for Vocal Group of the Year in both 1985 and 1986, winning the award in the latter year. The album itself was nominated for
Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal The Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded from 1970 to 2011. The award has had several minor name changes: * In 1970 the award was known as Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group * From 1971 to ...
at the
28th Annual Grammy Awards The 28th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 25, 1986, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year, 1985. The night's big winner was USA for Africa's "We Are the World", which won ...
in 1985. Also stemming from the album's commercial success was an extensive touring schedule, consisting of performances with
Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
,
George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American Country music, country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for a long list of hit records, and is well known for his distinctive voice an ...
,
Ricky Skaggs Rickie Lee Skaggs (born July 18, 1954), known professionally as Ricky Skaggs, is an American neotraditional country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, ma ...
, and several other country music artists throughout 35 states. An uncredited review in ''
People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...
'' was mixed, calling their sound "heavy on country" and stating that the
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
sound of "The Missing Part" "adds a distinct warmth that blends cosily with the quartet's brightness". At the time of the album's release, Kathy lived with her husband Terry Adkins, who was also their manager and bass guitarist, while the other three sisters continued to live with their parents. The quartet's second album was 1986's '' Perfume, Ribbons & Pearls''. It charted only one single in " Lonely Alone", which spent two weeks at the number two position on Hot Country Songs that year. Contributing songwriters to the album included
Pam Tillis Pamela Yvonne Tillis (born July 24, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She is the eldest child of country singer Mel Tillis. After recording unsuccessful pop material for Elektra Records, Elektra ...
,
Bob McDill Robert Lee McDill (born April 5, 1944) is a retired American songwriter, active from the 1960s until 2000. During his career he wrote or co-wrote 31 number one country hits. His songs were also recorded by popular artists of the 1970s, 1980s ...
, and
Walt Aldridge James Walton Aldridge Jr. (born November 12, 1955, in Florence, Alabama) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, engineer and record producer. Aldridge is known primarily as a Muscle Shoals songwriter, having had songs recorded by a divers ...
. As with the previous album, Skinner and Wallace stayed on as producers. ''People'' published a positive review, praising the vocal deliveries of all four sisters while also stating that the album "warms the heart while it invigorates the toe". Cliff Radel of ''
The Cincinnati Enquirer ''The Cincinnati Enquirer'' is a morning daily newspaper published by Gannett in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. First published in 1841, the ''Enquirer'' is the last remaining daily newspaper in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, altho ...
'' rated the album 2 out of 5 stars, calling the singing "clear as the sky on a crisp fall day" but criticizing the "poverty stricken songs". ''
Montreal Gazette ''The Gazette'', also known as the ''Montreal Gazette'', is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper which is owned by Postmedia Network. It is published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the only English-language daily newspape ...
'' writer Lucinda Chodan contrasted the quartet's sound with that of
The Judds The Judds were an American country music duo composed of lead vocalist-guitarist Wynonna Judd and her mother Naomi Judd on backup vocals. The duo signed to RCA Records in 1983 and released six studio albums between then and 1991. The Judds wer ...
, stating that "those celestial voices are harmonizing in the service of songs that, for the most part, are about as individual as pennies in a jar." She thought that "100% Chance of Blue" and the cover of
The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful Amer ...
' "
Back in My Arms Again "Back in My Arms Again" is a 1965 song recorded by the Supremes for the Motown label. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, "Back in My Arms Again" was the fifth consecutive and overall number-one song ...
" were the most distinct songs, but still criticized the production. After "Lonely Alone", the Forester Sisters were featured vocalists on
The Bellamy Brothers The Bellamy Brothers are an American pop and country music duo from Darby, Florida. The duo consists of brothers David Milton Bellamy (born September 16, 1950) and Homer Howard Bellamy (born February 2, 1946). The duo had considerable musical s ...
' late-1986 hit " Too Much Is Not Enough", a number-one single from their album ''
Country Rap Country rap (also called country hip-hop, country hick-hop, and sometimes hick-hop) is a fusion genre of popular music, mixing country music with hip-hop–style singing or rapping. History Prototypes Early influences on the emergence of count ...
''. Following this song's success, the two acts toured together the following year on the Brothers and Sisters Tour.


Late 1980s

''
You Again ''You Again'' is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Andy Fickman and written by Moe Jelline. The film stars Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Odette Yustman, James Wolk, Victor Garber, Billy Unger, Kyle Bornheimer, Krist ...
'', the sisters' third album, accounted for three singles upon its 1987 release. First was a cover of
Brenda Lee Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Primarily performing rockabilly, pop, country and Christmas music, she achieved her first ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' hit aged 12 i ...
's 1965 hit " Too Many Rivers", which the Forester Sisters took to top five on the country charts. After it came the title track, which became the sisters' fifth and final number-one hit. The last single was the top-five " Lyin' in His Arms Again", also written by Skinner and Wallace. The two split the album's production duties with
Barry Beckett Barry Edward Beckett (February 4, 1943 – June 10, 2009) was an American keyboardist, session musician, record producer, and studio founder. He is best known for his work with David Hood, Jimmy Johnson, and Roger Hawkins, his bandmates in the ...
,
James Stroud James Stroud is an American musician and record producer who works in Pop music, pop, Rock music, rock, R&B, soul, disco, and country music. He played with the Malaco Rhythm Section for Malaco Records. In the 1990s, he was the president of Giant ...
, and
Emory Gordy Jr. Emory Lee Gordy Jr. (born December 25, 1944) is an American musician, songwriter and music producer. A former member of Emmylou Harris' backing band The Hot Band, he is best known for his association with country singer Patty Loveless, to whom ...
Also included on the album was " Sooner or Later", later a top-ten hit in 1990 for
Eddy Raven Edward Garvin Futch (born August 19, 1944), known professionally as Eddy Raven, is an American country music singer and songwriter. Active from 1962 to 2018, Raven has recorded for several record labels, including ABC, Dimension, Elektra, RCA, ...
. James M. Tarbox of
Knight Ridder Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. It was bought by McClatchy on June 27, 2006, allowing the latter to become the second largest newspaper publisher in the United States at the time ...
News Service reviewed the album favorably, considering the album "consistent" for its lyrical themes of love while also noting that the sound was both "traditional" and "savvy for a couple of tunes to easily cross over to other formats." Alongside ''You Again'', the sisters also recorded ''A Christmas Card'', an album composed of traditional Christmas carols which was issued later in 1987. The next album was 1988's '' Sincerely''. Its lead single was " Letter Home", followed by a cover of the 1950s pop standard " Sincerely", and finally " Love Will". Included on the album were a cover of
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
' "
I've Just Seen a Face "I've Just Seen a Face" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released in August 1965 on their album ''Help!'', except in North America, where it appeared as the opening track on the December 1965 release ''Rubber Soul''. Writ ...
", and the
Harlan Howard Harlan Perry Howard (September 8, 1927 – March 3, 2002) was an American songwriter, principally in country music. In a career spanning six decades, Howard is credited with writing more than 4,000 songs, over 100 of which reached country mus ...
composition " These Lips Don't Know How to Say Goodbye", later a top-ten country hit for
Doug Stone Doug Stone (born Douglas Jackson Brooks; June 19, 1956) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He debuted in 1990 with the single " I'd Be Better Off (In a Pine Box)", the first release from his 1990 self-titled debut album for Epi ...
in 1991. Songwriter
Wendy Waldman Wendy Waldman (born Wendy Steiner on November 29, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Biography Early life Waldman grew up in the Los Angeles area and was raised in a musical environment. Her father Fred Steiner was a ...
, who wrote "Love Will", handled most of the production duties on this album, with assistance on some tracks from Beckett, Stroud, and Norman. ''Sincerely'' accounted for the quartet's second Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal nomination at the
31st Annual Grammy Awards The 31st Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 22, 1989, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. This also the first Grammy Awards Ceremony with a separate rap section. Album ...
in 1988. Jan Walker of ''
The Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region, in the United States. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by pare ...
'' said that "there's a confident sound to each of the 10 songs on the album, a showcase for the seemingly effortless natural harmony of four sibling voices." William Ruhlmann of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
reviewed the album with favor as well, stating that " ready the possessors of a wonderful vocal harmony style, The Foresters hit a peak when they hooked up with writer/producer Wendy Waldman for this album, cutting her 'Letter Home' and other strong material". Warner Bros. released two more projects featuring the sisters in 1989. First was a
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
album entitled ''All I Need''. This included renditions of traditional hymns and spirituals such as "
Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn written in 1772 and published in 1779 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is possibly the most sung and most recorded hymn in the world, and especially popular in the Unit ...
" and " Precious Memories", along with popular 20th-century gospel songs such as "
This Ole House "This Ole House" (sometimes spelled "This Old House") is an American popular song written by Stuart Hamblen, and published in 1954. Rosemary Clooney's version reached the top of the popular music charts in both the US and the UK in 1954. T ...
". Christy described the album as "roots that we returned to", a reference to the sisters' upbringing as singers in their churches. Norman, Beckett, and Stroud co-produced the album. Later in 1989 came a ''Greatest Hits'' package. Included on it were two new songs: "
Don't You Don't, Dont, or DONT may refer to: Films * ''Don't'' (1925 film), a 1925 silent comedy film * ''Don't'' (1974 film), a 1974 film about the monarch butterfly * ''Don't'', a fake trailer from the film ''Grindhouse'' (2007) Songs * "Don't" (Bill ...
" and " Leave It Alone", both of which reached top ten on Hot Country Songs that year. By decade's end, the group's first fourteen singles had all achieved top-ten positions on that chart, at the time the longest such streak achieved by a new artist since the ''Billboard'' country charts were expanded to 100 positions in the 1960s.


1990s

Despite the momentum of their previous singles, the group's 1990 album ''
Come Hold Me ''Come Hold Me'' is the fifth studio album by the American country music group The Forester Sisters. It was released in 1990 by Warner Records Nashville. Content "Drive South" and "Nothing's Gonna Bother Me Tonight" were both issued as singles fr ...
'' was unsuccessful on the country charts, with neither of its two selected singles reaching Top 40. These were a cover of
John Hiatt John Robert Hiatt (born August 20, 1952) is an American singer-songwriter. He has played a variety of musical styles on his albums, including New wave music, new wave, blues, and country music, country. Hiatt has been nominated for nine Gramm ...
's " Drive South" which also featured guest vocals from the Bellamy Brothers, and "Nothing's Gonna Bother Me Tonight". Waldman produced the album by herself this time. Contributing musicians included
Sam Bush Charles Samuel Bush (born April 13, 1952) is an American mandolinist who is considered an originator of progressive bluegrass music. In 2020, he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame as a member of New Grass Revival. ...
,
Mark O'Connor Mark O'Connor (born August 5, 1961) is an American fiddle player, composer, guitarist, and mandolinist whose music combines bluegrass, country, jazz and classical. A three-time Grammy Award winner, he has won six Country Music Association Mu ...
,
Willie Weeks Willie Weeks (born August 5, 1947) is an American bass guitarist. He has gained fame performing with famous musicians in a wide variety of genres. He has been one of the most in-demand session musicians throughout his career. Weeks has also ga ...
, and
Craig Bickhardt Craig William Bickhardt (born September 7, 1954) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His musical career includes co-writing credits for The Judds, Steve Wariner, Kathy Mattea and others. He was also a member of S-K-B, formerly ...
. Jerry Sharpe of ''
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'' gave the album a mixed review, saying that it had "too much rock coupled with so-so material". He praised the singles, along with the title track and "You'll Be Mine" as the strongest for their vocal performances. In April 1991, Warner released the group's next album '' Talkin' 'Bout Men''. Robert Byrne, another Muscle Shoals-based musician, produced the album and played guitar on it. It was recorded in the same studio where the group had made their demos and first two studio albums. The sisters noted that previous producers had wanted to highlight their "softer" sound, whereas Byrne was willing to include
country rock Country rock is a music genre that fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal sty ...
and
Western swing Western swing, country jazz or smooth country is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands. It is dance music, often with an up-tempo beat, which att ...
. Lead single "
Men A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy. Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the fa ...
", co-written by Byrne, went on to chart at number eight on Hot Country Songs that year. Kim said of "Men", a novelty song about the relationships between men and women as seen from a woman's perspective, that she found it relatable because she had listened to it after having an argument with her husband. The song's success also led to a parody called "Women", recorded on
Curb Records Curb Records (also known as Asylum-Curb and formerly known as MCG Curb) is an American record label started by Mike Curb, originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963. From 1969 to 1973, Curb merged with MGM Records where Curb served as President of M ...
by a studio band called the Bandit Brothers; by mid-1991, this parody had charted on Hot Country Songs as well. "Men" became the sisters' third nomination for Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, receiving the nomination at the
34th Annual Grammy Awards The 34th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 25, 1992, recognizing accomplishments by musicians from the previous year (1991). Natalie Cole won the most awards (three), including Album of the Year. Paul Simon opened the show. Performers ...
in 1991. Despite the success of "Men", the album charted only one other single in "Too Much Fun", which reached number 62. Johnny Loftus reviewed the album with favor on AllMusic, calling "Men" a "
Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In 1971, Raitt released her Bonnie Raitt (album), self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed Americana (mu ...
-lite
country pop Country pop (also known as urban cowboy or even urban country) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends g ...
number", and finding influences of Western swing and gospel in some tracks while simultaneously complimenting the sisters' harmonies. The sisters' final chart entries came in 1992 from the album ''I Got a Date''. Both "
What'll You Do About Me "What'll You Do About Me" is a country music song written by Dennis Linde. It was originally recorded in 1984 by McGuffey Lane and then by Steve Earle. It has also been recorded by Randy Travis on his 1987 album, '' Always & Forever'', The Fores ...
" (later a top-20 hit in 1995 for
Doug Supernaw Douglas Anderson Supernaw (September 26, 1960November 13, 2020) was an American country music artist. After several years performing as a local musician throughout the state of Texas, he signed with BNA Records in 1993. Supernaw released four s ...
) and the title track fell short of the country music top 40. June told ''
The News-Press ''The News-Press'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper located in Fort Myers, Florida, serving primarily Lee County, as well as parts of Hendry, Collier, and Charlotte Counties. The paper publishes several editions of its "Local & State" (metr ...
'' at the time of the album's release that the sisters wanted to show their "witty, mischievous side". The group also saw it as a
concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
thematically similar in concept to "Men". Kim highlighted the title track in particular, stating that she was going through a divorce at the time of recording and felt that at the age of 31, she was "too old to start dating again". Tom Roland of AllMusic wrote that the album was "wide-ranging stylistically, with a strong dose of wit, particularly in the title track and 'Redneck Romeo.'" The sisters took a hiatus from recording for much of the mid-1990s, but continued to tour regionally, though primarily on weekends in order to tend to their children the rest of the week. They returned to the studio for a new album called ''More Than I Am'' in 1996. Warner marketed the album as "positive country", featuring positive and spiritual messages without being explicitly
contemporary Christian music Contemporary Christian music (CCM), also known as Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music, is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christianity, Chri ...
in nature, and taking inspiration from similar releases by
Ricky Van Shelton Ricky Van Shelton (born January 12, 1952) is an American retired country music singer. Active between 1986 and 2006, he charted more than 20 singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts. This figure includes 10 Number One hits: "Somebod ...
and
Susie Luchsinger Martha Susan McEntire-Eaton (formerly Luchsinger, ; born November 8, 1957) is an American contemporary Christian music singer. She is the younger sister of Reba McEntire, Reba, Alice, and Pake McEntire, Pake. Susie Luchsinger profile Allmusi ...
. Christy's husband, Gary Smith, produced the album and played keyboards on it. Among the contributing songwriters were
Karen Staley Karen Staley (born in Weirton, West Virginia) is an American country music singer-songwriter. Staley was raised in Georgetown, Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and was inspired to write songs after reading through the hymnals at her local church. S ...
and
Paul Overstreet Paul Lester Overstreet (born March 17, 1955) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He began his singing career in 1982 with a self-titled album on RCA Records Nashville. From 1986 to 1987, he was a vocalist in the trio S-K-O (Schuy ...
, the latter of whom had previously co-written the group's "I Fell in Love Again Last Night". After this album, the sisters decided to retire from the music business, citing both a desire to spend more time with their families and the genre's increasing focus on male artists. Kathy subsequently became a music teacher, June a teacher for students with visual impairments, and both Kim and Christy, interior designers. The four sisters reunited for one concert in 2013 to honor their induction into the
Georgia Music Hall of Fame The Georgia Music Hall of Fame was a hall of fame to recognize music performers and music industry professionals from or connected to the state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It began with efforts of the state's lieutenant governor Zell Mill ...
.


Musical styles

The group's sound is defined mainly by four-part vocal harmonies, typically with Kim or Kathy handling the lead vocal parts. However, both ''Perfume, Ribbons & Pearls'' and ''Come Hold Me'' featured songs where Christy or June sang lead instead. Of the vocal arrangements, Christy told ''
The Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, w ...
'' in 1985 that "it's just pretty much what we hear in our heads". Due to their early experiences singing in church, the sisters would often sing ''
a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...
'' gospel standards in concert. The sisters have cited
Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In 1971, Raitt released her Bonnie Raitt (album), self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed Americana (mu ...
,
Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...
, and
Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is an American singer who has performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin music. Ronstadt has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three A ...
as their primary musical influences. Thomas Goldsmith of ''The Tennessean'' wrote that Kim's "
alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: '' altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In four-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in ch ...
voice is key to the group's densely textured sound". He also noted between their first two singles the "unusual subject matter" of "When You're in Love", about a woman who "threatens reprisal" for an unfaithful husband, as well as the "carousel keyboards and ringing guitars" of "I Fell in Love Again Last Night". A review of ''Perfume, Ribbons & Pearls'' published in ''People'' compared Kathy and Kim's voices favorably to
Terri Gibbs Teresa Fay Gibbs (born June 15, 1954) is an American country music artist. Between 1980 and 2017, she recorded eleven studio albums, including four for MCA Records and one for Warner Bros. Records. She also charted 13 singles on the ''Billboard' ...
. James M. Tarbox of Knight Ridder News Services described the sisters' voices as having "a coquetteish playfulness they keep under enough control that it neither becomes cloying nor prevents them from offering something as thoughtful as the hit 'Too Many Rivers'". The Forester Sisters were frequently compared to other family music groups of the time, including
The Judds The Judds were an American country music duo composed of lead vocalist-guitarist Wynonna Judd and her mother Naomi Judd on backup vocals. The duo signed to RCA Records in 1983 and released six studio albums between then and 1991. The Judds wer ...
and
The Whites The Whites are an American country music vocal group from Fort Worth, Texas, United States. They consist of sisters Sharon White and Cheryl White, and, until his death, their father, Buck White. Sharon plays guitar, Cheryl is the bassist and Bu ...
. An uncredited review from ''People'' called the sisters "the cheeriest bunch of good old gals... since The Mandrells" (
Barbara Mandrell Barbara Ann Mandrell (born December 25, 1948) is an American retired country music singer and musician. She is also credited as an actress and author. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, she was considered among country's most successful mus ...
,
Louise Mandrell Thelma Louise Mandrell (born July 13, 1954) is an American country music music artist (occupation), singer. She is the younger sister of fellow country singer Barbara Mandrell, and older sister of musician Irlene Mandrell. Louise had a successfu ...
, and
Irlene Mandrell Ellen Irlene Mandrell (born January 29, 1956) is an American musician. She is the younger sister of country singers Barbara and Louise Mandrell. Irlene Mandrell first rose to prominence as a model for CoverGirl, and later gained national atten ...
), and noted that unlike The Whites, the Forester Sisters did not have a male vocalist to "
ive Ive or IVE may refer to: Music * Ive (group), a South Korean girl group * I've Sound (aka "I've"), a Japanese musical group People * Ive (given name), a Croatian and Slovenian given name * Bert Ive (1875–1939), British-born Australian cinema ...
more depth and richness to the family harmonies". The sisters' concerts were reportedly more heavily attended by women than men, an observation made by both ''Billboard'' and ''The Tennessean''. Similarly, a review of ''Perfume, Ribbons & Pearls'' in ''People'' stated that "Along with the Judds, the Foresters have helped fill the female group gap in country music". Colin Larkin wrote in the ''Virgin Encyclopedia of Country Music'' that "their glossy, professional sound and looks appealed to country fans".


Discography

;Albums *''
The Forester Sisters The Forester Sisters were an American country music vocal group consisting of sisters Christy, June, Kathy, and Kim Forester. Having performed together locally in their native Lookout Mountain, Georgia, since the 1970s, the four sisters began s ...
'' (1985) *'' Perfume, Ribbons & Pearls'' (1986) *''
You Again ''You Again'' is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Andy Fickman and written by Moe Jelline. The film stars Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Odette Yustman, James Wolk, Victor Garber, Billy Unger, Kyle Bornheimer, Krist ...
'' (1987) *''A Christmas Card'' (1987) *'' Sincerely'' (1988) *''All I Need'' (1989) *''
Come Hold Me ''Come Hold Me'' is the fifth studio album by the American country music group The Forester Sisters. It was released in 1990 by Warner Records Nashville. Content "Drive South" and "Nothing's Gonna Bother Me Tonight" were both issued as singles fr ...
'' (1990) *'' Talkin' 'Bout Men'' (1991) *''I Got a Date'' (1992) *''Sunday Meetin (1993) *''More Than I Am'' (1996) ;Number-one singles (U.S. ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...
) *" I Fell in Love Again Last Night" (1985) *" Just in Case" (1985–86) *" Mama's Never Seen Those Eyes" (1986) *" Too Much Is Not Enough" (1986) *"
You Again ''You Again'' is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Andy Fickman and written by Moe Jelline. The film stars Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Odette Yustman, James Wolk, Victor Garber, Billy Unger, Kyle Bornheimer, Krist ...
" (1987)


Awards and nominations


Grammy Awards

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1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...
, ''
The Forester Sisters The Forester Sisters were an American country music vocal group consisting of sisters Christy, June, Kathy, and Kim Forester. Having performed together locally in their native Lookout Mountain, Georgia, since the 1970s, the four sisters began s ...
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Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal The Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded from 1970 to 2011. The award has had several minor name changes: * In 1970 the award was known as Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group * From 1971 to ...
, , - ,
1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
, '' Sincerely'' , , - ,
1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...
, "
Men A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy. Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the fa ...
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American Music Awards

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1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...
, rowspan=2, The Forester Sisters , Favorite Country Band/Duo/Group , , - , Favorite Country Band/Duo/Group Video Artist ,


Academy of Country Music Awards

, - ,
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...
, rowspan=2, The Forester Sisters , rowspan=2, Top Vocal Group of the Year , , - ,
1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...
,


Country Music Association Awards

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1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...
, rowspan=3, The Forester Sisters , Horizon Award , , - , rowspan=2, Vocal Group of the Year , , - ,
1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...
,


External links

*


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forester Sisters, The Country music groups from Georgia (U.S. state) Warner Records artists People from Walker County, Georgia Sibling musical quartets Musical groups established in 1984 Vocal quartets Musical groups disestablished in 1996 Sister quartets