* En anglais uniquement
During the early to mid-'70s,
Bobby DeBarge, Eddie Fluellen,
Phillip Ingram (brother of
James Ingram),
Jody Sims, and
Gregory Williams were in the Ohio-based
White Heat. The band backed
Barry White and recorded a self-titled album -- released by RCA in 1975 -- produced by the maestro. Budgetary constraints forced
White to cut ties with the band, which subsequently morphed into
Hot-Ice, an outfit that featured
DeBarge,
Sims, and
Williams, as well as
DeBarge's brother Tommy. That band released an album on Polydor in 1977.
Jermaine Jackson helped them secure a contract with Motown offshoot Gordy. As
Switch, the band proved to be popular in clubs, as well as within the quiet storm radio format. Their singles "There'll Never Be" (1978), "I Call Your Name" (1979), and "Love Over and Over Again" (1981) reached the Top Ten of Billboard's R&B chart. After
Switch's fifth and final album for Gordy, the
DeBarge brothers departed to support sibling group
DeBarge. By the time
Switch released
Am I Still Your Boyfriend? (1984) on Total Experience,
Sims and
Williams were the only original members, along with Fluellen (who had joined for the third album), Renard Gallo, and Gonzales Ozen. That album sold poorly, and
Switch broke up.
Bobby DeBarge passed away due to AIDS complications in 1995. Throughout the 2000s, the band's recordings were sampled by the likes of
De La Soul ("A Brighter Tomorrow"),
Ne-Yo ("It Just Ain't Right"),
Rich Boy ("Throw Some D's"), and
Erykah Badu ("That Hump").
Ingram,
Williams, and Fluellen reunited, added new members, and toured during the same decade. Bassist Tommy DeBarge died on October 21, 2021 due to kidney and liver failure; he was 64 years old. ~ Andy Kellman