The Jets (Minnesota band)

The Jets (Minnesota band)
Place of origin	Minneapolis
Genres	rhythm and blues

This article is about the 1980s pop band. For other bands, see Jet (disambiguation) § Music groups.

The Jets
Birth name	The Wolfgramm Family
Origin	Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Genres	Teen pop dance-pop R&B freestyle Minneapolis sound
Years active	1985–present
Labels	MCA, Shadow Mountain, Liberty Park
Members	LeRoy Wolfgramm Eddie Wolfgramm Eugene Wolfgramm Haini Wolfgramm Rudy Wolfgramm Kathi Wolfgramm Elizabeth Wolfgramm Moana Wolfgramm
Website	instagram.com/the80sjets

The Jets are a Tongan-American family band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, composed of brothers and sisters LeRoy, Eddie, Eugene, Haini, Rudy, Kathi, Elizabeth, and Moana Wolfgramm, who perform pop, R&B, and dance music. They started performing as a family band in 1977. The group enjoyed worldwide success in 1985–1990, performing three world tours, and producing five top-10 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Background

The original band consisted of the eight oldest children of Maikeli "Mike" and Vaké Wolfgramm, who were originally from Tonga. The family has 17 children: 15 by birth, and two, Eddie and Eugene, by adoption. The children attended Robbinsdale Cooper High School. The family are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The band initially called themselves Quasar

Career

The original members of the Jets had a number of Billboard Hot 100 hits, five of which reached the top ten, including the 1986 single "Crush on You", The band was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1988 for the song "Rocket 2 U" that featured lead vocals by Haini Wolfgramm. The Jets also performed the theme song for Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers in 1989.

The group performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the seventh game of the 1987 World Series, held in their hometown of Minneapolis, and at Game 3 of the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals in suburban Bloomington. The band also performed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea and the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Recent appearances

• On October 10, 2009, seven of the original band members reunited to perform at the Mega 80s & 90s Music Festival in Honolulu, Hawaii along with fellow MCA recording artists Ready for the World, the Cover Girls and En Vogue.
• On April 9, 2010, all of the original members except Eugene performed at the State Theatre in Minneapolis. It was billed as their 25th-anniversary reunion show.
• In 2015, the band celebrated its 30th anniversary with performances in Manila and Cebu, Philippines.

Line-up

The Jets' original lineup consisted of eight of the siblings.

• LeRoy Wolfgramm (born July 19, 1965) – vocals, electric guitar
• Eddie Wolfgramm (born August 14, 1966) – vocals, tenor saxophone, percussion
• Eugene Wolfgramm (born September 24, 1967) – vocals, conga, alto saxophone
• Haini Wolfgramm (born January 25, 1968) – vocals, bass guitar
• Rudy Wolfgramm (born March 1, 1969) – vocals, drums
• Kathi Wolfgramm (born September 6, 1970) – vocals, keyboards, percussion
• Elizabeth Wolfgramm (born August 19, 1972) – vocals, keyboards, percussion
• Moana Wolfgramm (born October 13, 1973) – vocals, keyboards, percussion which appears on international editions of her 2000 album Oops!... I Did It Again. Musical artists Arnee Hidalgo, Pinay and MYMP have also covered the song. "Crush on You" is featured as the base sample for the French house anthem "Intro" by Alan Braxe and Fred Falke (2000).

Pop singer Aaron Carter included "Crush on You" on his first album, which became a top-10 single in Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom in 1997. Singer Nayobe recorded a version of "Make It Real" that became a hit in Latin America. Exposé recorded a version of "The Same Love" on their 1992 self-titled album. More recently, the UK electronic music act Nero sampled "Crush on You" on their 2011 track of the same name.

The Jets and the Jets Original Family Band

As of 2022, there are two touring groups of Jets, which include original members:

• The Jets: Elizabeth, Eddie, Kathi, Moana
• The Jets Original Family Band: Haini, LeRoy, Rudy

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album	Peak chart positions				Certifications	Record label
		US	US R&B	CAN	UK
1985	The Jets	21	16	77	57	US: Platinum	MCA
1986	Christmas with The Jets	—	—	—	—
1987	Magic	35	26	—	—	US: Gold		US R&B	US Dan	US A/C	AUS	CAN	NZ	UK
1985	"Curiosity"	—	8	21	—	—		—	—	23	41	The Jets
1986	"Crush on You"	3	4	4	—	—	9	—	43	5
	"Private Number"	47	28	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"You Got It All"	3	2	—	1	—	11	—	—	79
1987	"Cross My Broken Heart"	7	11	8	—	—	17	—	32	—	Magic
	"I Do You"	20	19	—	—	—	68	—	—	—
1988	"Rocket 2 U"	6	5	3	—	79	12	90	—	69
	"Make It Real"	4	24	—	1	—	6	—	—	—
	"Anytime"	—	—	—	35	—	—	—	—	—
	"Sendin' All My Love"	88	72	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
1989	"You Better Dance"	59	73	28	—	—	—	—	—	—	Believe
	"The Same Love"	87	—	—	15	—	—	—	—	—
1990	"Somebody to Love Me"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Under Any Moon" (re-issue)	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Special Kinda Love"	—	83	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	The Best of The Jets
1991	"Forever in My Life"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Tours

• 1985–1986: The Jets World Tour
• 1986: Christmas with The Jets World Tour
• 1987–1988: Magic World Tour
• 1989: Believe World Tour
• 2015: The Jets - 30th Anniversary Concert

References

Ward, Brooke; Spencer, Jenny (September 18, 2014), "Johnny Lingo Cast, The Jets, and Other Mormon Celebs: Where They Are Now", LDS Living, Deseret Book