Anita Pointer was a founding member of the Pointer Sisters, the sibling vocal group who broke barriers regarding gender, race, and genre as they racked up 16 Top 40 pop hits. She sang lead on many of their biggest singles, beginning with their breakthrough "Yes We Can Can," followed shortly thereafter by "Fairytale," the 1975 Grammy winner of Best Country Vocal Performance. Pointer co-wrote "Fairytale" and other Pointers classics she fronted, such as the funky "How Long (Betcha Got a Chick on the Side)" and effervescent "I'm So Excited." In 1987, a year after Pointer dueted with Earl Thomas Conley on the number two country hit "Too Many Times," she released her only solo album, the polished pop-R&B hybrid Love for What It Is. Pointer retired from performing in 2015, and five years later co-authored Fairytale: The Pointer Sisters' Family Story with brother Fritz. She died of cancer in 2022.