Remember Switch’s 1979 classic, “I Call Your Name”? Well, guess what? That song was inspired by a famous R&B singer who was also the love of Bobby DeBarge’s (the lead singer of Switch) life at that time. According to switch member, Gregory Williams, Bobby and this female singer were madly in love.

Their relationship was kept very private back in the day and it wasn’t until a few decades later that some whispers leaked publicly about their puppy love.

The singer we’re referring to had a music career that was primarily crackin’ throughout the ’80s…but after that era fizzled out, so did her career. Okay family, those are all of the hints we’ll give. Scroll down to see who she is…

“I Call Your Name’ was Written For…

“I Call Your Name” was written about La Toya Jackson! Can you believe that?!! Gregory Williams — who co-wrote the song with Bobby — stated that all Bobby had on his mind during their writing session, was La Toya.

Here’s what he revealed about the night they wrote the song:

G. W. – “The night we wrote ‘I Call Your Name’ was a strange one. Bobby was dating LaToya Jackson and she was the only girl on his mind. One night, he started fooling around on the Fender Rhodes. I started singing along, and next thing you know we had a song. I’m not saying the song was written for LaToya, but they were in love, and Bobby couldn’t wait to play her the completed song.” -Vibe Magazine: The Rise and Fall of the DeBarge family (2007)

There were also reports that Bobby and La Toya were practically joined at the hip during that time.

Bobby Wasn’t La Toya’s Usual Type

LaToya is probably the singer you would least expect to have dated Bobby, given her dating track record of what seem to be the complete opposites of Bobby DeBarge- a street cat who dabbled with drugs and had a lot of swag and soul.

La Toya’s companion history included her tumultuous marriage to her former Jewish husband, Jack Gordon, who was rumored to have mafia ties. Their marriage had many folks asking, ‘What in the world does she see in that dude?!!’

Some years ago, La Toya was engaged to her long-time friend and business partner, Jeffre Phillips, which also raised a few eyebrows.

But La Toya and Bobby’s romance was genuine, and they’d began dating after Janet secretly started dating Bobby’s younger brother, James DeBarge, with whom Janet eventually eloped.

It’s been said that Bobby was very depressed after he and La Toya broke up, but that he never stopped loving her from a distance.

Bobby sadly passed away after years of struggles, including battling his heroin addiction, serving a 5-year prison sentence, and battling the AIDS virus all at the same time. He had one of the most incredible falsetto voices to have EVER touched the music industry and unfortunately he also had his demons that stemmed from his childhood and his horrific relationship with his father.

It’s hard not to imagine what would have become of Bobby if he and La Toya had stayed together. They say love conquers all…so you never know – with the right woman by his side, maybe, just maybe Bobby could have had a different outcome. Too bad it didn’t work out between the two of them.

The post Old School Love: Switch Singer Dated And Wrote “I Call Your Name” For An R&B Legend appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

What many of us didn’t know was that we’ve also been jammin’ to Phillip’s popular R&B brother’s music for decades. Most of us know his brother well…we just didn’t know they were actually related. FYI:  HE IS NOT RELATED TO THE LEGENDARY DEBARGE FAMILY.
Scroll down to see who his multiplatinum superstar brother is…

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Yep, “Just Once”/”One Hundred Ways” crooner, James Ingram, is the older brother of Phillip Ingram (of Switch). They come from a musical family of six brothers and sisters who all sang and played instruments, but only James and Phillip pursued a musical career.

In an interview, Phillip Ingram spoke about often being asked if James is his brother and how he was influenced by James ever since James was in his first band, Revelation Funk, back in the day:

Phillip Ingram: “The answer is YES…and let me tell you what solidified me knowing without a shadow of a doubt, ain’t got to think twice about it, my decision to do music as a living. I was either 12 or 13, ‘Revelation Funk’, my brother’s [James Ingram] band, performed at the Akron Civic Center. They had done some touring up in Canada and was just back. I saw that particular show, was very proud of my brother and said, ‘this is what I’m going to do’.”

“Well not too long after that, I got into my first band ‘Raw Soul.‘ Just about that time Revelation Funk moved to California to try and make it big. The band eventually broke up, but James decided to stay and make a go of it. […] 4 years later when SWITCH was getting together…I called James and told him that I had a record deal and he couldn’t believe it because he was out in California and I was still in Akron,OH. So during that time when SWITCH was on the rise, James wasn’t known yet. But in every interview when I was asked who was your inspiration into the music industry, I would always respond ‘My brother, James.’ From the time that SWITCH did their first record, it had only been about 10-11 years since James had brought me to my first rehearsals, and only about 4 – 5 years from the time that I had made my decision to do music for a living.[…] I’m still proud of what he’s accomplished in the music industry. I also know that this is a long answer to the question, is James Ingram Your Brother? I could’ve just said ‘yes’ but I figured I give a little more background.”

WHAT BOTH INGRAM BROTHERS ARE DOING THESE DAYS…

Since 1984, Phillip has gone behind the scenes singing background for such artists as Quincy Jones, Kenny G, Lionel Richie, Celene Dion, Kanye West, Julio Iglesias, Barbara Streisand and many, many more. He also still performs with his remaining group members (and some new members) of Switch (Phillip is the one without the hat who is playing keys and singing background in the video below)…

Both Ingram brothers are still fulfilling their same childhood dreams. Much respect to Phillip and James for giving that timeless, feel-good music that used to heat up the house parties back in the day. Gotta love the Old School memories!

Source1, Source2

The post “I Call Your Name” Singer’s Brother Is A Very Famous R&B Singer Many Never Knew He Had appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

What many of us didn’t know was that we’ve also been jammin’ to Philip’s popular R&B brother’s music for decades. Most of us know his brother well…we just didn’t know they were actually related. FYI:  HE IS NOT RELATED TO THE LEGENDARY DEBARGE FAMILY.

Tap ‘next’ to see who his multiplatinum superstar brother is…

The post This “I Call Your Name” Singer’s Brother Is A Very Famous R&B Singer! appeared first on I Love Old School Music.