High Inergy Biography

This female quartet was discovered by Gwen Gordy Fuqua while they performed in their native Pasadena, CA, during a Bicentennial show. The group was comprised of lead singer Vernessa Mitchell, her sister Barbara Mitchell, Linda Howard, and Michelle Martin. (The Mitchell sisters were singers, Howard and Martin had dance backgrounds.) Signed by Motown in 1977, they immediately clicked on the pop and soul charts with the sultry ballad “You Can’t Turn Me Off (In the Middle of Turning Me On),” which was the cornerstone of of their debut album, Turnin’ On (1977). But after the follow-up album Steppin’ Out, (1978), Vernessa Mitchell left the group to concentrate on gospel music and Barbara took over lead singing chores on subsequent albums. But after struggling for several years without another major hit (or even name recognition), the group quietly disbanded in 1983.