In 1965, Sledge formed the female group The Sledge Sisters; alongside her sisters
Debbie Sledge,
Kim Sledge, and
Kathy Sledge. The group performed in local clubs. In 1971, they debuted as Sisters Sledge, releasing their first single "Time Will Tell" on
New York City-based record label Money Back Records. In 1973, they began performing as Sister Sledge and signed with
Atco Records, a subsidiary of
Atlantic Records. They released two singles, "The Weatherman" and "Mama Never Told Me", the latter of which had minor success on the
UK singles chart. In 1975, Sister Sledge released their debut album
Circle of Love, which peaked at number 56 on
Billboard's
Soul LP's chart. In mid-1970s, Atco Records began focusing more on hard rock acts and some British and European bands. As a result, Sister Sledge changed label rosters to Cotillion Records, another subsidiary of Atlantic Records. The group followed up with another disco album titled
Love Somebody Today (1980). Sledge sang lead on the album's second single "Reach Your Peak", which peaked at number 21 on the US
Hot Soul Singles chart. Sister Sledge went on to release three more albums on Cotillion Records:
All American Girls (1981),
The Sisters (1982), and
Bet Cha Say That to All the Girls (1983). They also appeared in the accompanied documentary
The Making and Meaning of We Are Family. In February 2003, the original members performed "We Are Family" during the halftime of the game between the
Los Angeles Clippers and the
New York Knicks at
Madison Square Garden on in
New York City. The group released an album titled
Style in 2003; which featured all of the original members, although the album only received a limited-edition release. In mid-2003, Debbie and Joni began touring as the lineup of Sister Sledge, often adding Debbie's younger daughter Camille Young (credited as Camille Sledge) as the third member in place of Kim. By 2008, a lineup of Joni Sledge, Amber Sledge, and family friend Chele' Davis (replacing Debbie) began touring as Sister Sledge, with Debbie Sledge periodically performing in the lineup. In 2009, she released her solo album
Joni (also called
Tru), exclusively available as a digital download through her website. In April 2011, she performed alongside Debbie, Kim, and Kathy for a televised performance of "We Are Family" on
The Oprah Winfrey Show. Sledge continued to tour with the group until 2016. In 2016, although a formal statement was not released, Sledge was said to be in failing health. She continued to make special appearances with the group involving television, galas, and certain festival performances but ultimately refrained from extensively touring with Sister Sledge, leaving the group's longtime collaborator Tanya Ti-et to fill in for her. ==Death==