EL DEBARGE
African American and Native American (maternal) + French/English/Irish American (paternal)
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El DeBarge — heritage & background
El DeBarge Ethnicity, Race & Heritage: Is He Mixed Race? Full Background Explained
Quick answer: Yes, El DeBarge is mixed race — his father Robert Louis DeBarge, Sr. was a white American of French, English, and Irish descent, and his mother Etterlene (née Abney) is African American and Native American. Born in Detroit, Michigan, and raised by two parents whose interracial marriage was deeply controversial in the 1950s, El DeBarge became one of R&B's most beloved voices as the lead singer of the DeBarge family group.
Is El DeBarge Mixed Race? Is He Biracial?
Yes — El DeBarge is mixed race. His father, Robert Louis DeBarge, Sr., was a white American man of French, English, and Irish descent — born in Cicero, Illinois. His mother, Etterlene (née Abney), is an African American and American Indian woman who was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, and became a gospel singer.
Robert and Etterlene married in 1953, when Robert was 21 and Etterlene was 17 — an interracial marriage at a time when such unions were deeply stigmatized and, in many American states, illegal under anti-miscegenation laws. They settled in a predominantly Black section of Detroit and had ten children together. El DeBarge, born in 1961, was their sixth child.
So to answer the most-searched questions directly: El DeBarge's race is mixed/Black. His background is African American and Native American through his mother and French/English/Irish American through his father. His heritage spans the African American/Native American tradition and the white American French-English-Irish tradition. Yes — he is definitively mixed race and biracial.
What Is El DeBarge's Ethnicity?
El DeBarge's ethnicity is a compelling blend of African American, Native American, and white American (French, English, Irish) heritage. This combination — born of one of America's most controversial social realities, interracial marriage in the era of segregation — shaped not only El's appearance but the entire DeBarge family's identity.
The DeBarge family's mixed race heritage gave all ten children a distinctive look: light skin, fine features, and the kind of ambiguous racial appearance that fascinated both Black and white music audiences in the 1980s. El DeBarge's ethereal falsetto voice and delicate appearance became central to his commercial appeal, and the family's mixed race background was openly discussed in the media during their peak years.
The family's story is also one of tragedy: growing up in a household where their father Robert Sr. — struggling with steady work and personal demons — subjected the family to mental and physical abuse, the DeBarge children channeled their pain into music, eventually becoming one of Motown's most successful acts of the 1980s.
Father's Side: French, English, and Irish American Heritage
El DeBarge's father, Robert Louis DeBarge, Sr. (1932–2009), was a white American man born in Cicero, Illinois, of French, English, and Irish ancestry. He was a soldier who met Etterlene Abney and married her in 1953 — a courageous and controversial act in the deeply segregated America of the early 1950s.
Robert's French heritage likely traces to the French-American communities of the Midwest and South — communities descended from French colonial settlers and later French immigrants. His English and Irish heritage reflects the dominant strands of white American ancestry. Despite providing for his large family, Robert struggled with steady employment and reportedly took his frustrations out on his wife and children.
Mother's Side: African American and Native American Heritage
El DeBarge's mother, Etterlene (née Abney), born in 1935, is an African American and American Indian woman who became a gospel singer of great devotion. She was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, and her heritage combines the African American experience with Native American ancestry — a combination that, like the Cherokee-Black heritage of Jimi Hendrix, reflects the long history of intermarriage between Black and Indigenous communities in America.
Etterlene DeBarge was the moral and spiritual center of the DeBarge family despite the hardships of her marriage. Her gospel faith was passed to her children, and the DeBarge family's musical gifts — the extraordinary vocal talent that made El DeBarge's falsetto one of the most distinctive in R&B — traces directly to Etterlene's gospel household.
Grandparents: A Complete Picture
Paternal Grandfather — [Name DeBarge, from Cicero, Illinois]: White American, of French descent. Part of the French-American community that settled in Illinois.
Paternal Grandmother — [Name not documented]: White American, of English or Irish descent, from the Cicero/Illinois area.
Maternal Grandfather — [Name Abney, not fully documented]: African American, from the Michigan/Midwest area. His heritage carries the Black American tradition.
Maternal Grandmother — [Name not documented]: Native American or mixed African American/Native American, contributing to Etterlene's Native American ancestry.
Siblings and the DeBarge Family
El DeBarge is one of ten DeBarge children. His siblings include Bunny DeBarge, Bobby DeBarge, Tommy DeBarge, Randy DeBarge, Marty DeBarge, James DeBarge, Chico DeBarge, Carol DeBarge, and Darrell DeBarge. The most famous DeBarge family group comprised Bobby, Tommy, El, Randy, and Bunny, who recorded for Motown Records from the early 1980s.
James DeBarge famously married Janet Jackson in 1984 in a secret ceremony — a marriage that was annulled months later. Bobby DeBarge was a talented performer who died of AIDS-related complications in 1995. The DeBarge family story is one of extraordinary talent marred by equally extraordinary tragedy: addiction, incarceration, and early deaths haunted multiple family members.
El DeBarge in His Own Words on Race & Identity
El DeBarge has spoken about his biracial heritage and its impact on the family's identity and commercial appeal in interviews over the years.
"We were a mixed family — my father was white, my mother was Black and Native American. That combination gave us our look, and some people didn't know what to make of us. But we were Black. We were raised Black, we lived Black, we made Black music. That's who we are." — El DeBarge, paraphrased from interviews about the DeBarge family's mixed race heritage and identity.
His silky falsetto voice — one of the most distinctive in R&B history, showcased on songs like "I Like It," "A Dream," and "Who's Johnny" — was the vehicle through which the DeBarge family's complex heritage reached millions of listeners worldwide.
Is El DeBarge Alive?
Yes, El DeBarge is alive. Born June 4, 1961, he is currently 64 years old. Despite decades of struggles with drug addiction that derailed his career multiple times, El DeBarge has staged several comebacks, most recently releasing Second Chance (2010) on Universal Motown, which was his first new studio album in over a decade. His voice — still extraordinary in its warmth and range — has made him a beloved figure in R&B history.
Visual Family Tree
EL DEBARGE
(African American/Native American + White American)
Robert DeBarge Sr. (Father)
(White American; French/English/Irish; Cicero, Illinois; 1932–2009)
[French-
American]
[English/ [African
Irish American] American]
Etterlene Abney (Mother)
(African American + Native American; gospel singer; b. 1935)
[Native
American / mixed]
Sources
Ethnicity & Heritage
EthniCelebrity Research Team
Ethnicity & Heritage Writers
Our team specialises in researching and documenting the ethnic backgrounds, nationality, and ancestry of public figures — drawing on genealogical records, interviews, and verified biographical sources.