In the summer of 1976 Gwen Gordy Fuqua, sister of Motown founder Berry Gordy, watched a new quartet at a bicentennial community show in Pasadena, California. High Inergy paired sisters Vernessa and Barbara Mitchell as the singers with Linda Howard and Michelle Martin, also known as Michelle Rumph, featured mainly as dancers. Signed to Motown's Gordy label in 1977 and styled after the Supremes and Martha and the Vandellas, they released the album Turn It On, and its single You Can't Turn Me Off (In the Middle of Turning Me On) reached No. 2 on the R&B chart and No. 12 on the pop chart.
After the second album, Steppin' Out, in 1978, Vernessa Mitchell left for gospel music and the group continued as a trio with Barbara Mitchell as sole lead. They kept up a heavy pace, including two albums in 1979, and Motown brought in label stars to support them. During rehearsals for the 1983 Motown 25 television special, founding member Michelle Martin was replaced by Pat Douglas. That lineup made one more appearance, on Soul Train, before Barbara Mitchell left for a solo career and Motown retired the group in 1984.
The quartet split the work: two members handled vocals and two handled dancing for television and live shows.
Bobby DeBarge of Switch sang the male lead on Hold On to My Love and produced and co-wrote the track.
Barbara Mitchell recorded two duets with Smokey Robinson for the final album, Groove Patrol, in 1983.
The group released eight studio albums between 1977 and 1983 and scored nine R&B hits.
Founding member Linda Howard died on December 9, 2012.
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