The Jets may be the only successful pop rock group in the country that likes to be called "wholesome," and for them it's a label worn proudly.
"In the four years we have been the Jets, the image we project to millions of fans is that we're a clean group; wholesome," said LeRoy Wolfgramm, 23, eldest of the seven-member family musical group."We try to make our image correspond with the gospel," said Haini, 21, in a recent interview. "This includes our look and the kind of shows we put on. Our image is one of family."
"We're each others' best friends," added Elizabeth, 16, as she sat at the dining room table with the other members of the Jets, LeRoy; Eddie, 23; an adopted cousin, Haini; Rudy, 19; Kathi, 18; and Moana, 15.
The Wolfgramms, including parents Mike and Vake (pronounced Va-KAY), and their 15 children, ages 2 to 23, live in the Elm Creek Ward, Anoka Minnesota Stake, near Minneapolis.
Theirs is a grass-skirt-to-riches story that has taken them from the islands of Tonga - their home country - to cities throughout the world as one of the most popular Top 40 groups in the United States.
After two successful albums, a third is in the making and will be released soon. In addition, they were nominated for a Grammy Award in January 1989, and sang at President Bush's inaugural Youth Ball in Washington, D.C.
But despite their success in the entertainment industry, each of the Jets said he or she would give it all up in a minute for the Church.
"Our Mormon roots go back a long way," explained LeRoy, eager to talk of his ancestry. "My great-great grandfather on my dad's side was baptized by the missionaries who came to the islands around 1908. He was baptized the same day he heard the gospel."
His name was Pita Afu, a nobleman, who possessed great land and wealth under the king, said LeRoy. The king, after hearing about the baptism, threatened to take away everything Afu owned unless he renounced this new church.
"My great-great grandfather told the king, `I would rather serve the King of kings and Lord of lords,' " LeRoy recited proudly, adding that his great-great-grandfather did persuade the king to leave him a small piece of land upon which to build a church. "That's how the first Mormon Church in Tonga was built."
Mike and Vake met at a Church youth dance in Tonga and were married two weeks later. In 1965, after LeRoy was born, they immigrated to Salt Lake City to be sealed in the temple.
As the family grew, the musical talents of Vake Wolfgramm, who sang, danced, and played the guitar and drums, began to rub off on her children. They performed for the Relief Society, ward luaus and talent shows around the city, and then started being paid to perform at weddings and restaurants.
It was during a family home evening that the Wolfgramms, as a unit made the decision to dedicate their full time to the entertainment business. Then in 1976, they hit the road as a hula-hula act called the Polynesian Pearls.
In 1982, they settled in Minneapolis and formed a pop band called Quasar, which evolved into the Jets four years ago under the direction of a talented manager.
"You know," said Eddie, "the Jets thing, it's cool, but we look at it as a responsibility. We know that the main purpose of our career is missionary work. We want to put the success of our career to use for the Lord's kingdom."
All four brothers in the group have been through the temple and each has been called to serve a stake mission. "Most of our success as missionaries comes from firesides," said Rudy. "Lots of people bring their non-member friends, who come up to us afterward, and then we can express our testimonies."
"Although we do tract when we're at home, and do splits with the missionaries, our biggest influence is when we can represent the Church as a group," explained Haini.
The Jets insist that their parents and family home evening are what keep them strong and together during their busy lives. They even hold family night while on the road.
When news reporters ask how they stay so close, they smile and answer, "Well, we have these family meetings. . . ," a sure tip-off to knowledgable Mormons who read the story.
"People wonder how we do it," said LeRoy, "because to them, it's kind of corny to hang around with your brothers and sisters. They say, `You actually talk to your sister!' "
Eddie suggested, "The strength really comes from within the group. If one is lacking or feeling down, there are six others to buoy them up. And the strength that we use is derived from the gospel."
"Our parents are also a tremendous support," added Moana. "They are our biggest counselors. They give us advice and keep us in line."
"That's right," LeRoy concurred. "They always taught us to stay close to the Church, keep the commandments, and pay our tithing because at any given moment, if we were asked to do something in the Church that required it, we would drop the whole Jets thing."
The Jets say their biggest individual goals include temple marriages. Haini, the only married member of the group, was married in the Los Angeles Temple last November.
When they are not on tour, the Jets are just like any other LDS family. They babysit, wash dishes, go to stake dances and attend Church.
In addition to their stake mission calls, Eddie is in the Sunday School presidency and Rudy is an early morning seminary teacher.
"They are very much aware of the publicity and responsibility that go with being in the public eye, and they are very humble about it," explained their bishop, Joel Weist. "It's not gone to their heads in the least. They're good people."
Like other LDS families, the Wolfgramms work hard at cultivating a spirit of unity and love in their home. And if hard work, mutual respect, coupled with a little sportive teasing and lively play are any indication, they have succeeded.
