Sister Sledge's Kim talks touring with The Jackson 5, performing for The Pope and meeting Oprah Winfrey ahead of Birmingham show

And now, nearly 50 years later, the 60-year-old singer is still going strong - saying she truly believes performing and making music is what she and her siblings were 'created to do'.

The line-up is very different to what it once was, with Kathy stepping away from the group in 1989 and Joni tragically dying last year, aged 60.

But Kim and Debbie maintain the legacy with Joni firmly in at the forefront of their minds - and the pair will perform at a show in Birmingham next Saturday, alongside a star-studded line-up. Joni's son Thaddeus will also be with them.

The 40 Years Of Disco concert at the Genting Arena will see the sisters play alongside Tavares, Rose Royce, Boney M, Odyssey, George McCrae, and former lead singer of The Stylistics Eban Brown.

The bill sadly had to be changed a few weeks ago following the death of Eddy Amoo of The Real Thing, who had been due to perform. Eban took Eddy's place on the line-up.

"We keep going because that’s who we are. We were born to do this. Everybody has a specific gift or passion. It’s what we were created to do," says Kim.

"It’s also something Joni lived for so much. Even when we perform now, she’s always with us. We even sing songs she wrote.

"We have her son touring with us - he’s just an artist singing his mum’s songs.

"There’ll be a lot of our show dedicated to her. She was such a bright light. We miss her and love her, but she’s with us for sure."

There have been many rumours circulated regarding the sisters' relationship with Kathy since she decided to leave the group in the late 80s to pursue a solo career.

But Kim was keen to rule out any ill-feeling between the siblings - adding that she and Kathy even often go out together.

"We made peace with Kathy when she chose to leave the group all those years ago. She wanted to do it, so we gave her our blessing," adds Kim.

"She lives five minutes from me. We go out.

"I guess some people just want to hear bad things."

Since starting out, Sister Sledge have a number of incredible achievements under their belt - from touring with The Jackson 5, to huge chart success with five UK Top 10s and a UK number one, playing to The Pope alongside Aretha Franklin and Andrea Bocelli, and performing on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

"The first show our father ever came to was when we were touring with The Jackson 5. That was fun; kind of like a girls vs boys competitive thing," laughs Kim.

"We performed at the Houston Astrodome.

"Performing for The Pope was so surreal. What an honour.

"It was so funny because the whole city became a concert stage. People from across the world were there.

"We had to travel through checkpoints to get anywhere in the city because of the security.

"Being on stage with The Pope and seeing thousands of people in our city was remarkable.

"Andrea Bocelli was there too, singing The Lord’s Prayer. They put speakers across the city, so you could hear the music wherever you went. The night was brilliant with stars and it was so magical with that music floating through the air. It was a moment in time. Singing We Are Family with my sisters as well. It was just incredible.

"Oprah was really great. What I really loved about her is how she’s so approachable. She was really cool. The other artists on the show were nice to be with too."

Looking ahead to the Birmingham gig, Kim says she has many memories of playing the second city.

Their first time in Brum saw the sisters tour alongside late funk and R 'n' B star Jimmy Castor.

Kim says she is looking forward to returning to the city, as well as performing alongside the fellow disco stars from the genre's heyday.

"I remember the crowds there were incredible," recalls Kim.

"We stayed in a huge, old hotel.

"We had such a blast there. The moment we set foot in the UK, we knew it was our second home.

"I’m really looking forward to coming back.

"I’ve worked with the the other acts coming on the tour many times throughout our career - definitely in the beginning.

"We’re all old school performers, so our shows are all about audience interaction and entertainment.

"It’s going to be one big party - and it’s something we’re excited to be a part of.

"It’ll be really cool to see everyone again and talk about the past. We’re a community, a family."

Looking back on the group's roots, Kim says the sisters were inspired to go into music by their grandmother, who too was a singer. She would even take them to her shows when the girls were small.

"It’s so funny, my grandmother used to pull us to the piano. She gave us a true appreciation of music. We even travelled around with her doing shows as her singers," says Kim.

"We were aged four, five and seven at the time.

"She taught us everything: harmonies, breath control, annunciation…

"She also taught us to always rely on your craft. If anything ever fails, you’ve always got that.

"We sing a cappella, so if all else fails we can sing alone.

"We did something in Africa a while back. It was the first time we’d been there.

"We were performing to an audience of 50,000 people when everything went out. And without anything, the show came to life."

Though she's back to a healthy condition now, Kim had a near-death experience was taken ill with the H1N1 virus - a severe form of the flu - back in October 2010. Weeks into the illness, Kim contracted pneumonia and, four months later, she was admitted to an intensive care heart unit, being monitored 24-hours per day.

Things went from bad to worse when she then contracted a rare fungal infection called coccidioidomycosis, also known as Valley Fever. Kim says this came from a spore in the desert, which she inhaled while visiting her sister in Arizona.

"It was a bizarre time. If I’m completely honest, it affirmed my faith," says Kim.

"I’ve always believed in God but I tell you, being on my back, the love I was sent and the prayers… Jesus is real. I had a constant friend with me daily."