Born as Etterlene Abney on October 13, 1935, in Royal Oak, Michigan, she was one of twelve children and had a twin sister.
When she was a child, her family moved to the Brewster-Douglass housing projects, located on Detroit's Lower East Side.
In 1972, the DeBarges moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Etterlene's brother, Bishop William Charles Abney, Jr., pastored Bethel Pentecostal Church.
They include Kristinia DeBarge, daughter of James, a singer who appeared on 2003's American Juniors followed up with a charting album (Exposed) and single ("Goodbye").
In 2007, Etterline published a memoir titled Other Side of the Pain, recounting her childhood and her family's entertainment history.