Labelle
Encyclopedia
Labelle is an American
all female singing group
who were a popular vocal group of the 1960s and 1970s. The group was formed after the disbanding of two rival girl groups in the Philadelphia/Trenton
areas, the Ordettes and the Del-Capris, forming as a new version of the former group, later changing their name to The Blue Belles (later Bluebelles). The founding members were Patti LaBelle
, Sundray Tucker
, Nona Hendryx
and Sarah Dash
. Tucker left before the group cut their first record and was replaced by Cindy Birdsong
.
As The Bluebelles, and later Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, the group found success with ballads in the doo-wop
genre, most notably, "Down the Aisle (The Wedding Song)
", "You'll Never Walk Alone
" and "Over the Rainbow
". After Birdsong departed from the group to join The Supremes
in 1967, under the advice of Vicki Wickham
, the group changed its look, musical direction and style and reformed as Labelle, in 1971. Their funk rock
recordings of that period were cult favorites and they were raved for their brash interpretation of rock and roll and for dealing with subject matter that was not touched by black groups. Finally after adapting glam rock
and wearing outlandish space-age and glam rock-adorned costumes, the group found success with the proto-disco smash, "Lady Marmalade
", in 1974, leading to their parent album, Nightbirds
, becoming a platinum success. They are notable for being the first contemporary pop group and first black pop group to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House
.
The group went on their own after the end of a tour in 1976 going on to have significant amount of solo success, especially Nona Hendryx, who followed an idiosyncratic muse into her own solo career, which often bordered on the avant-garde and Patti LaBelle, who's enjoyed a very successful Grammy
-winning solo career.
The group returned with their first new album in 32 years with 2008's Back to Now
.
and The Shirelles
and solo female performers such as Mahalia Jackson
and Dinah Washington
. Around 1959, Holt and fellow Ordette member Sundray Tucker met and befriended a rival girl group from Trenton, New Jersey
, not too far from Philadelphia, named the Del-Capris, which featured friends Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash. Shortly afterwards, both groups disbanded and the Ordettes' then-manager Bernard Montague insisted Holt and Tucker join forces with Hendryx and Dash. The girls, loving the camaraderie between them, reformed the Ordettes. In 1960, due to failing grades, Tucker was forced to drop out of the group. Needing a replacement, Holt contacted a longtime neighborhood friend, Cindy Birdsong
, who had moved back to Philadelphia from Camden, New Jersey
where she was attending college to study a life as a nurse. However, after Holt contacted her of the Ordettes needing a new member to replace Sundray Tucker, Birdsong immediately decided to drop out of college and join the group. At 20 years old, she was the eldest member of the group (Holt was 16, Hendryx was 15 and Dash was only 14).
After performing in several talent shows for a year, the group found a record label with the local Newtown Records. Before signing the group, the label's president, Harold Robinson, was unimpressed with the physical looks of Holt, telling staff he felt Holt was "too dark and too unattractive" to be the lead singer. When Holt sung during the group's audition, however, the president changed his mind, and soon signed the group. Shortly afterwards, Robinson advised the group to change its name to one of Newtown's subsidiaries, Blue Belle Records. As The Blue Belles, their first single was ironically a song that the group didn't participate in - "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman
" was, as explained in Patti LaBelle's memoirs, Don't Block the Blessings, originally recorded by The Starlets
, then riding high on their hit single, "Tell Him No" and were on the road when the song was released, unable to promote it. Robinson credited the song to the Blue Belles, who later were sent to promote the song, which peaked at the top twenty of the Billboard Hot 100
, in 1962. Following a potential lawsuit from a president of another record label for using the name Blue Belles, Robinson gave Holt the stage name, Patti La Belle (La Belle means French
for "the beautiful one"), and altered the group's name to Patti La Belle and Her Blue Belles. In 1963, the group recorded two albums for Newtown, a Christmas album titled Sleigh Bells, Jingle Bells and Blue Bells, and a live album, Sweethearts of the Apollo, taking from a title giving to them after the group successfully performed at the Apollo Theater
, however the group failed to match their live success with any following records and left Newtown for more established Cameo-Parkway Records
, releasing the top 40 hit, "Down the Aisle (The Wedding Song)
".
The group performed constantly with Murray the K
and also performed on the infamous chitlin' circuit. The group, which consisted of sweet, soulful harmonies, and gospel backgrounds, set themselves differently from more pop-oriented girl groups such as The Ronettes
, The Marvelettes
and The Supremes
, gaining an audience. In 1964, the group had another top 40 hit with their version of "You'll Never Walk Alone
", later reappearing on American Bandstand singing the song. After releasing their third album, another live performance at the Apollo, the group looked to find fame after Atlantic Records
president Ahmet Ertegun
offered the group a deal.
, Over the Rainbow, which was modestly successful and included the modest pop hit, "All or Nothing" and the soon-to-be R&B standard, "Over the Rainbow
". The latter hit won them more fans as they began touring outside the United States, first opening for The Rolling Stones
. Due to their UK exposure, the group toured constantly in the region, appearing on an episode of Ready Steady Go!
, produced by their future manager Vicki Wickham, and also touring with Reginald Dwight
's band, Bluesology, backing them up. Around this same time, the group began to work behind the scenes as session singers, filling in backgrounds for the likes of artists such as Wilson Pickett
. They were famously featured singing background on Pickett's 1966 hit, "634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)
".
The group seemed destined for stardom after the release of their second album, Dreamer, which featured the soulful title track, the hit "Take Me For a Little While" and their cover of The Impressions' "I'm Still Waiting", which each gave them moderate chart success. However, promotion of the album and its singles stopped abruptly when Cindy Birdsong, who had spent months as a stand-in for Supremes
founder Florence Ballard
, suddenly left the Bluebelles to become a full-fledged member of The Supremes. Following Birdsong's departure, Sundray Tucker
briefly filled in in Cindy's place while touring. the group fell out of sync as grittier soul artists such as Aretha Franklin
and psychedelic rock artists such as Sly and the Family Stone and The Jimi Hendrix Experience
emerged, making the girl group
sound out of date with the public. The group struggled with recordings and were forced to take whatever performance offers they were given. In 1970, the Bluebelles were dropped from their Atlantic contract. Their longtime manager, Bernard Montague, would also leave them that year to focus his full time on fellow Philly group, The Delfonics
. After almost signing with Frankie Crocker
and Herb Hamlett as their managers, the group settled on Vicki Wickham, after Dusty Springfield
, who was also managed by Wickham and was a fan of the Bluebelles insisted Wickham worked with them.
sound while keeping the group's R&B roots intact. After a year in London, the group returned to the United States and signed with the Track Records imprint and a distribution deal with Warner Bros, later being sent out on the road as the opening act to The Who
. The group's producer Kit Lambert signed on to produce Labelle's debut album
on Warner Bros, which came out in 1971. The album was notable for their inspired soulful covers of The Rolling Stones
' "Wild Horses" and Laura Nyro
's "Time and Love". It was also notable for the first known compositions by member Nona Hendryx, who co-wrote with LaBelle, the socially conscious "Shades of Difference". The album's first single, the sexually charged, "Morning Much Better" was co-written by future disco hit-maker Michael Zager
.
In the same year Labelle was produced, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff hired the group to partake in backing up Laura Nyro on her acclaimed covers album, Gonna Take a Miracle
. Nyro and LaBelle later became best friends and Nyro became a godmother of LaBelle's son Zuri in 1973. Nyro and the group later toured together continuing into 1974. That same year, they vocally contributed to Nikki Giovanni
's Peace Be Still. During the Nyro recordings, Gamble & Huff had approached the group to record a song about a marriage breaking up after ten years titled "If You Don't Know Me By Now
". It's unknown if Labelle themselves recorded it but due to conflicting recording and touring schedules, the song was never put on Labelle's follow-up Warner album, Moon Shadow
and Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
recorded the song making it a hit. In 1972, the group's second album, Moon Shadow, came out, notably featuring more compositions from Nona Hendryx. Though Patti LaBelle and Sarah Dash had some parts in writing some songs for the group, Hendryx would emerge at the end of 1972 as the dominant songwriter of the three. Moon Shadow again featured Labelle doing gospel-influenced renditions of rock and roll numbers including the title track (originally by Cat Stevens
) and The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" and another sexually intense Hendryx composition, "Touch Me All Over". The group debuted their then-Afrocentric look on the show, Soul, in 1972. The group received critical acclaim for these works but neither attracted commercial attention. Following the release of Moon Shadow and its relative failure, Warner Bros dropped them from their contract. In 1973, the group accepted a one-off deal with RCA Records
to produce their next record, the transitional Pressure Cookin'
album, released shortly after LaBelle gave birth to her son.
It was during promotion of the album that Wickham once again advised the group to change their look. Inspired by the emerging glam rock
sounds and styles of Marc Bolan
and David Bowie
, the group adapted a more flamboyant image. The album itself had glam rock influences and was notable for the group's impassioned, shocking take of "Something in the Air" which segued into Gil Scott Heron's acclaimed "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
". Despite their new image and Hendryx's growth as a songwriter (the song "Hollywood", or "(Can I Speak to You Before You Go To) Hollywood", allegedly dedicated to Cindy Birdsong
, was a notable highlight in their career) and the presence of Stevie Wonder
on the single, "Open Your Heart", Pressure Cookin again failed to attract a commercial audience. Despite this, a cult following began to develop and following the group opening for The Rolling Stones on their U.S. tour, the group switched labels, going to CBS Records
in 1974, signing with the subsidiary Epic
.
offered to produce the group's next album, Labelle spent two weeks in New Orleans working on what became Nightbirds
. More inspired by Elton John
, who they would be reacquainted with since Elton's band Bluesology had originally backed the former Bluebelles, and Bowie, the group wore more wilder outfits with each member adapting their own flamboyant style to their distinctive looks. They debuted this new image while opening for The Stones. After Nightbirds was released in September 1974, the group went on a U.S. tour. That October, the group made history by performing at the Metropolitan Opera House
in a concert later billed as "Wear Something Silver", as the members of Labelle were now wearing silver, metallic wear equipped with feathers and silver platform boots, which later inspired George Clinton
to adapt a similar look for his band, Funkadelic
, two years later, also adapting the space-age lyrical and musical matter, pioneered by Nona Hendryx and Labelle. The success of the concert gave them rave reviews and soon radio airplay increased with the album's leading single, "Lady Marmalade
", released shortly after the performance at the Met.
Famed for its come-hither chorus ("Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?", French for "Do you wanna sleep with me, tonight?"), "Lady Marmalade" became an instant success and by March 1975 had become the number-one hit in the country and also was an international hit. The success sent Nightbirds to the top ten of the Billboard 200
album chart, eventually selling a million copies. "Lady Marmalade" was also a million-seller, the group's first-ever, making the group, after a sixteen-year tenure, overnight successes. They had modest chart success with the dance single, "What Can I Do For You". Both songs became important in the development of disco
and also pushed funk
to the mainstream. Following this success, Labelle made history again as they became the first predominantly black group to be featured on the cover of Rolling Stone
. Labelle embarked on an international tour as headliners. After returning to the states, the group later reassembled in New Orleans to record their follow-up to Nightbirds. The follow-up, Phoenix
, featured the singles "Messin' With My Mind" and "Far As We Felt Like Goin'". While it charted at a respectable number 44 on the pop chart and was again a critical success, it failed to repeat the success of Nightbirds and the group never again had a hit as huge as "Lady Marmalade". In 1976, the group worked with David Rubinson on their next album, Chameleon
, which featured the hits "Get You Somebody New" and "Isn't It a Shame", the latter song Patti LaBelle mentions as the last song the group ever recorded together.
The group was actually recording another album, Shaman, when the group finally came unglued during their U.S. tour. Despite trying to keep an image of unity and sisterhood that had often been the message of Labelle, tensions between the band mates grew. Finally during a show in Baltimore on December 13, 1976, according to Patti LaBelle in her memoirs, Don't Block The Blessings, Hendryx snapped. Before going into their famous number, "(Can I Speak To You Before You Go To) Hollywood", the singer suddenly left the stage. When LaBelle and Dash found Hendryx, she had suffered a nervous breakdown, tearing up her dressing room. Hendryx was later taken to a hospital for mental evaluation. Feeling the group had reached the end of its rope, LaBelle advised Hendryx and Dash to disband the group, ending it as long as their friendship remained intact. Eventually the group agreed to go their separate ways, announcing their split in early 1977, repairing their friendship. All three members, shortly afterwards, embarked on solo careers.
in the 1980s with hits such as "New Attitude
" and "On My Own". LaBelle would later win two Grammys and would receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
. Sarah Dash found more success as a side-woman collaborating with the likes of Keith Richards
and released several dance recordings that found modest success. The experimental Nona Hendryx recorded hard rock
, hip-hop, house and new age
, finding her biggest chart success with the dance-pop single, "Why Should I Cry?"
All three members collaborated on each other's projects over the years following their 1977 split. LaBelle appeared in a couple of albums by Hendryx and Dash attributing background vocals and, in the case of Dash, a duet. In 1991, 15 years after their last recordings together, the group reunited on Patti LaBelle's Burnin'
, recording the funky "Release Yourself", another Hendryx composition. Hendryx and LaBelle co-wrote the latter's hit, "When You've Been Blessed (Feels Like Heaven)
" on the same album. The group performed their reunion song at The Apollo Theater during a televised special there to help LaBelle promote Burnin. The group reunited again in 1995 to record the dance hit, "Turn It Out", for the soundtrack to the film, To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything Julie Newmar. The song became their first charted hit in nineteen years peaking at number-one on the Billboard dance singles chart. Labelle would announce a full-fledged reunion in 2005 after the group recorded the Rosa Parks
tribute song, "Dear Rosa", featured on LaBelle's TV show, Living It Up with Patti LaBelle, and after recording, with gospel artist Tye Tribbett, the gospel song, "Preaching to the Choir", from the movie of the same name, which LaBelle starred in. The group would sign a recording deal with Verve Records
in 2007 and recorded their new album, Back to Now
, throughout late 2007 and 2008, releasing the album that October.
That year, the trio went back on tour together which carried through the spring of 2009. In an interview with the Toronto Star
, Patti LaBelle explained why she, Dash and Hendryx waited over 32 years to record a full length album: "You don't want to half-step something this important....it was about finding the right time and place. We were never ones to do anything on anyone else's time anyway; we were always unconventional. I still have my glitter boots to prove it."
The group performed a triumphant show at the Apollo Theatre in New York City on December 19, 2008.
, Destiny's Child
and The Pussycat Dolls, who recorded the Labelle hit, "Far As We Felt Like Goin'" from the Phoenix album. Their biggest hit, "Lady Marmalade" continues to be covered, with its successful covers being renditions by All Saints
and the Grammy
-winning number-one hit collaboration between singers Christina Aguilera
, Pink
and Mýa
and rapper Lil' Kim
in 2001. The latter song recorded for the Moulin Rouge!
soundtrack. The song was also covered by Madchester-era indie group The Happy Mondays, who spliced it with "Kinky Afro". The group's 1960s hit, "You'll Never Walk Alone", was sampled by Kanye West
in an early version of his song, "Homecoming" (which sampled the group's "walk on" intro) while their 1970s hit, "Isn't It a Shame" was sampled by Nelly on his song, "My Place
". Their 1973 song, "Goin' On a Holiday", was also sampled in several hip-hop songs (sampling the group's vocal bridge, "goin', goin', goin', goin'...on...").
The group has been called pioneers of the disco
movement for the proto-disco singles "Lady Marmalade" and "Messin' With My Mind". In turn, "Lady Marmalade" has been also called one of the first mainstream disco hits (Jones and Kantonen, 1999). In 2003, "Lady Marmalade" was inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame.
In 2009, their songs "It Took a Long Time" and "System" were featured in Lee Daniels
' film Precious
.
1967–1970
2005–2009
As Labelle:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
all female singing group
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
who were a popular vocal group of the 1960s and 1970s. The group was formed after the disbanding of two rival girl groups in the Philadelphia/Trenton
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
areas, the Ordettes and the Del-Capris, forming as a new version of the former group, later changing their name to The Blue Belles (later Bluebelles). The founding members were Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
, Sundray Tucker
Sundray Tucker
Sundray Tucker is an American singer. She is the eldest daughter of the late Ira Tucker and Louise Tucker...
, Nona Hendryx
Nona Hendryx
Nona Hendryx is an American vocalist, producer, songwriter, musician, author, and actress.Hendryx is known for her work as a solo artist as well as for being one-third of the trio Labelle, who had a hit with "Lady Marmalade." Her music has ranged from soul, funk, dance, and R&B to hard rock, art...
and Sarah Dash
Sarah Dash
Sarah Dash is a singer and actress. Her first notable appearance on the music scene was as a member of Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles...
. Tucker left before the group cut their first record and was replaced by Cindy Birdsong
Cindy Birdsong
Cynthia Ann "Cindy" Birdsong , better known by her stage name, Cindy Birdsong, is an American singer, most famous for singing with the legendary soul groups Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles and The Supremes.-Early life:...
.
As The Bluebelles, and later Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, the group found success with ballads in the doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
genre, most notably, "Down the Aisle (The Wedding Song)
Down the Aisle (The Wedding Song)
"Down the Aisle " is a doo-wop ballad recorded and released by girl group Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles in 1963. The song became a hit success for the Philadelphia-based vocal group following the controversial release of their "debut hit", 1962's "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman".-Background:By...
", "You'll Never Walk Alone
You'll Never Walk Alone
You'll Never Walk Alone is a song from the musical Carousel, a pop standard and football club anthem, for example that of Liverpool F.C.You'll Never Walk Alone may also refer to:* You'll Never Walk Alone , studio album...
" and "Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow
"Over the Rainbow" is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie...
". After Birdsong departed from the group to join The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
in 1967, under the advice of Vicki Wickham
Vicki Wickham
Vicki Heather Wickham is an English talent manager, entertainment producer, and songwriter.-Career:She is most known for producing the 60s British television show Ready Steady Go!, and managing well known pop/soul acts Labelle and Dusty Springfield....
, the group changed its look, musical direction and style and reformed as Labelle, in 1971. Their funk rock
Funk rock
Funk rock is a music genre that fuses funk and rock elements. Its earliest incarnation was heard in the late 1960s through the mid-1970s by acts such as the Jimi Hendrix Experience , Eric Burdon and War, Trapeze, Parliament-Funkadelic, Betty Davis and Mother's Finest. The 1990s were known for acts...
recordings of that period were cult favorites and they were raved for their brash interpretation of rock and roll and for dealing with subject matter that was not touched by black groups. Finally after adapting glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
and wearing outlandish space-age and glam rock-adorned costumes, the group found success with the proto-disco smash, "Lady Marmalade
Lady Marmalade
"Lady Marmalade" was also covered by Italian pop star Sabrina. It was released in 1987 as the album's second single by Baby Records. In some countries, including France and the Netherlands, the song was known as "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi? " and was released in 1988.-Track listings:7" maxi#...
", in 1974, leading to their parent album, Nightbirds
Nightbirds
Nightbirds is an acclaimed album by the all-female singing group Labelle, released in 1974 on the Epic label. Notable for their biggest hit, the number-one song, "Lady Marmalade", it became the group's most successful album to date.-Background:...
, becoming a platinum success. They are notable for being the first contemporary pop group and first black pop group to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
.
The group went on their own after the end of a tour in 1976 going on to have significant amount of solo success, especially Nona Hendryx, who followed an idiosyncratic muse into her own solo career, which often bordered on the avant-garde and Patti LaBelle, who's enjoyed a very successful Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning solo career.
The group returned with their first new album in 32 years with 2008's Back to Now
Back to Now
Back to Now is the seventh and latest studio album by American R&B female group Labelle, released on October 21, 2008. The album is the group's first in over thirty years though they had sung on songs together on occasion....
.
Sweethearts of The Apollo
In 1958, Patricia "Patsy" Holt formed her first singing group, the Ordettes in her Philadelphia hometown, after being influenced by The ChantelsThe Chantels
The Chantels were the second African-American girl group to have nationwide success in the United States, preceded by The Bobbettes. The group was established in the early 1950s and attended St. Anthony of Padua school in The Bronx...
and The Shirelles
The Shirelles
The Shirelles were an African-American girl group that achieved popularity in the early 1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens , Doris Coley , Addie "Micki" Harris , and Beverly Lee...
and solo female performers such as Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson – January 27, 1972) was an African-American gospel singer. Possessing a powerful contralto voice, she was referred to as "The Queen of Gospel"...
and Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones , was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues"...
. Around 1959, Holt and fellow Ordette member Sundray Tucker met and befriended a rival girl group from Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
, not too far from Philadelphia, named the Del-Capris, which featured friends Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash. Shortly afterwards, both groups disbanded and the Ordettes' then-manager Bernard Montague insisted Holt and Tucker join forces with Hendryx and Dash. The girls, loving the camaraderie between them, reformed the Ordettes. In 1960, due to failing grades, Tucker was forced to drop out of the group. Needing a replacement, Holt contacted a longtime neighborhood friend, Cindy Birdsong
Cindy Birdsong
Cynthia Ann "Cindy" Birdsong , better known by her stage name, Cindy Birdsong, is an American singer, most famous for singing with the legendary soul groups Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles and The Supremes.-Early life:...
, who had moved back to Philadelphia from Camden, New Jersey
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
where she was attending college to study a life as a nurse. However, after Holt contacted her of the Ordettes needing a new member to replace Sundray Tucker, Birdsong immediately decided to drop out of college and join the group. At 20 years old, she was the eldest member of the group (Holt was 16, Hendryx was 15 and Dash was only 14).
After performing in several talent shows for a year, the group found a record label with the local Newtown Records. Before signing the group, the label's president, Harold Robinson, was unimpressed with the physical looks of Holt, telling staff he felt Holt was "too dark and too unattractive" to be the lead singer. When Holt sung during the group's audition, however, the president changed his mind, and soon signed the group. Shortly afterwards, Robinson advised the group to change its name to one of Newtown's subsidiaries, Blue Belle Records. As The Blue Belles, their first single was ironically a song that the group didn't participate in - "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman
I Sold My Heart to the Junkman
"I Sold My Heart to the Junkman" is a 1962 hit single by The Blue Belles, written by Jimmie Thomas. The song is notable for having been originally recorded by another group and conflicting schedules leading the future Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles group to claim the song as their own...
" was, as explained in Patti LaBelle's memoirs, Don't Block the Blessings, originally recorded by The Starlets
The Starlets
The Starlets were an American girl group from Chicago, Illinois.The group came together in 1961, and auditioned for a Chicago songwriter, Bernice Williams. Williams wrote them the tune "Better Tell Him No", which was released on Pam Records that year. The record peaked at #38 on the Billboard Hot...
, then riding high on their hit single, "Tell Him No" and were on the road when the song was released, unable to promote it. Robinson credited the song to the Blue Belles, who later were sent to promote the song, which peaked at the top twenty of the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, in 1962. Following a potential lawsuit from a president of another record label for using the name Blue Belles, Robinson gave Holt the stage name, Patti La Belle (La Belle means French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
for "the beautiful one"), and altered the group's name to Patti La Belle and Her Blue Belles. In 1963, the group recorded two albums for Newtown, a Christmas album titled Sleigh Bells, Jingle Bells and Blue Bells, and a live album, Sweethearts of the Apollo, taking from a title giving to them after the group successfully performed at the Apollo Theater
Apollo Theater
The Apollo Theater in New York City is one of the most famous, and older, music halls in the United States, and the most famous club associated almost exclusively with Black performers...
, however the group failed to match their live success with any following records and left Newtown for more established Cameo-Parkway Records
Cameo-Parkway Records
Cameo-Parkway Records was the parent company of Cameo Records and Parkway Records, which were major American Philadelphia-based record labels from 1956 and 1958 to 1967...
, releasing the top 40 hit, "Down the Aisle (The Wedding Song)
Down the Aisle (The Wedding Song)
"Down the Aisle " is a doo-wop ballad recorded and released by girl group Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles in 1963. The song became a hit success for the Philadelphia-based vocal group following the controversial release of their "debut hit", 1962's "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman".-Background:By...
".
The group performed constantly with Murray the K
Murray the K
Murray Kaufman , professionally known as Murray the K, was an influential rock and roll impresario and disc jockey of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s...
and also performed on the infamous chitlin' circuit. The group, which consisted of sweet, soulful harmonies, and gospel backgrounds, set themselves differently from more pop-oriented girl groups such as The Ronettes
The Ronettes
The Ronettes were a 1960s girl group from New York City, best known for their work with producer Phil Spector. The group consisted of lead singer Veronica Bennett ; her older sister, Estelle Bennett; and their cousin Nedra Talley...
, The Marvelettes
The Marvelettes
The Marvelettes were an American singing girl group on the Tamla label. Motown's first successful female vocal group, the Marvelettes are most notable for recording the company's first #1 Pop hit, "Please Mr...
and The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
, gaining an audience. In 1964, the group had another top 40 hit with their version of "You'll Never Walk Alone
You'll Never Walk Alone
You'll Never Walk Alone is a song from the musical Carousel, a pop standard and football club anthem, for example that of Liverpool F.C.You'll Never Walk Alone may also refer to:* You'll Never Walk Alone , studio album...
", later reappearing on American Bandstand singing the song. After releasing their third album, another live performance at the Apollo, the group looked to find fame after Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
president Ahmet Ertegun
Ahmet Ertegun
Ahmet Ertegün was a Turkish American musician and businessman, best known as the founder and president of Atlantic Records. He also wrote classic blues and pop songs and served as Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and museum...
offered the group a deal.
Move to Atlantic and Cindy Birdsong's departure
In 1965, Atlantic Records signed the Bluebelles to a contract, again altering their name to simply Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles. Following a year in the studio, the band released their first studio albumStudio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
, Over the Rainbow, which was modestly successful and included the modest pop hit, "All or Nothing" and the soon-to-be R&B standard, "Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow
"Over the Rainbow" is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie...
". The latter hit won them more fans as they began touring outside the United States, first opening for The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
. Due to their UK exposure, the group toured constantly in the region, appearing on an episode of Ready Steady Go!
Ready Steady Go!
Ready Steady Go! or simply RSG! was one of the UK's first rock/pop music TV programmes. It was conceived by Elkan Allan, head of Rediffusion TV. Allan was assisted by record producer/talent manager Vicki Wickham, who became the producer. It was broadcast from August 1963 until December 1966...
, produced by their future manager Vicki Wickham, and also touring with Reginald Dwight
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
's band, Bluesology, backing them up. Around this same time, the group began to work behind the scenes as session singers, filling in backgrounds for the likes of artists such as Wilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett was an American R&B/Soul singer and songwriter.A major figure in the development of American soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, and frequently crossed over to the US Billboard Hot 100...
. They were famously featured singing background on Pickett's 1966 hit, "634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)
634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)
"634-5789" a.k.a. "6345-789" a.k.a. "634-5789 " is the title of a classic soul track written by Eddie Floyd and Steve Cropper. The song was first recorded by soul legend Wilson Pickett on his 1966 Atlantic Records album The Exciting Wilson Pickett and the single reached #1 on the "Black Singles"...
".
The group seemed destined for stardom after the release of their second album, Dreamer, which featured the soulful title track, the hit "Take Me For a Little While" and their cover of The Impressions' "I'm Still Waiting", which each gave them moderate chart success. However, promotion of the album and its singles stopped abruptly when Cindy Birdsong, who had spent months as a stand-in for Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
founder Florence Ballard
Florence Ballard
Florence Glenda Ballard Chapman was an American singer and a founding member of the Motown group The Supremes. From 1963 until 1967, Ballard sang on 16 Top 40 hit Supremes' singles, ten of which hit number-one on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1967, Motown CEO Berry Gordy decided to remove Ballard from...
, suddenly left the Bluebelles to become a full-fledged member of The Supremes. Following Birdsong's departure, Sundray Tucker
Sundray Tucker
Sundray Tucker is an American singer. She is the eldest daughter of the late Ira Tucker and Louise Tucker...
briefly filled in in Cindy's place while touring. the group fell out of sync as grittier soul artists such as Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
and psychedelic rock artists such as Sly and the Family Stone and The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Jimi Hendrix Experience were an English-American psychedelic rock band that formed in London in October 1966. Comprising eponymous singer-songwriter and guitarist Jimi Hendrix, bassist and backing vocalist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, the band was active until June 1969, in which...
emerged, making the girl group
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
sound out of date with the public. The group struggled with recordings and were forced to take whatever performance offers they were given. In 1970, the Bluebelles were dropped from their Atlantic contract. Their longtime manager, Bernard Montague, would also leave them that year to focus his full time on fellow Philly group, The Delfonics
The Delfonics
The Delfonics are a pioneering Philadelphia soul singing group, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their most notable hits include "La-La ", "Didn't I ", "Break Your Promise," "I'm Sorry," and "Ready or Not Here I Come "...
. After almost signing with Frankie Crocker
Frankie Crocker
Frankie "Hollywood" Crocker was a famous New York radio DJ...
and Herb Hamlett as their managers, the group settled on Vicki Wickham, after Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
, who was also managed by Wickham and was a fan of the Bluebelles insisted Wickham worked with them.
Reinvention
Wickham advised the group to move to London and change their entire image and sound, something Patti LaBelle later admitted she felt real uncomfortable with, saying she was okay with the way things were going. LaBelle had fears when the group returned to America with their new laid-back image that they would be booed and heckled for betraying fans with a new sound and look. Wickham advised them to change their name to simply Labelle and adapt a rockRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
sound while keeping the group's R&B roots intact. After a year in London, the group returned to the United States and signed with the Track Records imprint and a distribution deal with Warner Bros, later being sent out on the road as the opening act to The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
. The group's producer Kit Lambert signed on to produce Labelle's debut album
Labelle (album)
Labelle is the debut album of American singing trio Labelle, formerly a four-girl group known as Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles. This was Labelle's first release for Warner Bros...
on Warner Bros, which came out in 1971. The album was notable for their inspired soulful covers of The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
' "Wild Horses" and Laura Nyro
Laura Nyro
Laura Nyro was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved considerable critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and New York Tendaberry, and had commercial success with artists such as Barbra Streisand and The 5th...
's "Time and Love". It was also notable for the first known compositions by member Nona Hendryx, who co-wrote with LaBelle, the socially conscious "Shades of Difference". The album's first single, the sexually charged, "Morning Much Better" was co-written by future disco hit-maker Michael Zager
Michael Zager
Michael Zager has produced, composed, and/or arranged original music in a wide range of musical idioms, including commercials, albums, network television, and as a source for theme music for films....
.
In the same year Labelle was produced, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff hired the group to partake in backing up Laura Nyro on her acclaimed covers album, Gonna Take a Miracle
Gonna Take a Miracle
Gonna Take a Miracle is the fifth music album by New York-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro. Nyro was backed up on the album by the vocal trio Labelle....
. Nyro and LaBelle later became best friends and Nyro became a godmother of LaBelle's son Zuri in 1973. Nyro and the group later toured together continuing into 1974. That same year, they vocally contributed to Nikki Giovanni
Nikki Giovanni
Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni is an American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. Her primary focus is on the individual and the power one has to make a difference in oneself and in the lives of others. Giovanni’s poetry expresses strong racial pride, respect for family, and her...
's Peace Be Still. During the Nyro recordings, Gamble & Huff had approached the group to record a song about a marriage breaking up after ten years titled "If You Don't Know Me By Now
If You Don't Know Me By Now
"If You Don't Know Me by Now" is a song written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and recorded by the jersey soul musical group Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, which became their first hit after being released as a single in 1972 topping the R&B chart and peaking at number three on the Pop chart.The...
". It's unknown if Labelle themselves recorded it but due to conflicting recording and touring schedules, the song was never put on Labelle's follow-up Warner album, Moon Shadow
Moon Shadow (Labelle album)
Moon Shadow is the second album by American singing trio Labelle. This release was their second and last album for Warner Bros. Records. The album is notable for their soulful rendition of The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again", the socially conscious "I Believe That I've Finally Made It Home" and the...
and Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes were an American singing group, one of the most popular Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. The group's repertoire included soul, R&B, doo-wop, and disco...
recorded the song making it a hit. In 1972, the group's second album, Moon Shadow, came out, notably featuring more compositions from Nona Hendryx. Though Patti LaBelle and Sarah Dash had some parts in writing some songs for the group, Hendryx would emerge at the end of 1972 as the dominant songwriter of the three. Moon Shadow again featured Labelle doing gospel-influenced renditions of rock and roll numbers including the title track (originally by Cat Stevens
Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam , commonly known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam....
) and The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" and another sexually intense Hendryx composition, "Touch Me All Over". The group debuted their then-Afrocentric look on the show, Soul, in 1972. The group received critical acclaim for these works but neither attracted commercial attention. Following the release of Moon Shadow and its relative failure, Warner Bros dropped them from their contract. In 1973, the group accepted a one-off deal with RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
to produce their next record, the transitional Pressure Cookin'
Pressure Cookin'
Pressure Cookin is the third album by American singing trio Labelle. This release was their first and only for RCA Records. The release of the album was critically raved due to the songs that songwriter and member Nona Hendryx composed...
album, released shortly after LaBelle gave birth to her son.
It was during promotion of the album that Wickham once again advised the group to change their look. Inspired by the emerging glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
sounds and styles of Marc Bolan
Marc Bolan
Marc Bolan was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist and poet. He is best known as the founder, frontman, lead singer & guitarist for T. Rex, but also a successful solo artist...
and David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, the group adapted a more flamboyant image. The album itself had glam rock influences and was notable for the group's impassioned, shocking take of "Something in the Air" which segued into Gil Scott Heron's acclaimed "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" is a poem and song by Gil Scott-Heron. Scott-Heron first recorded it for his 1970 album Small Talk at 125th and Lenox, on which he recited the lyrics, accompanied by congas and bongo drums...
". Despite their new image and Hendryx's growth as a songwriter (the song "Hollywood", or "(Can I Speak to You Before You Go To) Hollywood", allegedly dedicated to Cindy Birdsong
Cindy Birdsong
Cynthia Ann "Cindy" Birdsong , better known by her stage name, Cindy Birdsong, is an American singer, most famous for singing with the legendary soul groups Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles and The Supremes.-Early life:...
, was a notable highlight in their career) and the presence of Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
on the single, "Open Your Heart", Pressure Cookin again failed to attract a commercial audience. Despite this, a cult following began to develop and following the group opening for The Rolling Stones on their U.S. tour, the group switched labels, going to CBS Records
CBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
in 1974, signing with the subsidiary Epic
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
.
Success
After Allen ToussaintAllen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint is an American musician, composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B.Many of Toussaint's songs have become familiar through numerous cover versions, including "Working in the Coalmine", "Ride Your Pony", "Fortune Teller", "Play Something Sweet ", "Southern...
offered to produce the group's next album, Labelle spent two weeks in New Orleans working on what became Nightbirds
Nightbirds
Nightbirds is an acclaimed album by the all-female singing group Labelle, released in 1974 on the Epic label. Notable for their biggest hit, the number-one song, "Lady Marmalade", it became the group's most successful album to date.-Background:...
. More inspired by Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, who they would be reacquainted with since Elton's band Bluesology had originally backed the former Bluebelles, and Bowie, the group wore more wilder outfits with each member adapting their own flamboyant style to their distinctive looks. They debuted this new image while opening for The Stones. After Nightbirds was released in September 1974, the group went on a U.S. tour. That October, the group made history by performing at the Metropolitan Opera House
Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center)
The Metropolitan Opera House is an opera house located on Broadway at Lincoln Square in the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Part of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the theater opened in 1966. It replaced the former Metropolitan Opera House at Broadway and 39th St...
in a concert later billed as "Wear Something Silver", as the members of Labelle were now wearing silver, metallic wear equipped with feathers and silver platform boots, which later inspired George Clinton
George Clinton (musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
to adapt a similar look for his band, Funkadelic
Funkadelic
Funkadelic was an American band most prominent during the 1970s. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...
, two years later, also adapting the space-age lyrical and musical matter, pioneered by Nona Hendryx and Labelle. The success of the concert gave them rave reviews and soon radio airplay increased with the album's leading single, "Lady Marmalade
Lady Marmalade
"Lady Marmalade" was also covered by Italian pop star Sabrina. It was released in 1987 as the album's second single by Baby Records. In some countries, including France and the Netherlands, the song was known as "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi? " and was released in 1988.-Track listings:7" maxi#...
", released shortly after the performance at the Met.
Famed for its come-hither chorus ("Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?", French for "Do you wanna sleep with me, tonight?"), "Lady Marmalade" became an instant success and by March 1975 had become the number-one hit in the country and also was an international hit. The success sent Nightbirds to the top ten of the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
album chart, eventually selling a million copies. "Lady Marmalade" was also a million-seller, the group's first-ever, making the group, after a sixteen-year tenure, overnight successes. They had modest chart success with the dance single, "What Can I Do For You". Both songs became important in the development of disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
and also pushed funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
to the mainstream. Following this success, Labelle made history again as they became the first predominantly black group to be featured on the cover of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
. Labelle embarked on an international tour as headliners. After returning to the states, the group later reassembled in New Orleans to record their follow-up to Nightbirds. The follow-up, Phoenix
Phoenix (Labelle album)
Phoenix is the fifth album by American rock singing trio Labelle. The album was moderately successful peaking at #44 on the pop charts and #10 on the R&B charts. Only one minor hit was released and that was "Messin With My Mind" which was written by Nona Hendryx...
, featured the singles "Messin' With My Mind" and "Far As We Felt Like Goin'". While it charted at a respectable number 44 on the pop chart and was again a critical success, it failed to repeat the success of Nightbirds and the group never again had a hit as huge as "Lady Marmalade". In 1976, the group worked with David Rubinson on their next album, Chameleon
Chameleon (Labelle album)
Chameleon is the sixth album by American singing trio Labelle. Though Patti LaBelle's autobiography Don't Block The Blessings revealed that LaBelle planned a follow-up to Chameleon entitled Shaman, the album never materialized. The trio would not release another new recording until 2008's Back to Now...
, which featured the hits "Get You Somebody New" and "Isn't It a Shame", the latter song Patti LaBelle mentions as the last song the group ever recorded together.
Decline and breakup
Though they had achieved stardom, the group members of Labelle were never satisfied with their music. This dissatisfaction slowly led to the group's implosion as they could no longer agree on a musical sound. For years, Patti LaBelle had long to return to the ballads she had enjoyed singing while the group was the Bluebelles. Nona Hendryx, who was in favor of the glam rock image and style, wanted to record more music of that caliber but often found herself in conflict with the label and even her own band mates. Sarah Dash wanted the group to record more disco, a genre neither LaBelle nor Hendryx took favorably, despite the fact that "Lady Marmalade" helped to pioneer that particular genre.The group was actually recording another album, Shaman, when the group finally came unglued during their U.S. tour. Despite trying to keep an image of unity and sisterhood that had often been the message of Labelle, tensions between the band mates grew. Finally during a show in Baltimore on December 13, 1976, according to Patti LaBelle in her memoirs, Don't Block The Blessings, Hendryx snapped. Before going into their famous number, "(Can I Speak To You Before You Go To) Hollywood", the singer suddenly left the stage. When LaBelle and Dash found Hendryx, she had suffered a nervous breakdown, tearing up her dressing room. Hendryx was later taken to a hospital for mental evaluation. Feeling the group had reached the end of its rope, LaBelle advised Hendryx and Dash to disband the group, ending it as long as their friendship remained intact. Eventually the group agreed to go their separate ways, announcing their split in early 1977, repairing their friendship. All three members, shortly afterwards, embarked on solo careers.
Solo careers and reunions
Of the three members to embark on solo careers, not surprisingly, lead singer Patti LaBelle was the most successful, crossing over to popPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
in the 1980s with hits such as "New Attitude
New Attitude (song)
"New Attitude" is a song performed by Patti LaBelle and written by Sharon Teresa Robinson, Jon Gilutin, and Bunny Hull. It was released in January 1985 and helped launch LaBelle's solo career as a pop music singer after the singer had spent seven years without a hit following the break-up of...
" and "On My Own". LaBelle would later win two Grammys and would receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
. Sarah Dash found more success as a side-woman collaborating with the likes of Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
and released several dance recordings that found modest success. The experimental Nona Hendryx recorded hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, hip-hop, house and new age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
, finding her biggest chart success with the dance-pop single, "Why Should I Cry?"
All three members collaborated on each other's projects over the years following their 1977 split. LaBelle appeared in a couple of albums by Hendryx and Dash attributing background vocals and, in the case of Dash, a duet. In 1991, 15 years after their last recordings together, the group reunited on Patti LaBelle's Burnin'
Burnin' (Patti LaBelle album)
Burnin' is a 1991 album by Patti LaBelle. It won the category of "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" at the Grammy Awards of 1992 jointly with a single by Lisa Fischer, an unusual event in the history of the Grammy Awards....
, recording the funky "Release Yourself", another Hendryx composition. Hendryx and LaBelle co-wrote the latter's hit, "When You've Been Blessed (Feels Like Heaven)
When You've Been Blessed (Feels Like Heaven)
"When You've Been Blessed " is a 1991 song recorded and co-written by American singer Patti LaBelle and released as the third single off her award-winning, critically acclaimed, gold-selling album Burnin and released as a single in the spring of 1992...
" on the same album. The group performed their reunion song at The Apollo Theater during a televised special there to help LaBelle promote Burnin. The group reunited again in 1995 to record the dance hit, "Turn It Out", for the soundtrack to the film, To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything Julie Newmar. The song became their first charted hit in nineteen years peaking at number-one on the Billboard dance singles chart. Labelle would announce a full-fledged reunion in 2005 after the group recorded the Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an African-American civil rights activist, whom the U.S. Congress called "the first lady of civil rights", and "the mother of the freedom movement"....
tribute song, "Dear Rosa", featured on LaBelle's TV show, Living It Up with Patti LaBelle, and after recording, with gospel artist Tye Tribbett, the gospel song, "Preaching to the Choir", from the movie of the same name, which LaBelle starred in. The group would sign a recording deal with Verve Records
Verve Records
Verve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...
in 2007 and recorded their new album, Back to Now
Back to Now
Back to Now is the seventh and latest studio album by American R&B female group Labelle, released on October 21, 2008. The album is the group's first in over thirty years though they had sung on songs together on occasion....
, throughout late 2007 and 2008, releasing the album that October.
That year, the trio went back on tour together which carried through the spring of 2009. In an interview with the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
, Patti LaBelle explained why she, Dash and Hendryx waited over 32 years to record a full length album: "You don't want to half-step something this important....it was about finding the right time and place. We were never ones to do anything on anyone else's time anyway; we were always unconventional. I still have my glitter boots to prove it."
The group performed a triumphant show at the Apollo Theatre in New York City on December 19, 2008.
Legacy and influence
Years after their departure in 1976, Labelle's influence has been reflected by groups such as En VogueEn Vogue
En Vogue is an American female R&B vocal group from Oakland, California assembled by music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy.The group has won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of seven, along with four Soul Train Awards, six American Music...
, Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
and The Pussycat Dolls, who recorded the Labelle hit, "Far As We Felt Like Goin'" from the Phoenix album. Their biggest hit, "Lady Marmalade" continues to be covered, with its successful covers being renditions by All Saints
All Saints
All Saints' Day , often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honour of all the saints, known and unknown...
and the Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning number-one hit collaboration between singers Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
, Pink
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
and Mýa
Mya
-A person:* Bo Mya , Chief Commander of the Karen National Union* Mýa , American R&B singer-songwriter and actress** Mýa , a 1998 album by Mýa-A code:* Burmese language, ISO 639-3 code is mya* Moruya Airport's IATA code...
and rapper Lil' Kim
Lil' Kim
Kimberly Denise Jones , better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and actress who was a member of the group Junior M.A.F.I.A.....
in 2001. The latter song recorded for the Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge! is a 2001 romantic jukebox musical film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. Following the Red Curtain Cinema principles, the film is based on the Orphean myth, La Traviata, and La Bohème...
soundtrack. The song was also covered by Madchester-era indie group The Happy Mondays, who spliced it with "Kinky Afro". The group's 1960s hit, "You'll Never Walk Alone", was sampled by Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
in an early version of his song, "Homecoming" (which sampled the group's "walk on" intro) while their 1970s hit, "Isn't It a Shame" was sampled by Nelly on his song, "My Place
My Place
"My Place" is the first single by the rapper Nelly from his album Suit. It features Jaheim. It was released as a double A-side with "Flap Your Wings" in the UK and New Zealand. The song is about inviting a girl over to Nelly's house. It reached #4 both on the U.S...
". Their 1973 song, "Goin' On a Holiday", was also sampled in several hip-hop songs (sampling the group's vocal bridge, "goin', goin', goin', goin'...on...").
The group has been called pioneers of the disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
movement for the proto-disco singles "Lady Marmalade" and "Messin' With My Mind". In turn, "Lady Marmalade" has been also called one of the first mainstream disco hits (Jones and Kantonen, 1999). In 2003, "Lady Marmalade" was inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame.
In 2009, their songs "It Took a Long Time" and "System" were featured in Lee Daniels
Lee Daniels
Lee Louis Daniels is an American actor, film producer, and director. He produced Monster's Ball and directed the film Precious, which received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Director; the film won two of the awards.-Early years:Daniels was born on Christmas Eve, 1959, in...
' film Precious
Precious (film)
Precious , is a 2009 American drama film directed by Lee Daniels. Precious is an adaptation by Geoffrey S. Fletcher of the 1996 novel Push by Sapphire. The film stars Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, and Paula Patton...
.
The Ordettes
1959–1960- Patricia "Patsy" HoltPatti LaBellePatricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
- Nona HendryxNona HendryxNona Hendryx is an American vocalist, producer, songwriter, musician, author, and actress.Hendryx is known for her work as a solo artist as well as for being one-third of the trio Labelle, who had a hit with "Lady Marmalade." Her music has ranged from soul, funk, dance, and R&B to hard rock, art...
- Sarah DashSarah DashSarah Dash is a singer and actress. Her first notable appearance on the music scene was as a member of Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles...
- Sundray TuckerSundray TuckerSundray Tucker is an American singer. She is the eldest daughter of the late Ira Tucker and Louise Tucker...
The Blue Belles
1960–1963- Patricia "Patsy" HoltPatti LaBellePatricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
1 - Nona HendryxNona HendryxNona Hendryx is an American vocalist, producer, songwriter, musician, author, and actress.Hendryx is known for her work as a solo artist as well as for being one-third of the trio Labelle, who had a hit with "Lady Marmalade." Her music has ranged from soul, funk, dance, and R&B to hard rock, art...
- Sarah DashSarah DashSarah Dash is a singer and actress. Her first notable appearance on the music scene was as a member of Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles...
- Cindy BirdsongCindy BirdsongCynthia Ann "Cindy" Birdsong , better known by her stage name, Cindy Birdsong, is an American singer, most famous for singing with the legendary soul groups Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles and The Supremes.-Early life:...
Patti La Belle & Her Blue Belles
1963–1965- Patti LaBellePatti LaBellePatricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
- Nona HendryxNona HendryxNona Hendryx is an American vocalist, producer, songwriter, musician, author, and actress.Hendryx is known for her work as a solo artist as well as for being one-third of the trio Labelle, who had a hit with "Lady Marmalade." Her music has ranged from soul, funk, dance, and R&B to hard rock, art...
- Sarah DashSarah DashSarah Dash is a singer and actress. Her first notable appearance on the music scene was as a member of Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles...
- Cindy BirdsongCindy BirdsongCynthia Ann "Cindy" Birdsong , better known by her stage name, Cindy Birdsong, is an American singer, most famous for singing with the legendary soul groups Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles and The Supremes.-Early life:...
Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles
1965–1967- Patti LaBellePatti LaBellePatricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
- Nona HendryxNona HendryxNona Hendryx is an American vocalist, producer, songwriter, musician, author, and actress.Hendryx is known for her work as a solo artist as well as for being one-third of the trio Labelle, who had a hit with "Lady Marmalade." Her music has ranged from soul, funk, dance, and R&B to hard rock, art...
- Sarah DashSarah DashSarah Dash is a singer and actress. Her first notable appearance on the music scene was as a member of Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles...
- Cindy BirdsongCindy BirdsongCynthia Ann "Cindy" Birdsong , better known by her stage name, Cindy Birdsong, is an American singer, most famous for singing with the legendary soul groups Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles and The Supremes.-Early life:...
1967–1970
- Patti LaBellePatti LaBellePatricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
- Nona HendryxNona HendryxNona Hendryx is an American vocalist, producer, songwriter, musician, author, and actress.Hendryx is known for her work as a solo artist as well as for being one-third of the trio Labelle, who had a hit with "Lady Marmalade." Her music has ranged from soul, funk, dance, and R&B to hard rock, art...
- Sarah DashSarah DashSarah Dash is a singer and actress. Her first notable appearance on the music scene was as a member of Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles...
Labelle
1970–1976- Patti LaBellePatti LaBellePatricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
- Nona HendryxNona HendryxNona Hendryx is an American vocalist, producer, songwriter, musician, author, and actress.Hendryx is known for her work as a solo artist as well as for being one-third of the trio Labelle, who had a hit with "Lady Marmalade." Her music has ranged from soul, funk, dance, and R&B to hard rock, art...
- Sarah DashSarah DashSarah Dash is a singer and actress. Her first notable appearance on the music scene was as a member of Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles...
2005–2009
- Patti LaBellePatti LaBellePatricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
- Nona HendryxNona HendryxNona Hendryx is an American vocalist, producer, songwriter, musician, author, and actress.Hendryx is known for her work as a solo artist as well as for being one-third of the trio Labelle, who had a hit with "Lady Marmalade." Her music has ranged from soul, funk, dance, and R&B to hard rock, art...
- Sarah DashSarah DashSarah Dash is a singer and actress. Her first notable appearance on the music scene was as a member of Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles...
- 1 Holt changed her name to Patti La Belle in 1963 after Harold Robinson was sued by a manager of a group, also called the Blue Belles, therefore becoming Patti La Belle and Her Blue Belles.
Discography
As The Blue Belles (aka Patti La Belle and Her Blue Belles; Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles):- Sweethearts of the Apollo (Newtown Records, 1963)
- Sleigh Bells, Jingle Bells and Blue Belles (Newtown, 1963)
- On Stage (Cameo-Parkway, 1964)
- Over the Rainbow (Atlantic, 1966)
- Dreamer (Atlantic, 1967)
As Labelle:
- LabelleLabelle (album)Labelle is the debut album of American singing trio Labelle, formerly a four-girl group known as Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles. This was Labelle's first release for Warner Bros...
(Warner Bros. Records, 1971) - Gonna Take a MiracleGonna Take a MiracleGonna Take a Miracle is the fifth music album by New York-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro. Nyro was backed up on the album by the vocal trio Labelle....
(Laura NyroLaura NyroLaura Nyro was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved considerable critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and New York Tendaberry, and had commercial success with artists such as Barbra Streisand and The 5th...
ft. Labelle) (Columbia, 1971) - Moon ShadowMoon Shadow (Labelle album)Moon Shadow is the second album by American singing trio Labelle. This release was their second and last album for Warner Bros. Records. The album is notable for their soulful rendition of The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again", the socially conscious "I Believe That I've Finally Made It Home" and the...
(Warner Bros. Records, 1972) - Pressure Cookin'Pressure Cookin'Pressure Cookin is the third album by American singing trio Labelle. This release was their first and only for RCA Records. The release of the album was critically raved due to the songs that songwriter and member Nona Hendryx composed...
(RCA, 1973) - NightbirdsNightbirdsNightbirds is an acclaimed album by the all-female singing group Labelle, released in 1974 on the Epic label. Notable for their biggest hit, the number-one song, "Lady Marmalade", it became the group's most successful album to date.-Background:...
(Epic, 1974) - PhoenixPhoenix (Labelle album)Phoenix is the fifth album by American rock singing trio Labelle. The album was moderately successful peaking at #44 on the pop charts and #10 on the R&B charts. Only one minor hit was released and that was "Messin With My Mind" which was written by Nona Hendryx...
(Epic, 1975) - ChameleonChameleon (Labelle album)Chameleon is the sixth album by American singing trio Labelle. Though Patti LaBelle's autobiography Don't Block The Blessings revealed that LaBelle planned a follow-up to Chameleon entitled Shaman, the album never materialized. The trio would not release another new recording until 2008's Back to Now...
(Epic, 1976) - Back to NowBack to NowBack to Now is the seventh and latest studio album by American R&B female group Labelle, released on October 21, 2008. The album is the group's first in over thirty years though they had sung on songs together on occasion....
(Verve, 2008)
See also
- List of number-one hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one in the United States
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. dance chart