Labelle

Labelle was an American band that originated out of The Blue Belles, a girl group who were a popular vocal group of the 1960s and 1970s. The original act was formed after the disbanding of two rival girl bands in the area around Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, and Trenton, in New Jersey: The Ordettes and The Del-Capris, forming as a new version of the former, then later changing their name to The Blue Belles (and further Bluebelles). The founding members were Patti LaBelle (born Patricia Louise Holte), Cindy Birdsong, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash.

As the Bluebelles, and later Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, the band found success with the ballads "Down the Aisle (The Wedding Song)", "You'll Never Walk Alone", and "Over the Rainbow" and as a consistent performing act, most notably at the Apollo Theater. After Birdsong departed to join The Supremes in 1967, the group, following the advice of Vicki Wickham, changed its look, musical direction, and style to re-form as the progressive soul act Labelle in 1971. Their recordings of that period became cult favorites for dealing with subjects not typically addressed by female black bands. After adapting glam rock and wearing outlandish space-age and glam costumes, the group found success with the proto-disco single "Lady Marmalade" in 1974, leading to the album Nightbirds achieving gold certification. They were the first contemporary pop and first black pop band to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House. They were also the first black vocal group to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

Each of the band members later went on to begin solo careers after the end of a tour in 1976, going on to have significant solo success. Nona Hendryx followed an idiosyncratic muse into a solo career that often bordered on the avant-garde, but reaching a new audience with the respected 2017 release "Shine", by Soul Clap, which was widely played in the UK, US and Ibiza clubs while being picked and released by the famous label Defected Records; Sarah Dash became a celebrated session singer; and Patti LaBelle enjoyed a very successful Grammy-winning career, with several top-20 R&B hits between 1982 and 1997, a No. 1 pop hit with "On My Own", and lifetime-achievement awards from the Apollo Theatre, World Music Awards, and BET Awards.

The group reunited for their first new album in 32 years, Back to Now, in 2008. They performed together regularly until the death of Dash on September 20, 2021, at the age of 76.

History

Origins

In 1960, 16-year-old Patricia "Patsy" Holte won her first talent contest at a Philadelphia high school. Following this, she sought to form her own singing group the following year called the Ordettes. much to the chagrin of Patti LaBelle, who feared the group would alienate their older fans with a new laid back "earthier" look. Wickham also advised them to change their name to simply "Labelle".

After the incident, LaBelle advised the group to disband, fearing for the other members' well-being and that the mounting tension could also put an end to their friendship. Hendryx and Dash agreed and the trio formally announced their split at the end of 1976 after fourteen years together.

Solo careers and reunions

Following her departure from the Blue Belles, Cindy Birdsong enjoyed success as member of The Supremes, singing on hits such as "Up the Ladder to the Roof", "Stoned Love", "Nathan Jones" and "Floy Joy". Birdsong left the group in 1972 to start a family, returned in 1973, then left again in 1976, and thereafter only recorded sporadically as a solo artist in the 1980s, briefly joining the Former Ladies of the Supremes alongside former Supremes members Jean Terrell and Scherrie Payne.

The Labelle song "(Can I Speak to You Before You Go To) Hollywood", from Pressure Cookin, was allegedly written by Hendryx as a response to Birdsong's departure, featuring each member of the group singing verses. Sarah Dash found some solo success after signing with Don Kirshner's label, with the disco single "Sinner Man". Dash eventually sang backup for the Rolling Stones and sang for Keith Richards' spinoff group X-pensive Winos. The more experimental Nona Hendryx has recorded in various genres including hard rock, hip-hop, house and new age, and charting with the singles "Keep It Confidential" and "Why Should I Cry?". Patti LaBelle became an international solo superstar following Labelle's breakup, recording crossover hits such as "New Attitude", "Stir It Up" and "On My Own", resulting in Grammy wins and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 1991, Patti LaBelle reunited with Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash on the track, "Release Yourself", from LaBelle's Grammy-winning album, Burnin. The trio reunited onstage at the Apollo Theater in 1991 to perform the song on LaBelle's second concert performance video while promoting the release of Burnin. In addition to "Release Yourself", Hendryx and LaBelle composed the gospel-flavored ballad "When You've Been Blessed (Feels Like Heaven)". In 1995, the trio reunited again for the dance single, "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 19 years peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard dance singles chart. Four years later, the original Blue Belles (including Cindy Birdsong) reunited to receive an award from the R&B Foundation for Lifetime Achievement. In 2006, the trio of LaBelle, Dash and Hendrix briefly came together to record a Hendryx-written track called "Dear Rosa" for the soundtrack to a film called Preaching to the Choir. In 2008, Labelle announced their reunion and released their first studio album in 32 years, the critically acclaimed Back to Now.

That year, the trio went back on tour together which carried through the spring of 2009. In an interview with the Toronto Star, They continued to perform with each other sporadically; Dash sang with Patti LaBelle at one of the latter's concert two days before her death on September 20, 2021.

Legacy and influence

Years after their breakup in 1976, Labelle's influence has been reflected by groups such as En Vogue, 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 Mya and rapper Lil' Kim in 2001 (recorded for the Moulin Rouge! film 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 covered by Sam Harris (who also covered their rendition of "Over the Rainbow"), and 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.

Lineups

The Blue Belles

;1961

Patricia "Patsy" Holte<sup>1</sup>
Nona Hendryx
Sarah Dash
Sundray Tucker

;1962

Patricia "Patsy" Holte
Nona Hendryx
Sarah Dash
Cindy Birdsong

Patti LaBelle & The Blue Belles

;1962–1967

Patti LaBelle
Nona Hendryx
Sarah Dash
Cindy Birdsong

;1967

Patti LaBelle
Nona Hendryx
Sarah Dash
Sundray Tucker

;1967–1970

Patti LaBelle
Nona Hendryx
Sarah Dash

;1970–1976, 2005–2009

Patti LaBelle
Nona Hendryx
Sarah Dash

<sup>1</sup> Holte changed her name to Patti LaBelle in 1962 after Harold Robinson was sued by a manager of a group, also called the Blue Belles, therefore becoming Patti LaBelle and Her Blue Belles.

Discography

As The Blue Belles (aka Patti La Belle and Her Blue Belles; Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles):

You'll Never Walk Alone/Decatur Street 7" single (Parkway Records P-896, 1962)
Tear After Tear/Go On (This is Goodbye) 7" single (Newtown Records NT-5007, 1962)
Danny Boy/I Believe 7" single (Parkway Records P-935, 1962)
Decatur Street/Academy Award 7" single (Newtown Records NT-5019, 1963)
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:

Labelle (Warner Bros. Records, 1971)
Moon Shadow (Warner Bros. Records, 1972)
Pressure Cookin (RCA, 1973)
Nightbirds (Epic, 1974)
Phoenix (Epic, 1975)
Chameleon (Epic, 1976)
Back to Now (Verve, 2008)

With Laura Nyro

Gonna Take a Miracle (Laura Nyro ft. Labelle) (Columbia, 1971)

References

Other sources

Jones, Alan and Kantonen, Jussi (1999) Saturday Night Forever: The Story of Disco. Chicago, Illinois: A Cappella Books. .
LaBelle, Patti, with Laura B. Randolph (1996). Don't Block the Blessings: Revelations of a Lifetime. New York, NY: Riverhead Books. .
VH1.com, "Labelle", by Steve Huey, Allmusic (accessed on June 29, 2008)

External links

Labelle interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' June 2009