Labelle
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Labelle | |
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Labelle was an American
As the Bluebelles, and later Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, the group found success with ballads in the
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;
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.[5]
History
Origins
In 1959, a fifteen-year-old teenager, Patricia "Patsy" Holte won her first talent contest in a Philadelphia high school. Following this, she sought to form her own singing group the following year called the Ordettes.[6] Holte formed the group with singers Jean Brown, Yvonne Hogen and Johnnie Dawson. The group gained a local following. Dawson was eventually replaced by Sundray Tucker. By 1961, Jean Brown and Yvonne Hogan had ditched the group to get married and Patti and Sundray carried on as soloists.
Later in 1961, Patti and Sundray's manager Bernard Montague contacted two singers from the Trenton, New Jersey singing group the Del-Capris, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash.[6] Eventually Hendryx and Dash became official replacements for Brown and Hogan as the Ordettes. The group soon began working with musician Morris Bailey. Bailey and Montague's schedule led to Tucker leaving the group after which another singer, Cindy Birdsong, from Camden New Jersey, joined the group.[6] The grouping of Holte, Dash, Hendryx and Birdsong toured the Chitlin' Circuit, gaining a following in the eastern U.S.
In 1962, Chicago-based group The Starlets had traveled to Philadelphia to do sessions for producer Bobby Martin and record label owner Harold Robinson, president of Newtown Records. One of the sessions included a cover of the standard, "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman". At the time of the song's release, the group had a hit with the song "Better Tell Him No" and were unable to promote the song due to them being signed to another label. The song was credited under the name "The Blue Belles". The Ordettes auditioned by singing the song. Before hearing the group, Robinson turned them down due to being unimpressed with Patti's looks but upon hearing her singing, he changed his mind and signed the group to Newtown.
When "I Sold My Heart" became popular, Robinson sent the Ordettes to promote it under the assumed name of the Blue Belles. After a televised performance at American Bandstand featuring the Ordettes, the Starlets' manager sued Harold Robinson and Bobby Martin. Around the same time, Robinson was also sued for having another group use the name "Blue Belles". Following the aftermath of the ordeals, Robinson gave Patti Holte a new name, "Patti LaBelle", and the group's name was rechristened as Patti LaBelle and The Blue Belles.[6]
Sweethearts of the Apollo
Following several releases such as "Academy Award" and "Tear After Tear", the group recorded their first national hit under their new name in 1963 with the release of the ballad, "Down the Aisle (The Wedding Song)", first released under Newtown, before it received national distribution from
Around this time, the group also began touring Europe, mainly in the UK, where they performed on the show,
As grittier soul and heavy rock dominated much of Atlantic's time, the group was let go from their contract in 1970. Bernard Montague, who was managing groups such as The Delfonics, also left them, leaving them seeking new managers. After nearly signing a contract with Herb Hamlett and Frankie Crocker, they eventually picked Vicki Wickham to work with them.[6] Wickham later credited Dusty Springfield with convincing her to hire the group to perform on Ready, Steady, Go in London.
Reinvention
Wickham advised the group to move to London and change their entire image and sound,
In 1971, Labelle were invited to record backing vocals to a covers album being recorded by Laura Nyro.[6] The resulting album, Gonna Take a Miracle, led to the group reaching the charts for the first time[6] and establishing a rapport with Nyro, who later invited them to perform with her at Carnegie Hall. In 1973, they recorded an album for RCA Records titled Pressure Cookin', featuring a wildly interpretive covers medley of the songs "Something in the Air" and "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised". It was around this time that Labelle changed up their act again. Under the advice of Larry LeGaspi, the group began performing in space suits, feathers, and studded costumes.
Success
In 1974, Wickham had the group signed to Epic Records where they recorded their breakthrough album, Nightbirds, in New Orleans with producer Allen Toussaint.[6] While Hendryx eventually wrote the majority of the album, Epic released the Kenny Nolan and Bob Crewe composition "Lady Marmalade" as a single in August 1974.[6] The song's rock-soul mixture helped the song to sell to listeners and by March 1975, the song had become the group's first number-one single, reaching the top of both the Billboard Hot 100 and the R&B singles chart.[6] It also became an international hit.[6] The album also included the follow-up hit "What Can I Do for You?".
Nightbirds eventually sold more than one million copies and was certified gold. During the album's promotion, the group became the first rock group to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House. Wickham billed the October 6, 1974 performance "Wear Something Silver", to adapt to Labelle's own silver-colored space outfits, worn by Patti LaBelle. Building on their success, in the spring of 1975, Labelle became the first African-American vocal group to make the cover of Rolling Stone. Later in 1975, the group released a critically acclaimed follow-up, Phoenix.[6] That same year, the group contributed background vocals to several songs on Elton John's hit album, Rock of the Westies. In 1976, they released their third album for Epic, Chameleon,[6] which included the tracks "Get You Somebody New", "Isn't It a Shame" and "Who's Watching the Watcher".
Breakup
Despite critical acclaim for their follow-ups to the Nightbirds album, Phoenix and Chameleon failed to repeat the success of Nightbirds as the group struggled to have another hit.[6] By 1976, tensions had developed within the group, with the act's three members splintered on its sound and direction.[6] Patti LaBelle had wanted the group to record more soul, Nona Hendryx wanted the group to go further into funk rock, and Sarah Dash wanted to record songs in a more disco direction.
During a show in
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.[6]
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 80s, 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
In 1991, Patti LaBelle reunited with Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash on the track, "Release Yourself", from LaBelle's Grammy-winning album,
That year, the trio went back on tour together which carried through the spring of 2009.[11] In an interview with the Toronto Star,[10] 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.[12][13] They continued to perform with each other sporadically; Dash sang with Patti LaBelle at a LaBelle concert two days before her death on September 20, 2021.[14]
Legacy and influence
Years after their breakup in 1976, Labelle's influence has been reflected by groups such as
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
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Patti LaBelle & The Blue Belles
Labelle
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- 1 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)
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
References
- ^ Huey, Steve. "Labelle Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ Armonaitis, Dan (October 5, 2016). "Patti LaBelle to perform Saturday at Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium". GoUpstate. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
The group morphed into the eponymously-named LaBelle in 1971, reinventing itself as a progressive soul unit and eventually helping push funk and disco into the mainstream with "Lady Marmalade."
- ^ "Labelle | View the Music Artists Biography Online | VH1.com". Archived from the original on April 13, 2010. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
- ^ "Soul Clap Feat. Nona Hendryx – Shine (This Is It)", Discogs.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (September 21, 2021). "Sarah Dash, the 'Glue' of the Vocal Trio Labelle, Is Dead at 76". The New York Times. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ^ ISBN 0-85112-733-9.
- ^ Fitzharris, Dustin (April 21, 2009). "Belles of the Ball". Bay Windows - New England's largest GLBT newspaper. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved October 7, 2018 – via Archive.today.
- ^ LaBelle, Patti; Lancaster, Laura Randolph. Don't Block the Blessings: Revelations of a Lifetime (Kindle Location 2529). New York : Riverhead Books. Kindle Edition.
- ^ "Labelle Biography". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 21, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
- ^ a b Iannacci, Elio (October 21, 2008). "LaBelle gets back to now with release of new disc". The Star. Toronto. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
- ^ Diguglielmo, Joey (October 31, 2008). "Labelle ladies reunite - New CD the 'Lady Marmalade' group's first since '76". Washington Blade. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
- ^ Als, Hilton (December 22, 2008). "Three Sisters". The New Yorker. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (December 21, 2008). "Lady of the Power Voice Reunited With Her Sisters". The New York Times. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
- ^ Mitchell, Gail (September 20, 2021). "Labelle's Sarah Dash Dies at 76". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
- ^ "You'Ll Never Walk Alone And Take My Hand, Precious Lord Sung By Sam Harris". YouTube. July 28, 2009. Archived from the original on April 22, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
- ^ "Sam Harris-Somewhere Over The Rainbow". YouTube. June 25, 2008. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
Other sources
- Jones, Alan and Kantonen, Jussi (1999) Saturday Night Forever: The Story of Disco. Chicago, Illinois: A Cappella Books. ISBN 1-55652-411-0.
- LaBelle, Patti, with Laura B. Randolph (1996). Don't Block the Blessings: Revelations of a Lifetime. New York, NY: Riverhead Books. ISBN 1-57322-039-6.
- VH1.com, "Labelle", by Steve Huey, Allmusic (accessed on June 29, 2008)