LaBelle

The three women who delivered the proto-disco funk landmark “Lady Marmalade” had once presented themselves in flamboyant cosmic attire while aggressively blending rock energy into their sound, a sharp departure from the conventional girl-group format of the 1960s and an even greater contrast to the later adult-contemporary successes of lead singer Patti LaBelle. Although history naturally highlights Patti, the act also benefited from Nona Hendryx’s skill as a distinctive and industrious composer whose singular artistic path produced a volatile solo catalog that frequently ventured into experimental territory.

Originally a four-piece, the ensemble began when Philadelphia friends Patricia Holt and Cindy Birdsong, already performing together in the Ordettes, joined forces in 1962 with Wynona “Nona” Hendryx and Sarah Dash of the competing Del Capris. Producer Bobby Martin recommended that Holt adopt the surname LaBelle to align with the group’s new identity, the BlueBelles. Their debut single, “I Sold My Heart to the Junkman,” may actually have been recorded by the Starlets and merely credited to the Blue-Belles on release; conflicting reports suggest the Starlets provided backing, that LaBelle’s voice was added afterward, or that the lead was never hers at all. The track nevertheless reached the pop and R&B Top 20 in 1962, prompting a string of R&B-club dates. Another dramatic ballad, “Down the Aisle,” repeated the R&B Top 20 placement in 1963, and 1964 brought further Top 40 entries with renditions of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and the traditional “Danny Boy,” underscoring the group’s taste for ornate, old-fashioned pop.

Atlantic Records signed the BlueBelles in 1965; their version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” enjoyed modest success and stayed in Patti LaBelle’s live sets for decades. An early recording of “Groovy Kind of Love,” later a chart-topper for the Mindbenders and Phil Collins, failed to yield comparable returns, and the label ultimately parted ways in 1969. Cindy Birdsong had already exited two years earlier to replace Florence Ballard in the Supremes, leaving a permanent trio. Seeking reinvention, the remaining members enlisted British television producer Vicki Wickham—formerly of Ready, Steady, Go!—as manager and producer in 1970. Wickham shortened the name to Labelle, steered the sound toward a modern R&B-rock fusion, and capitalized on the glam-rock moment by dressing the singers in extravagant space-themed outfits heavy with glitter, silver lamé, and feathers. The refreshed act opened for the Who on a U.S. tour and contributed backing vocals to Laura Nyro’s 1971 R&B-inflected album Gonna Take a Miracle.

Warner Bros. released the reconstituted Labelle’s self-titled debut later that year, presenting soul reinterpretations of songs by Nyro, the Rolling Stones, Kenny Rogers, and Carole King. The 1972 follow-up Moonshadow included Cat Stevens’s title track, the Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” and additional Hendryx originals, yet neither album achieved strong sales. After one further release on RCA—1973’s Pressure Cookin’, dominated by Hendryx compositions—the trio moved to Epic. There they traveled to New Orleans to work with producer Allen Toussaint, resulting in Nightbirds and its standout single “Lady Marmalade.” Written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan, the track chronicled a New Orleans sex worker and featured the memorable French refrain “voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?” It ascended to number one on both the pop and R&B charts in early 1975, lifting Nightbirds into the Top Ten and earning the group its first gold certification.

Subsequent singles charted on the R&B lists through 1976, but none matched the earlier phenomenon. Phoenix (1975) and Chameleon (1976) underperformed commercially despite showcasing some of the singers’ most polished performances and Hendryx’s increasingly ambitious songwriting. By year’s end the differing visions had pulled the members apart, and Labelle disbanded to pursue individual paths. Hendryx immediately explored funk-rock hybrids and, in the early 1980s, immersed herself in New York’s downtown avant-garde circles, collaborating frequently with Bill Laswell; her solo work alternated between accessible grooves and more demanding experiments. Patti LaBelle, meanwhile, enjoyed sustained mainstream success with adult-contemporary R&B hits including “New Attitude” and the chart-topping duet “On My Own” with Michael McDonald. Sarah Dash issued several solo albums that received limited notice yet later contributed backing vocals to both solo and group projects by the Rolling Stones.

More than three decades after the split, the original trio reconvened for 2008’s Back to Now on Verve, enlisting Gamble & Huff, Lenny Kravitz, and Wyclef Jean among others. Founding member Sarah Dash passed away on September 20, 2021, at the age of 76.