History Music / Labelle

Labelle is a Philadelphia R&B group formed in 1961 notable for their number-one hit "Lady Marmalade" and their long and strange story. The members include Music/PattiLaBelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash. They initially formed as the Bluebelles along with Cindy Birdsong and scored a 1962 hit with "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman," though it may have been stolen from the Starlets. They had success on the Chitlin' Circuit and at the Apollo through the 60s, but they couldn't garner more hits. In 1967, Cindy left for [[Music/{{TheSupremes}} The Supremes]], and with the changing tides of R&B in the late 60s, Atlantic ended their contract in 1969.

Producer Vicki Wickham suggested a change from ballads and a clean-cut girl group image to afros, jeans, and funk rock. Patti had reservations, but they tried out the change and signed with [[Music/{{TheWho}} The Who's]] Track Records. Their next three albums entered a world of gritty funk and progressive soul similar to [[Music/{{SlyAndTheFamilyStone}} Sly and the Family Stone]] and [[Music/{{IsaacHayes}} Isaac Hayes]]. Around 1973, they changed image again for silver space suits. While in their creative element, they would not see commercial success until 1974's funky "Lady Marmalade" from the Music/AllenToussaint-produced "Nightbirds." It went number one and made them massively famous, but they couldn't sustain their commercial success on either subsequent album. The trio disbanded soon after: each member wanted a different direction, and then Nona suffered an onstage mental breakdown.

* GenreShift: Clean-cut girl group and ballads to gritty soul to progressive funk to New Orleans-inspired proto-disco to regular disco with the ability to visit back on any of their old styles.

* DreamTeam: Worked with Music/AllenToussaint, Music/{{The Rolling Stones|Band}}, and Wilson Pickett.

* OvershadowedByAwesome: Part of why Cindy Birdsong left and Atlantic dropped them; in their early days, artists like [[Music/{{TheSupremes}} The Supremes]] and [[Music/{{ArethaFranklin}} Aretha Franklin]] easily outperformed them.

* DreamTeam: Worked with Music/AllenToussaint, [[Music/{{TheRollingStones}} The Rolling Stones]], and Wilson Pickett.

* BreakupBreakout: Patti Labelle.
* CreatorBreakdown: Nona Hendryx suffered one in 1976, as did the band at large.

** ''Music/Nightbirds'' (1974)

** ''Nightbirds'' (1974)

Producer Vicki Wickham suggested a change from ballads and a clean-cut girl group image to afros, jeans, and funk rock. Patti had reservations, but they tried out the change and signed with [[Music/{{TheWho}} The Who's]] Track Records. Their next three albums entered a world of gritty funk and progressive soul similar to [[Music/{{SlyAndTheFamilyStone}} Sly and the Family Stone]] and [[Music/{{IsaacHayes}} Isaac Hayes]]. Around 1973, they changed image again for silver space suits. While in their creative element, they would not see commercial success until 1974's funky "Lady Marmalade" from the Allen Touissant-produced "Nightbirds." It went number one and made them massively famous, but they couldn't sustain their commercial success on either subsequent album. The trio disbanded soon after: each member wanted a different direction, and then Nona suffered an onstage mental breakdown.

[[caption-width-right:350:From left to right: Nona Hendryx, Music/PattiLabelle and Stacy Dash]]

(as Patti Labelle and the Bluebelles)
* Sleigh Bells, Jingle Bells, and Bluebelles (1963)
* Over the Rainbow (1966)
* Dreamer (1967)
(as Labelle)
* Labelle (1971)
* Gonna Take a Miracle (with Laurie Nyro) (1971)
* Moon Shadow (1972)
* Pressure Cookin' (1973)
* Nightbirds (1974)
* Phoenix (1975)
* Chameleon (1976)
* Back to Now (2008)

* DreamTeam: Worked with Allen Touissant, [[Music/{{TheRollingStones}} The Rolling Stones]], and Wilson Pickett.

* Funk: Could be best described as this; their love of experimenting made them less straightforwardly so than, say, [[Music/{{JamesBrown}} James Brown]].

Labelle is a Philadelphia R&B group formed in 1961 notable for their number-one hit "Lady Marmalade" and their long and strange story. The members include Patti Labelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash. They initially formed as the Bluebelles along with Cindy Birdsong and scored a 1962 hit with "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman," though it may have been stolen from the Starlets. They had success on the Chitlin' Circuit and at the Apollo through the 60s, but they couldn't garner more hits. In 1967, Cindy left for [[Music/{{TheSupremes}} The Supremes]], and with the changing tides of R&B in the late 60s, Atlantic ended their contract in 1969.

Labelle is a Philadelphia R&B group formed in 1961 notable for their number-one hit "Lady Marmalade" with a long and strange story. The members include Patti Labelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash. They initially formed as the Bluebelles along with Cindy Birdsong and scored a 1962 hit with "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman," though it may have been stolen from the Starlets. They had success on the Chitlin' Circuit and at the Apollo through the 60s, but they couldn't garner more hits. In 1967, Cindy left for [[Music/{{TheSupremes}} The Supremes]], and with the changing tides of R&B in the late 60s, Atlantic ended their contract in 1969.

Each member went on to a distinct solo career. Patti became R&B legend, Nona pursued funk and the avant-garde, and Sarah jumped on disco. They occasionally reunited through the 90s; in 2008, they released the album "Back to Now" and then toured together in 2009.

* OvershadowedByAwesome: Part of why Cindy Birdsong left and Atlantic dropped them; in their early days, artists like [[Music/{{TheSupremes}}]] and [[Music/{{ArethaFranklin}} Aretha Franklin]] easily outperformed them.

* DreamTeam: Worked with Allen Touissant, [[Music/TheRollingStones {{The Rolling Stones}}]], and Wilson Pickett.

* TheOldestProfession: "Lady Marmalade" is about a New Orleans prostitute in rather vague and/or French terms.

* DreamTeam: Worked with Allen Touissant, [[Music/TheRollingStones]], and [[Music/WilsonPicket]].

Sleigh Bells, Jingle Bells, and Bluebelles (1963)
Over the Rainbow (1966)
Dreamer (1967)
Labelle (1971)
Gonna Take a Miracle (with Laurie Nyro) (1971)
Moon Shadow (1972)
Pressure Cookin' (1973)
Nightbirds (1974)
Phoenix (1975)
Chameleon (1976)
Back to Now (2008)
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