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, then later changing their name to the Blue Belles. The founding members were Patti LaBelle, Cindy Birdsong, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash.
Patti LaBelle is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. LaBelle began her career in the early 1960s as lead singer and front woman of the vocal group, Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. Following the group's name change to Labelle in the early 1970s, they released the iconic disco song "Lady Marmalade" and the group later became the first African-American vocal group to land the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. LaBelle is commonly identified as the "Godmother of Soul".
Nona Hendryx, is an American vocalist, record producer, songwriter, musician, author, and actress.
"Lady Marmalade" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan. The song is famous for its sexually suggestive chorus of "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ?", which translates into English as "Do you want to sleep with me (tonight)?". The song first became a popular hit when it was recorded in 1974 by the American girl group Labelle. Labelle held the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week, and also topped the Canadian RPM national singles chart.
Gonna Take a Miracle is the fifth album by New York City-born singer, songwriter and pianist Laura Nyro, with assistance by vocal trio Labelle. It was released on Columbia Records in November 1971, one year after its predecessor, Christmas and the Beads of Sweat. The album is Nyro's only all-covers album, and she interprets mainly 1950s and 1960s soul and R&B standards, using Labelle as a traditional back-up vocal group.
Sarah Dash is a singer and actress. She first appeared on the music scene was as a member of Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles. Dash has worked as a singer, songwriter, session musician, and sideman for bands that include LaBelle, The Rolling Stones, and Keith Richards.
Nightbirds is an album by the all-female singing group Labelle, released in 1974 on the Epic label. The album features the group's biggest hit, the number-one song "Lady Marmalade", and it became their most successful album to date.
Kenneth Lee Ascher is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger who is active in jazz, rock, classical, and musical theater genres — in live venues, recording studios, and cinema production. With Paul Williams, he wrote the song "Rainbow Connection" for The Muppet Movie. Both Williams and Ascher received Oscar nominations for the 1979 Academy Awards for Best Original Song and Best Original Score. The song was also nominated for the Golden Globes for "Best Original Song" that same year.
Burnin' is the 1991 album by Patti LaBelle. It won the category of "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" at the 1992 Grammy Awards jointly with a single by Lisa Fischer, an unusual event in the history of the Grammy Awards.
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.
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. The final album was moderately successful peaking at #94 at the Pop charts and #21 on the R&B charts. Only two singles made the charts which were "Get You Somebody New" which peaked at #50 on the Pop charts and their memorable song "Isn't It A Shame" which peaked at #18 on the R&B charts. "Isn't It A Shame" was later sampled by Nelly on his 2004 hit, "My Place", which featured Jaheim.
Phoenix is the fifth album by American 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. The album is most notable for drifting away from the funk style of their previous album, Nightbirds, most of the album taking on a rock approach.
Pressure Cookin' is the third album by American singing trio Labelle, released in August 1973. This release was their first and only for RCA Records, and was critically raved due to the songs that songwriter and member Nona Hendryx composed. The album is also notable for being the first album released following lead singer Patti LaBelle giving birth to her only child, son Zuri Edwards.
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. Records.
"You Are My Friend" is a ballad co-written and recorded by American singer Patti LaBelle, released as the second single off her self-titled debut album, in 1978 on the Epic label. While it only reached as high as number sixty-one on the Billboard Hot-Selling Soul Singles chart upon its initial release, it has gone on to become one of the singer's signature anthems.
"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".
"I'm Still Waiting" is a Curtis Mayfield composition notable for its recording by post-doo-wop era Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. Mayfield also recorded his version of it with The Impressions. The song was intended for Patti LaBelle and her band mates to record by Mayfield.
"When You've Been Blessed " is a song recorded and co-written by American singer Patti LaBelle and released as the third single off her 1991 album Burnin' and released as a single in the spring of 1992. The song was written by LaBelle and former Labelle collaborator and member Nona Hendryx.
Michael Andre Lewis, aka Mandré, was an American musician known for his synthesizer recordings at Motown. As Andre Lewis he also contributed to Labelle's Moon Shadow and Whitney Houston's Just Whitney. He toured or recorded with Grant Green, The Who, Labelle, Buddy Miles Band, Maxayn, Rufus, White Chocolate, Earth Wind and Fire and Frank Zappa. He was also band leader for Johnny Guitar Watson.
Maxayn Lewis is an American soul singer, musician, songwriter, and producer. Her career began in the 1960s as member of the Ikettes in the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. In the 1970s, Lewis sang lead in the band Maxayn with her then-husband Andre Lewis. She was described as "a cross between Aretha Fraklin and Roberta Flack." Later, the group morphed to Mandré. Lewis is also a prolific backing vocalist. She has sang with various acts, including The Gap Band, Donna Summer, Ray Charles, Celine Dion, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Bonnie Raitt, Simple Minds, Duran Duran, Smokey Robinson, Ricky Martin, and Britney Spears.
