Labelle Artistfacts

1971-1976
Patti LaBelle1962-1976
Nona Hendryx1962-1976
Sarah Dash1962-1976
Cindy Birdsong1962-1967
Although Labelle released their self-titled debut album in 1971, they'd been around in different iterations since the early '60s. Lead singer Patti LaBelle started the vocal group The Ordettes while she was still attending her Philadelphia high school and still going by her birth name, Patricia "Patsy" Holte. The group went through some lineup changes before landing on a solid foursome: Holte, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash of the New Jersey-based group the Del-Capris, and Cindy Birdsong. Rebranded the Blue Belles, and later Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles, the group earned a following singing doo-wop ballads like "Down The Aisle (The Wedding Song)" and "You'll Never Walk Alone."

When Cindy Birdsong left the group to join The Supremes in 1967, the remaining trio took the advice of British TV producer Vicki Wickham to revamp their image. They simplified their name to Labelle and changed their style to a funky and defiant brand of glam rock, which resulted in their smash hit "Lady Marmalade."
During their Blue Belles tenure, the group often sang Dinah Washington's "Where Are You" during their live sets. Washington was far from flattered and sent them a telegram demanding them to "stop singing my damn song."
When the Blue Belles toured England, they hooked up with the group Bluesology, who played backup for a lot of the visiting R&B bands from America. The girls were particularly fond of keyboard player Reginald Dwight and promised to stay in touch with him after the tour. In her autobiography, Don't Block The Blessings, Patti LaBelle remembered when Reggie called her a few years later to invite her to a concert in Philadelphia. When she asked who he was playing piano for, she was confused when he said he was playing for himself.

"Patti, you didn't know?" he asked her.

"Know what, Reggie?"

"I'm Elton John."
In 1971, they backed Laura Nyro on Gonna Take A Miracle, an album of '50s and '60s soul covers. Patti, in particular, felt an instant connection with Nyro and they shared a close friendship until Nyro's death from ovarian cancer in 1997.
Labelle signed with Track Records, The Who's label, after backing the English rock band during a show in New York. They earned critical acclaim for their first few albums but achieved their commercial breakthrough after their move to Epic Records and the release of Nightbirds in 1974. The album boasted their hit "Lady Marmalade," a provocative number about a New Orleans prostitute.
Nightbirds also introduced a number of tracks written by the group's Nona Hendryx. Labelle's management thought they should try to write their own material, and Hendryx surprised herself when she learned she could write songs. She recalled in a 2012 Songfacts interview: "They asked us if any of us could write, and I said, 'Well, I write poetry.' And they said, 'Well, why don't you try putting it to music?' And that's where it began."
In 1975, Labelle became the first Black vocal group to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone. Patti LaBelle spoke about the honor in a 2015 interview with The Guardian: "I don't think at the time we thought it was special - we thought we were worthy of the cover, and it was something we should have had and we deserved it. But only when you look back do you realize how groundbreaking it was."
Patti chalked up the group's 1976 split to creative differences. "We didn't think the same musically any longer," she told the Baltimore Sun in 1983. "Sarah wanted to do more disco, Nona wanted to do more rock and I wanted to go back to ballads. I love to sing ballads - I love to cry."

Patti's solo career took off in the '80s and '90s with a string of R&B hits, including her chart-topping crossover duet with Michael McDonald, "On My Own." Hendryx tried to follow the same trajectory but she wasn't feeling it; instead, she pivoted toward experimental funk with the group Material and sang with Talking Heads. Dash landed a Top 10 disco hit with "Sinner Man" in 1978 and did session work for a number of acts in the '80s. She sang backing vocals on The Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels album and went on tour with her longtime friend Keith Richards (they met when the Blue Belles opened for The Stones back in the '60s).
Labelle briefly reunited in 1995 to record "Turn It Up" for the To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar soundtrack. The single went to #1 on the US Dance chart.
Labelle reunited again in 2008 for the album Back To Now, which included songs Hendryx wrote for what would have been the group's next album in 1977.
Dash died suddenly on September 20, 2021 at age 76. A cause of death wasn't given. Her final performance was just two days earlier when she sang with Patti LaBelle on stage in Atlantic City.

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