When the United States grew tired of the girl group formula, Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles found themselves without a record deal and an American audience to perform to. They reinvented themselves as LaBelle, a Rock infused Funk /Proto-Disco group with Space Age costumes and a “new attitude”. Their iconic hit, Lady Marmalade still resonates today and it has been said that this group was the prototype for the En Vogue and Destiny’s Child that followed. Patti LaBelle is the ace in the hole here, as she has had a complete career that was Hall of Fame worthy, but it in this 70’s incarnation where she was at her best.
The Bullet Points:
Eligible Since:
1996
Country of Origin:
U.S.A. (Philadelphia, PA)
Nominated In:
Never
NIHOF’s Favorite Album:
Nightbirds (1975)
NIHOF’s Favorite Song:
Lady Marmalade (From Nightbirds, 1975)Sep 30, 2017
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Comments
With songs like "Sunday's News" and "Sunshine (Woke Me Up This Morning)," Nona Hendryx is one of the more underrated and overlooked songwriters of the period. And with their covers of the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" and especially the medley "Something in the Air/The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," from Thunderclap Newman and Gil Scott-Heron, respectively, they made their social and political concerns explicit.
Not that the pop audience was expecting this from a trio of black chicks. They were expected to serve up that brown sugar that the Rolling Stones and Tina Turner promised us--which is where "Lady Marmalade" comes in. Still, that's not a bad French lesson, ne c'est pas?
LaBelle deserves another look. They won't get into the Hall, but they were significant.
Edited 9/15/17 to add: Ranked 498? Should be much higher than that. En Vogue, Destiny's Child, TLC, and many others take their cue from Labelle.
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