440. LaBelle

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.