Patti Labelle and the Bluebells changed their name and their musical style and reinvented themselves as Labelle in 1971. The group is remembered as a trio featuring Patti LaBelle, Sarah Dash and Nona Hendryx, but originally the group also included Cindy Birdsong. Their funk rock recordings of that period were cult favorites and gained notoriety for their brash interpretation of rock and roll and for dealing with subject matter that was not touched by black groups. LaBelle adapted glam rock style, wearing outlandish space-age and glam rock-adorned costumes, the group found success with the proto-disco smash, Lady Marmalade in 1974, leading to their album, Nightbirds, becoming a platinum success. They are notable for being the first contemporary pop group and first black pop group to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House.
Lady Marmalade
The biographical Can I Speak to You Before You Go to Hollywood, was inspired by the events following former member Birdsong leaving the Blue Belles to join The Supremes. The song featured all three members having notable lead vocal parts, but Dash contributes the lion’s share of the singing; Hendryx sung in the beginning and Patti LaBelle sang the following verses.
Can I Speak to You Before You Go to Hollywood
Posted especially for Sarah Dash
