Labelle is an American R&B/soul group, who melded disco with funk and glam rock. The group was led by Patti LaBelle, who later had a solo career. Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash were the other 2 members. The group was best known for their gospel singing harmonies and the group sang of racism, sexism and eroticism. This female trio is responsible for the proto-disco funk classic "Lady Marmalade," and LaBelle's outlandish space-age costumes and brash incorporation of rock & roll were a far cry from their early days as a typical '60s girl group, not to mention the later solo career of Patti LaBelle. The group's songwriter was Nona Hendryx, who followed an idiosyncratic muse into her own solo career, which often bordered on the avant-garde.

The beginning – initial success

In 1961, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash of the Del Capris joined Patricia Holte and Sandra Tucker as replacement singers for Holte's singing group, The Ordettes (when Tucker's parents made her leave the group, she was replaced by Cindy Birdsong). Patricia Holte had her name changed to Patti LaBelle after the group became “The Bluebelles”.

Though the first single was "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman" (released as the Bluebelles), LaBelle relays in her memoir, (Don't Block The Blessings, that the group did not actually perform on the original track. The song's producer recorded it with “The Starlets” and renamed them the “Bluebelles”, but the group left upon the single's release.

He quickly recruited The Ordettes to perform and promote the single using the Bluebells' moniker, and "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman" was later re-cut by the new group. The song was a hit, as were the new Bluebelles. In 1963 they followed this success with songs such as, "Down the Aisle", "You'll Never Walk Alone" (1964; Rodgers & Hammerstein) and "Danny Boy".

Becoming Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles – Atlantic Records

They signed with Atlantic Records in 1965, releasing "Over the Rainbow" and "Groovy Kind of Love" (later a hit for the Mindbenders and Phil Collins) with only mild success. They also contributed background vocals to Wilson Pickett's hit "634-5789" in 1966. Along the line, they extended their name to Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles.

In 1967, the group became a trio after Cindy Birdsong left to join the Supremes, replacing Florence Ballard. Three years later, the group lost their contract and hired Vicki Wickham, a British TV producer, to remake their image. She changed the name to Labelle and pushed the group to a more contemporary sound, incorporated glam influences, particularly in the spectacular spacey stage costumes that included large amounts of glitter, feathers and other acoutrements. In the early 70s, Labelle opened for the Who and lent their unmistakably powerful vocals to Laura Nyro's Gonna Take a Miracle album in 1971 (now considered a classic). Two songs from this album ("Desiree" and "Gonna Take a Miracle") were used in the 2004 Colin Farrell film A Home at the End of the World to great dramatic effect — especially "Gonna Take a Miracle," at the end of the film. Labelle also contributed to Nikki Giovanni's "Peace Be Still".