Doowopheaven: Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles aka Patti LaBelle & The Blue Belles (2)

Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles

aka

Patti LaBelle & The Blue Belles (2)

(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Part 1: lineup, discography, biography, photo gallery and videos

Sarah Dash (top), Cindy Birdsong, Nona Hendryx, Patti Labelle

Group members:

Patricia “Patsy” Holt (Patti LaBelle)

Cynthia Ann “Cindy” Birdsong*

Wynona “Nona” Hendryx

Sarah Dash

*Cindy Birdsong left the group in 1970 to join The Supremes, replacing Florence Ballard.

Discography:

Singles:

The Blue-Belles

1962 - I Sold My Heart To The Junkman* / Itty Bitty Twist* (Newtown 5000)

*Actually by The Starlets.

The Blue Belles (2)

1962 - I Found A New Love / Pitter Patter (Newtown 5006)

Patti Labelle & The Blue Belles (2)

1962 - Tear After Tear / Go On (This Is Goodbye) (Newtown 5007)

The Blue Belles (2)

1962 - Cool Water / When Johnny Comes Marching Home (Newtown 5009)

Patti LaBelle & The Bluebells

1962 - Love Me Just A Little / The Joke’s On You (Newtime 510)

1963 - Academy Award / Decatur Street (Newtown 5019)

1963 - Down The Aisle (Wedding Song) / C'est La Vie (Newtown 5777)

1963 - Down The Aisle (Wedding Song) / C'est La Vie (So Goes Life) (King 5777)

Patty Labelle & The Blue Belles (2)

1963 - Where Are You / You'll Never Walk Alone (Nicetown 5020)

Patti Labelle & The Blue Belles (2)

1963 - You'll Never Walk Alone / Decatur Street (Nicetown 5020)

The Blue Belles (2)

1964 - I Sold My Heart To The Junkman* / I've Got To Let Him Know* (Peak 7042)

*Actually by The Starlets.

Patti LaBelle & Her Blue Belles

1964 - You'll Never Walk Alone / Decatur Street (Parkway 896)

Patti Labelle & Her Bluebells

1964 - One Phone Call (Will Do) / You Will Fill My Eyes No More (Parkway 913)

1964 - Danny Boy / I Believe (Parkway 935)

Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles

1965 - All Or Nothing / You Forgot How To Love (Atlantic 45-2311)*

1966 - Groovy Kind Of Love / Over The Rainbow (Atlantic 45-2318)

1966 - Ebb Tide / Patti’s Prayer (Atlantic 45-2333)*

1966 - I'm Still Waiting / Family Man (Atlantic 45-2347)

1967 - Take Me For A Little While / I Don't Want To Go On Without You (Atlantic 45-2373)

1967 - (There’s) Always Something There To Remind Me / Tender Words (Atlantic 45-2390)

1967 - Unchained Melody / Dreamer (Atlantic 45-2408)

1967 - Oh My Love / I Need Your Love ((Atlantic 45-2446)

1968 - He's My Man / Wonderful (Atlantic 45-2548)

1969 - Dance To The Rhythm Of Love / He's Gone (Atlantic 45-2610)

1969 - Loving Rules / Pride's No Match For Love (Atlantic 45-2629)*

1970 - Trustin’ In You / Suffer (Atlantic 45-2712)

*credited to Patti LaBelle & The Bluebells

Albums:

Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles

1963 – {Sweethearts Of The Apollo} Decatur Street / Down The Aisle / One Phone Call / Tear After Tear, Danny Boy, I Sold My Heart To The Junkman / Have I Sinned / Itty Bitty Twist / I Walked Right In / The Joke's On You / My Bridal Gown / Cool Water / I Believe / When Johnny Comes Marching Home / You Will Fill Me Eyes No More / You'll Never Walk Alone / Academy Award / Love Me Just A Little (Newton LP 631)

1963 – {Sleigh Bells, Jingle Bells and Bluebelles} White Christmas / Santa Claus Is Coming To Town / Blue Christmas / What Are You Doing New Year's Eve / Winter Wonderland / Jingle Bells / O Holy Night / O Little Town Of Bethlehem / The First Noel / It Came Upon A Midnight Clear / O Come All Ye Faithful / Hark The Herald Angels Sing / Silent Night / Auld Lang Syne (Newton LP 632)

Patti LaBelle & Her Blue Bells

1964 – {Patti Labelle & Her Blue Bells - On Stage} I Sold My Heart To The Junkman / Tear After Tear / Cool Water / Go On (This Is Goodbye) / When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again / Island Of Unbroken Hearts / Down The Aisle / C’est La Vie (So Goes Life) / Have I Sinned / Love Me Just A Little / Impossible / Where Are You (plus bonus single You'll Never Walk Alone / Decatur Street) (Parkway LP 7043)

Patti Labelle & The Bluebelles

1966 – {Over The Rainbow} Over The Rainbow / More / Groovy Kind Of Love / Ebb Tide / All Or Nothing / People / Unchained Melody / Patti’s Prayer / He / Yesterday / Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Need Me)/ Try To Remember (Atlantic LP SD 8119)

1967 – {Dreamer} Dreamer / Always Something There To Remind Me / I’m Still Waiting / Take Me For A Little While / I Don’t Want To Go On Without You / Tender Words / Danny Boy / That's How Heartaches Are Made / One Phone Call / Down The Aisle / Where Are You (Atlantic LP SD 8147)

Unreleased:

1969 - (1-2-3-4-5-6-7) Count The Days (Atlantic)

n/a - How Can You Throw My Love Away (Atlantic)

n/a - Forget It (Atlantic)

n/a - Never For Me (Atlantic)

n/a - When Joe Touches Me (Atlantic)

Biography:

Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles had a minor Top Twenty R&B/pop hit with "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman" in 1962 and, after signing with Atlantic Records, continued to score hits in a variety of sounds, ranging from girl group pop to '70s funk ("Lady Marmalade") to disco to lush pop and R&B ballads while going through a visually stimulating metamorphosis from the Bluebelles to LaBelle. Soul diva Patti LaBelle - the group's longtime leader - continues to enjoy one of the most successful solo careers in contemporary R&B.

Patti LaBelle (top), Cindy Birdsong, Nona Hendryx, Sarah Dash

Patti LaBelle (b. Patricia Holt in Philadelphia on October 4, 1944) grew up singing in a local Baptist choir and teamed with friend Cindy Birdsong to form The Ordettes in Philadelphia in 1960. A year later, they added vocalists Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash and the group was re-christened the Bluebelles. They were influenced considerably by the early ‘60s girl group sound, especially The Shirelles.

Cindy Birdsong, Patti LaBelle, Sarah Dash, Nona Hendryx

In 1962, the Bluebelles scored a Top Twenty pop and R&B hit with “I Sold My Heart To The Junkman” (which was really the Starlets), subsequently hitting the charts in 1964 with renditions of “Danny Boy” and “You'll Never Walk Alone.” Going out on the road, the BlueBelles earned national fame at The Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, where they became “Apollo Sweethearts.” In 1965, they signed to Atlantic Records.

Nona Hendryx, Patti LaBelle, Cindy Birdsong, Sarah Dash

With producer Bobby Martin at helm, the quartet - now known as Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles - earned a minor hit with their version of the Harold Arlen-penned standard “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” They had only a handful of minor R&B hits and near misses with Atlantic, including “I'm Still Waiting,” “Take Me for a Little While,” and “Down the Aisle (The Wedding Song)” which made full use of Patti LaBelle’s powerful gospel-derived lead vocals and harmonies. Other highlights from this period include the original version of “Groovy Kind of Love” (a big hit for Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders), the Supremes-like “Tender Words,” the dramatic “All or Nothing,” and the moody Spooner Oldham/Dan Penn ballad “Dreamer.”

Nona Hendryx, Sarah Dash, Patti LaBelle, Cindy Birdsong

They were fortunate to have the talents of some of the top songwriters of the day; in addition to Oldham and Penn, the Bluebelles performed material written by Carole Bayer, Pam Sawyer, Lori Burton, Bert Berns, Jeff Barry, Bacharach-David, Lorraine Ellison, and Curtis Mayfield (who produced some of the act’s later sides), as well as songs written by both Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash - but nevertheless, the group preferred more aggressive and assertive material and were never quite comfortable with most of these songs.

Nona Hendrx, Sarah Dash, Patti LaBelle

Halfway through their Atlantic Records period (1965 to 1969), Cindy Birdsong left to join the Supremes (replacing Florence Ballard). The remaining trio toured the so-called “chitlin circuit” for the remainder of the decade. In 1970, unable to recreate their early success, the Bluebelles were dropped from their label and abandoned by their managers. Patti turned to promoter Vicki Wickham for help with their antiquated image. Wickham renamed the trio "Labelle" and began working to help the women reconfigure their sound for the ‘70s, pushing them in sexy, sweaty, gospel-drenched soul direction. Demure gowns they wore during their girl group phase were soon replaced by wild, flamboyant costumes and the group’s self-titled 1971 Warner Bros. debut was filled with robust harmonies and funky, rock-oriented R&B. To support the album, they toured with British rock band the Who and also collaborated with New York songwriter Laura Nyro on her superb R&B-influenced album Gonna Take a Miracle.

Nona Hendryx, Sarah Dash, Patti LaBelle

After recording a few decent albums (including Moon Shadow), LaBelle exploded on the charts in 1974 with their superb Nightbirds album and its raunchy hit, “Lady Marmalade.” Follow-up hits came with 1975’s Phoenix and 1976’s Chameleon albums. Musical differences between Patti LaBelle and Nona Hendryx began to pull the group apart and the group split in 1977.