Labelle Is Back!

[Frank Pizzoli]

“I didn’t know if we still had it but we have a sound no one else has…” –Patti LaBelle

“It’s as if we never stopped. The thread just continue…”
–Nona Hendryx

“It’s a sound piece of music – this new album definitely
represents Labelle today…” –Sarah Dash

In the history of female groups, none has ever achieved the longevity, or experienced the kind of creative evolution, that Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash have. Since their original formation at the dawn of the girl–group era as The Bluebelles (with then– fourth member Cindy Birdsong) in 1961, through their incarnation as R&B powerhouse (Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles), and on to their pioneering years as the unprecedented rock–soul–funk trio Labelle, Hendryx, LaBelle and Dash have remained peerless.

These three women spent fifteen years together with a consistent commitment to bringing energy, excitement and soul power to live performances, and cutting–edge innovation to a series of classic albums until 1976, when they separated without fanfare to pursue individual goals and aspirations. Thirty–two years later, with the release of a brand new Verve Records album (featuring such top notch producers as Lenny Kravitz, Gamble & Huff, and Wyclef Jean), the aptly titled Back to Now, Labelle is back on center stage.

Formed out of the merging of two Philadelphia/New Jersey–based groups in 1960, Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles were imaginative and innovative from the start, choosing to interpret standards and classics such as “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” “Danny Boy” and their ultimate showstopper “Over The Rainbow” with soaring vocals and unique harmonies. Following their ‘61 hit, “I Sold My Heart to the Junkman,” the original quartet toured extensively, bringing audiences to their feet at such venues as The Apollo in New York, The Uptown in Philadelphia and The Regal in Chicago.