#274 - LaBelle - Nightbirds (1974)
MUSIC HISTORY COMPILED BY ADAM BERNARD:
BACKGROUND – EMINEM
Labelle is an American all-female singing group who were a popular vocal group of the 1960s and 1970s. The group was formed after the disbanding of two rival girl groups in the Philadelphia/Trenton areas, the Ordettes and the Del-Capris, forming as a new version of the former group, later changing their name to The Blue Belles (later Bluebelles). The trio that made up the group were Patti LaBelle (formerly Patricia Holt), Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash.
In 1959, a fifteen-year-old teenager, Patricia "Patsy" Holte won her first talent contest in high school. Following this, she sought to form her own singing group the following year called the Ordettes. The group gained a local following, but eventually two of the members got married, leaving Patsy to go solo. Soon after, she connected with members of the Del-Capris, Nona Hendrix & Sarah Dash (along with temporary member Cindy Birdsong) and toured the Chitlin Circuit, gaining a following in the Eastern portion of the US. They gained success with a cover of "I Sold My Heart To The Junkman", and a name change for both Patsy to Patti LaBelle, and the group to the Blue Belles, followed. The group recorded their first national hit under their new name in 1963 with the release of the ballad, "Down the Aisle (The Wedding Song)". As a result, the record reached the top 40 on both the pop and R&B charts, formally launching the group to national stardom. Frequent performances at the Apollo Theater helped to give the group the nickname "Sweethearts of the Apollo" In 1965, the group opened for the Rolling Stones during a lengthy American tour. After Birdsong departed to join The Supremes in 1967, the band, following the advice of manager Vicki Wickham, changed its look, location (London), musical direction, and style to reform as Labelle in 1971. LaBelle, feared the group would alienate their older fans with a new laid back "earthier" look. Ditching the wigs and dresses, Labelle settled on Afros and jeans. They debuted this new look while backing The Who during a stop in New York.
Labelle was a group in search of a hit. The group hadn't had commercial success with their first three albums - Labelle, Moon Shadow, and Pressure Cookin'. All albums had flirted with elements of rock music mixed with the group's soul/gospel roots from their days as Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. The group was assigned to notable New Orleans producer Allen Toussaint and the group was sent to Toussaint's hometown of New Orleans to work on the record that would eventually be released as Nightbirds. That brings us to today's album.
Building on their success, in the spring of 1975, Labelle became the first African-American vocal group to make the cover of Rolling Stone. Later that year, the group released their follow-up album, Phoenix. They also contributed background vocals to several songs on Elton John's hit album, Rock of the Westies. In 1976, they released their third album, Chameleon, which included the tracks "Get You Somebody New", "Isn't It a Shame" and "Who's Watching the Watcher". Despite having critical acclaim with their follow-ups to Nightbirds, Phoenix and Chameleon failed to repeat that album's success and the group struggled to have another hit. By 1976, tensions had developed within the group, with the act's three members splintered on the group's sound and direction. LaBelle wanted the group to record more soul, Hendryx wanted the group to go further into funk rock, and Dash wanted to record songs in a more disco direction. During a show in Baltimore in 1976, Hendryx wandered off the stage and into the audience at one point. LaBelle's stage manager was able to steer Hendryx backstage, but Hendryx locked herself in her dressing room and beat her head against the wall until it began to bleed severely. She was removed from the theater in restraints. After the incident, LaBelle advised the group to disband, fearing for the other members' well-being and that the mounting tension could also put an end to their friendship. Hendryx and Dash agreed and the trio formally announced their split at the end of 1976 after fourteen years together.
Each of the band members later went on their own after the end of a tour in 1976, going on to have significant solo success. Nona Hendryx followed an idiosyncratic muse into a solo career that often bordered on the avant-garde; Sarah Dash became a celebrated session singer; and Patti LaBelle enjoyed a very successful Grammy-winning career, with several top-20 R&B hits between 1982 and 1997, a number-one pop hit with "On My Own", and lifetime-achievement awards from the Apollo Theatre, the World Music Awards, and the BET Awards. The group reunited for their first new album in 32 years, Back to Now in 2008. They performed together regularly until the death of Dash on September 20, 2021, at the age of 76.
Labelle's influence has been reflected by groups such as En Vogue, Destiny's Child and The Pussycat Dolls.
ALBUM BACKGROUND – NIGHTBIRDS
The finest of Labelle's original albums, Nightbirds was recorded in New Orleans with funkmeister Allen Toussaint handling the production chores. The album was their most successful to date, becoming their first album to hit both the pop and R&B charts - neither of their previous albums charted - peaking at number seven on the latter chart, thanks to the phenomenal success of the funk single, "Lady Marmalade."
With Nightbirds, Labelle were praised for mixing their R&B/pop sound with elements of rock and funk. The success of the album's two singles also helped to pioneer the disco movement, which peaked in the late 1970s and influenced dance music for three decades. Their funk rock recordings previous to that period became cult favorites for their brash interpretation of rock and roll and for dealing with subjects and matters that were not typically touched by female black groups.