LaBelle

Although Labelle released their self-titled debut album in 1971, they'd been around in different iterations since the early '60s. Lead singer Patti LaBelle started the vocal group The Ordettes while she was still attending her Philadelphia high school and still going by her birth name, Patricia "Patsy" Holte. The group went through some lineup changes before landing on a solid foursome: Holte, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash of the New Jersey-based group the Del-Capris, and Cindy Birdsong. Rebranded the Blue Belles, and later Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles, the group earned a following singing doo-wop ballads like "Down The Aisle (The Wedding Song)" and "You'll Never Walk Alone." When Cindy Birdsong left the group to join The Supremes in 1967, the remaining trio took the advice of British TV producer Vicki Wickham to revamp their image. They simplified their name to Labelle and changed their style to a funky and defiant brand of glam rock, which resulted in their smash hit "Lady Marmalade."

During their Blue Belles tenure, the group often sang Dinah Washington's "Where Are You" during their live sets. Washington was far from flattered and sent them a telegram demanding them to "stop singing my damn song."

When the Blue Belles toured England, they hooked up with the group Bluesology, who played backup for a lot of the visiting R&B bands from America. The girls were particularly fond of keyboard player Reginald Dwight and promised to stay in touch with him after the tour. In her autobiography, Don't Block The Blessings, Patti LaBelle remembered when Reggie called her a few years later to invite her to a concert in Philadelphia. When she asked who he was playing piano for, she was confused when he said he was playing for himself. "Patti, you didn't know?" he asked her. "Know what, Reggie?" "I'm Elton John."