"Long before Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Pink and Mya issued the vampy remake of ""Lady Marmalade,"" there was LaBelle, the female trio originally responsible for the classic song.LaBelle started as a quartet in 1962 comprised of Patricia Holt and Cindy Birdsong (who both previously sang for the Philadelphia group the Ordettes) and Wynona ""Nona"" Hendryx and Sarah Dash (who both belonged to rival girl group the Del Capris.) Holt changed her name to LaBelle to mirror the group's name, the BlueBelles, at the suggestion of producer Bobby Martin and the famous Patti LaBelle we all know and love was born. Some controversy lingers as to who is responsible for the BlueBelles' first hit, ""I Sold My Heart to the Junkman,"" because a group called the Starlets cut a single of the same name; some accounts suggest they merely sung backup for LaBelle and others claim LaBelle doesn't appear on the track at all. The song nonetheless became a Top 20 R&B and pop hit in 1962 and was followed by the BlueBelles' second hit one year later, ""Down the Aisle,"" and 1964's Top 40 songs ""Danny Boy"" and a rendition of the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic ""You'll Never Walk Alone.""In 1965 the BlueBelles recorded ""Somewhere Over the Rainbow"" (which LaBelle would continue to perform throughout her career) and signed with Atlantic, but Birdsong left in 1967 to replace Florence Ballard in the Supremes and the group was reduced permanently to a trio. When Atlantic dropped the BlueBelles in 1969 they hired Vicki Wickham, who shortened their name to LaBelle in 1970. LaBelle opened for the Who and debuted a more glam rock sound and look, signing with Warner Bros and releasing an eponymous album in 1971. The album was followed by 1972's Moonshadow, which included a title track written by Cat Stevens and a rendition of the Who's ""Won't Get Fooled Again,"" but LaBelle left to record with RCA for 1973's Pressure Cookin'. Another label jump ensued to Epic, and the resulting album Nightbirds gave flight to ""Lady Marmalade."" The group wasn't able to match the single's success with their subsequent albums and by 1976 the trio disbanded to pursue solo careers."