Nona Bernis Hendryx, born October 9, 1944, in Trenton, New Jersey, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, producer and actress whose career has spanned soul, R&B, funk, rock, new wave and avant-garde pop. She began singing with the Del-Capris before joining the Ordettes in Philadelphia in 1961 alongside Patti LaBelle and Sarah Dash; the group became Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles in 1962 and recorded albums including Sweethearts of the Apollo (1963), Over the Rainbow (1966) and Dreamer (1967). After Cindy Birdsong left for the Supremes in 1967, the remaining trio evolved into Labelle in 1971, adopting a funk, rock- and glam-influenced style; Hendryx became the group’s principal songwriter, contributing to albums such as Labelle (1971), Moon Shadow (1972), Pressure Cookin' (1973), Nightbirds (1974), Phoenix (1975) and Chameleon (1976), and co-writing their signature hit “Lady Marmalade” (1974). After Labelle dissolved in 1976, she launched a solo career with Nona Hendryx (1977), followed by Nona (1983), The Art of Defense (1984), The Heat (1985), Female Trouble (1987) and Skindiver (1989), developing an increasingly experimental sound and collaborating with artists including Keith Richards, Peter Gabriel, Talking Heads, Laurie Anderson and Prince. Later releases included You Have to Cry Sometime (1992, with Billy Vera), It's Time (2011, with Kahil El'Zabar's Ethnics), Mutatis Mutandis (2012) and The World of Captain Beefheart (2017, with Gary Lucas). Nona Hendryx also composed for theatre and film, including the play Blue, and contributed to the soundtrack of the 2009 film Precious; she co-founded RhythmBank Entertainment in 2005 and reunited with Patti LaBelle and Sarah Dash for Labelle's Back to Now (2008).
