Laura Nyro & Labelle
Biography
The collaboration between Laura Nyro and Labelle remains one of the most tantalizing "what could have been" stories in music history, a brief but brilliant flame that burned out almost as quickly as it ignited. By 1972, this unlikely partnership had already dissolved, leaving behind just one album that would become a cult classic and a testament to what happens when raw artistic vision collides with commercial reality.
The end came not with dramatic confrontation but with the quiet recognition that two powerful creative forces were pulling in different directions. Laura Nyro, the introspective poet-composer, found herself increasingly uncomfortable with the demands of promotion and touring that came with the album's modest success. Meanwhile, Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash were eager to continue their transformation from the sweet girl group The Blue Belles into something more revolutionary. The split was amicable but inevitable, with Labelle moving on to achieve their greatest commercial success with "Lady Marmalade" in 1974, while Nyro retreated to focus on her solo career and personal life.
Their lone collaborative effort, "Gonna Take a Miracle," released in 1971, stands as a remarkable document of musical cross-pollination. The album saw Nyro stepping away from her typical piano-driven compositions to reinterpret classic soul and R&B songs alongside Labelle's powerhouse vocals. Together, they breathed new life into songs by The Shirelles, The Supremes, The Drifters, and others, creating versions that were both reverent and revolutionary. Nyro's arrangements stripped away much of the original productions' gloss, replacing it with a raw, gospel-tinged intimacy that showcased both her sophisticated harmonic sense and Labelle's vocal prowess.
The collaboration emerged from mutual admiration and a shared vision of pushing musical boundaries. Nyro, already established as one of the most innovative singer-songwriters of her generation, had long been influenced by the girl groups and soul artists of the early 1960s. Her compositions like "Wedding Bell Blues" and "Stoned Soul Picnic" had already been transformed into hits by The 5th Dimension, proving her ability to write songs that bridged the gap between pop accessibility and artistic depth. Labelle, meanwhile, was in transition from their earlier incarnation as Patti LaBelle and The Blue Belles, seeking a more contemporary sound that would allow them to express their evolving artistic identity.
The musical chemistry between Nyro and Labelle was immediately apparent in the studio. Nyro's intricate piano work and unconventional song structures provided the perfect foundation for Labelle's dynamic vocal interplay. The trio's voices – LaBelle's soaring lead, Hendryx's soulful harmonies, and Dash's precise backing vocals – wrapped around Nyro's melodies like silk around steel. Their version of "The Wind" transformed The Jesters' doo-wop original into something approaching gospel ecstasy, while their take on "Dancing in the Street" stripped Martha and The Vandellas' party anthem down to its emotional core.
The album's influence extended far beyond its commercial performance, which was respectable but not spectacular. Critics immediately recognized it as something special – a blueprint for how artists could honor their influences while creating something entirely new. The album's approach to reinterpretation would influence countless artists in the decades that followed, from Bette Midler to Alicia Keys, showing how covers could be acts of creative transformation rather than mere tribute.
Nyro herself was a singular figure in popular music, a Bronx-born songwriter whose compositions blended elements of jazz, soul, pop, and classical music into something uniquely her own. Her theatrical performance style and deeply personal lyrics made her both a critical darling and a commercial enigma. Labelle, formed from the ashes of The Blue Belles in 1970, was simultaneously reaching toward their own artistic breakthrough, combining elements of rock, funk, and soul with an increasingly bold visual presentation that would soon make them pioneers of glam and proto-punk aesthetics.
Though "Gonna Take a Miracle" would be their only collaboration, the album's legacy continues to grow with each passing decade. It represents a perfect moment when two distinct artistic visions aligned to create something neither could have achieved alone – a masterpiece of interpretation that stands as both a love letter to the golden age of soul and a bold step forward into uncharted musical territory. The brief partnership between Laura Nyro and Labelle proves that sometimes the most powerful artistic statements come from the
