JANICE'S BLUES ALLEY PRESENTS
KLYMAXX
| Klymaxx |
| Official |
| Wikipedia |
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Meeting In The Ladies Room (Official Video) |
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The Men All Pause |
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I Miss You |
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Klymaxx was created and formed in 1979 by Bernadette Cooper (producer/drummer/vocals); the other original members included Lorena "Lungs" Porter Shelby (lead vocals), Cheryl Cooley (guitar), Robbin Grider (keyboards/guitar), and Lynn Malsby (keyboards). Joyce "Fenderella" Irby (bass/vocals/producer) joined the band later, before the recording of their debut album.[1] The women developed their core sound in rehearsal, and continued with Bernadette Cooper becoming the band's figurehead. Their debut album Never Underestimate the Power of a Woman was released in 1981, and their second album was Girls Will Be Girls. Other band members during these early albums included second guitarist Ann Williams and percussionist Judy Takeuchi.
However, their first album to achieve national recognition was 1984 released Meeting in the Ladies Room, featuring the top 5 US Billboard R&B chart successes "The Men All Pause", written by Bernadette Cooper and Irby, and the title track. The band's self-produced "I Miss You", penned by Lynn Malsby, became the band's pop breakthrough, peaking at #5 on the Hot 100.
Lorena Lungs' vocals gave Klymaxx a clear distinctive sound, while
Bernadette Cooper added the spoken word vibe and a musical direction that
became their distinctive sound. Critics mentioned that Irby's voice was
similar to Michael Jackson's, according to music historian Scot Brown.
Bernadette Cooper wrote and produced much of the band's material, and subsequently began writing and producing for other artists from the mid-80s onward, including Cheryl Lynn, Shalamar, Madame X Bette Midler and Paula Abdul. She subsequently signed to MCA Records as a solo artist, and released the 1990 album Drama According to Bernadette Cooper, featuring cameo appearances from Teena Marie and Chuckii Booker.
The classic lineup disbanded in 1989, though several members regrouped
sporadically as Klymaxx over the next five years to release further albums.
Following the breakup there was a legal confrontation involving Cooley’s
unauthorized use of the band's name and trademark, leading to the trademark decision Cheryl Cooley v. Bernadette Cooper and Joyce Irby.The ladies agreed to and also, per the Truth In Music Advertising Act, members are allowed to tour, as Klymaxx but must differentiate which version by adding their names.
Five of the six members from the classic Klymaxx lineup (with Robbin Grider
being the one exception) met up together in a 2004 episode of VH1's Bands
Reunited, for which they had been invited to perform. Cooley appeared, but due to the unresolved friction/tension with other band members, she was not allowed to perform during the group's concert. Around this time, there was also an SNL episode featuring Halle Berry portraying Cooper. Klymaxx officially reformed shortly afterward, now billed as Klymaxx featuring Bernadette Cooper. Currently, individual members tour under Klymaxx featuring their namesake.
In 2009, all six members of the class lineup participated in the group's episode of the TV One series Unsung.
On June 25, 2021, Klymaxx was inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame. Bernadette Cooper and Lynn Malsby accused the organization of honoring the touring lineup featuring Cheryl Cooley, whose contributions were minimal. Cooper, Malsby and Joyce Irby noted that Cooley had edited the songwriting shares on ASCAP and Sony Music Publishing, by adding her name to the writing credits or taking sole credit in ASCAP's database. On the same day, Billboard magazine released a follow-up article bringing light to the fraudulent attempt uncovered by ASCAP and Sony ATV publishing.
--written by Wikipedia
LINKS | YEAR | TITLE |
| 1981 | Never Underestimate The Power Of A Woman |
| 1982 | Girls Will Be Girls |
| 1983 | Meeting In The Ladies Room |
| 1986 | Klymaxx |
| 1990 | The Maxx Is Back |
| 2003 | One Day |
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01. All Fired Up
02. I Wish You Would (Tell Me Something Good)
03. I Want To Love You Tonight
04. You're The Greatest
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05. Never Underestimate The Power Of A Woman
06. The Beat Of My Heart (Is For You)
07. No Words
08. Can't Let Love Just Pass Me By
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01. Girls Will Be Girls
02. Wild Girls
03. Convince Me
04. The Man In My Life
05. Heartbreaker (I'm Such A Mess)
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06. All Turned Out
07. Offer I Can't Refuse
08. If You Love Me
09. Don't Hide Your Love
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01. The Men All Pause
02. Lock And Key
03. I Miss You
04. Just Our Luck
05. Meeting In The Ladies Room
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06. Video Kid
07. Ask Me No Questions
08. Love Bandit
09. I Betcha
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01. Sexy
02. Fab Attack
03. Divas Need Love Too
04. I'd Still Say Yes
05. Fashion
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06. Danger Zone
07. Long Distance Love Affair
08. Come Back
09. Man Size Love
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01. The Maxx Is Back
02. Good Love
03. Private Party
04. When You Kiss Me
05. Finishing Touch
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06. Girls Chasing Boys
07. Don't Mess With My Man
08. Shame
09. Don't Run Away
10. She's A User
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01. One Day
02. Code Bleu
03. All I Think About Is You
04. Every Heart Needs Love
05. 4 The Ole Dawg N U
06. Dear John
07. This Doesn't Feel Like Love Anymore
08. This Time
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09. Ain't Nobody
10. The Night Moves
11. Hear It Come From You
12. Not Gonna Stop Lovin' You
13. Klymaxx Supper Club (Interlude)
14. All I Think (Reprise)
15. Once Before You Go
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