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Nona Hendryx
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Miami Vice Performer
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Born
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October 9, 1944, Trenton, New Jersey
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Active
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1962-present
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Nona Hendryx (Born October 9, 1944, Trenton, New Jersey) is an American vocalist, songwriter, and actress whose song "Transformation" appeared in the episode "Tale of the Goat" of the series Miami Vice.
Career[]
Hendryx started out working with two other singers, Patricia "Patsy" Holte and Sandra Tucker, and they called themselves The Ordettes. Later when Tucker left and replaced by Cindy Birdsong, they changed their name to the Blue Belles, and Holte changed her stage name to Patti LaBelle. They performed classic doo-wop and found themselves in competition with other girl groups The Chantels and The Supremes, to which Birdsong joined in 1967 during a Blue Belles tour.
In the 1970s the group moved to England and changed their name yet again to LaBelle and their look to jeans and afros. Hendryx began writing more and more songs for the group, but they didn't have chart success until 1975, when "Lady Marmalade" hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, but the group broke up the next year due to internal tensions, and Hendryx's mental breakdown.
Hendryx's debut self-titled solo album featured "Winning" (recorded four years later by Santana) and "Leaving Here Today". Nona was released in 1983 and her song "Transformation" became a dance hit. She released another album, The Art of Defense in 1984. She then recorded an album, Why Should I Cry in 1987 featuring Peter Gabriel and Prince as contributors. She hasn't released more recordings due to lack of interest from record labels, but has appeared in the TV shows Linc's and the third season of The L Word (both with Pam Grier, with whom she sang "Transformation"). In 2008 LaBelle reunited, recorded Back to Now, and had a successful concert tour during 2008-09. In 2012 Hendryx released her first solo album since 1992, Mutatis Mutandis. In 2018 Hendryx released an EP, Keep Funkin.