Klymaxx is an American all-female pop/ R&B band from

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. The band's classic lineup consisted of Bernadette Cooper, Lorena Porter Shelby, Cheryl Cooley, Robbin Grider, Lynn Malsby, and Joyce "Fenderella" Irby. Klymaxx is best known for their 1985 international hits " I Miss You" and " Meeting in the Ladies Room".

History

Klymaxx was created and formed in 1979 by Bernadette Cooper (producer/drummer/vocals); she also created the name Klymaxx. The other original members included Lorena "Lungs" Porter Shelby (lead vocalist), 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. Bernadette developed their core sound and continued 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''. 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 The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

success " The Men All Pause", written by Bernadette Cooper and Irby, and the

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...

. 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 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

. 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

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's, according to music historian Scot Brown. 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 ''Bands Reunited'' is a television program produced by VH1 in 2004. Hosted by Aamer Haleem, the show documents attempted reunions of formerly popular musical groups for special concerts in either London or Los Angeles. A show normally consists ...

'', 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 Halle Maria Berry ( ; born Maria Halle Berry; August 14, 1966) is an American actress. She began her career as a model and entered several beauty contests, finishing as the first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant of 1986 and also placing six ...

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 classic 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. All the members of Klymaxx 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 The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

and

Sony Music Publishing Sony Music Publishing LLC (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is an American music publisher. Responsible for publishing the largest quantity of music, with over five million songs owned or administered as of end March 2021, it is part of Sony ...

, 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. Recently, renewed interest in Klymaxx's legacy has appeared through social media and streaming platforms, introducing the group's influential catalog to the younger generations. Their status as one of the few all-female R&R/funk bands to play instruments, write, and produce their own music continues to be widely praised in retrospective on women in music.

Discography

;Studio albums * '' Never Underestimate the Power of a Woman'' (1981) * '' Girls Will Be Girls'' (1982) * '' Meeting in the Ladies Room'' (1984) * '' Klymaxx'' (1986) * '' The Maxx Is Back'' (1990) * '' One Day'' (1994)

References

External links

*
Klymaxx Official Website
{{Authority control American all-female bands African-American girl groups American dance girl groups American dance music groups American funk musical groups American soul musical groups SOLAR Records artists Musical groups established in 1979 Musical groups disestablished in 1994 Musical groups reestablished in 2003 Musical groups disestablished in 2013