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

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. The band's classic lineup consisted of Bernadette Cooper, Lorena Porter Shelby, Cheryl Cooley, Robbin Grider, Lynn Malsby, and Joyce "Fenderella" Irby.

History

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. 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 ''Never Underestimate the Power of a Woman'' is the debut album by R&B group Klymaxx. Released in 1981, it was produced by Otis Stokes and Stephen Shockley. The title is taken from the slogan of ''Ladies' Home Journal''. Track listing #"All Fir ...

'' 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 ''Meeting in the Ladies Room'' is the third studio album by Klymaxx, released in 1984. In the US, it reached No. 18 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and No. 9 on the R&B album chart. It is certified Platinum. Klymaxx gained airplay on MTV, VH1 and ...

'', 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 p ...

successes "

The Men All Pause "The Men All Pause" is a hit single recorded by Klymaxx for the MCA label. Written by Bernadette Cooper and Joyce Irby, this song was recorded and released as the first single off their fourth album, ''Meeting in the Ladies Room''. This song rea ...

", written by Bernadette Cooper and Irby, and the

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may a ...

. 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 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), radio play, and online streaming ...

. 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 Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

'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 Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary * Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, ...

'', 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 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. 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 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, broadca ...

and

Sony Music Publishing Sony Music Publishing (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is the largest music publisher in the world, with over five million songs owned or administered as of end March 2021. US-based, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is itself owned ...

, 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.

Discography

;Studio albums * ''

'' (1981) * '' Girls Will Be Girls'' (1982) * ''

'' (1984) * ''

Klymaxx Klymaxx is an American all-female pop/ R&B band from Los Angeles, California. The band's classic lineup consisted of Bernadette Cooper, Lorena Porter Shelby, Cheryl Cooley, Robbin Grider, Lynn Malsby, and Joyce "Fenderella" Irby. History Klyma ...

'' (1986) * ''

The Maxx Is Back ''The Maxx Is Back'' is the fifth studio album by Klymaxx, released in 1990 (see 1990 in music), by which time the group only consisted of three original members, Lorena Porter Shelby (lead vocals), Cheryl Cooley (guitar) and Robbin Grider (keybo ...

'' (1990) * '' One Day'' (1994)

References

External links

*
Official Website
{{Authority control 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