The Harlettes, also known as The Staggering Harlettes, is a trio of

backup singers A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...

who support

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;'' Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received numerous accolades, including four Golden ...

during her live musical performances. The Harlettes' line-up has changed many times since their inception.

History

Bette Midler's stage act grew out of her early 1970s performances at the

Continental Baths The Continental Baths was a gay bathhouse in the basement of The Ansonia Hotel in New York City, which was operated from 1968-1976 by Steve Ostrow. It was advertised as reminiscent of "the glory of ancient Rome". It opened after Ostorow observ ...

, a

gay bathhouse A gay bathhouse, also known as a gay sauna or a gay steambath (uncommonly known as a gay spa), is a commercial space for gay, bisexual, and other men to have sex with men. In gay slang, a bathhouse may be called just "the baths", "the sauna", ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

which offered entertainment on the weekends. With her powerful singing voice, her outrageous costumes and her biting wit, Midler became a favorite of the bathhouse crowd."Trash with Flash", ''TIME'', Sep 10, 1973
/ref> Inspired in part by the

Theatre of the Ridiculous Theatre of the Ridiculous is a theatrical genre that began in New York City in the 1960s.Bottoms, Stephen J. Chapter 11: "The Play-House of the Ridiculous: Beyond Absurdity". ''Playing Underground: A Critical History of the 1960s Off-Off-Broadway ...

,McDonald, Marcie: "A new singing rage: The Divine Miss M", ''The Toronto Star'', Feb 24, 1973Slavo, Patrick and Barbara, "Bette Midler Had To Kill The Divine Miss M", ''In Touch'', July, 1974 Midler's stage show evolved into a bawdy and flamboyant mixture of stand-up comedy,

Vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

and

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

. It was during this time that Midler cultivated her stage persona, “The Divine Miss M”. "The more outrageous I was, the more they liked it," says Midler. "It loosened me up." With the assistance of long-time collaborator and friend

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include " Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", " I Write the Songs", " C ...

— who at the time was working as a pianist at the Continental Baths — Midler found herself a trio of backup singers, which included pop singer

Melissa Manchester Melissa Manchester (born February 15, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Since the 1970s, her songs have been carried by adult contemporary radio stations. She has also appeared on television, in films, and on stage. Early l ...

. Originally they were called The Red Light District, then M.G.M. (because of the initials of the original members, Melissa, Gail and Merle), but eventually they settled on The Harlettes. Knight, Richard Jr., “‘Hats’ Off to Melissa Manchester”, ''Windy City Times'', Jun 20, 2007
/ref> With the support of her sultry Harlettes and the choreography of

Toni Basil Antonia Christina Basilotta (born September 22, 1943), better known by her stage name Toni Basil, is an American singer, choreographer, dancer, actress, and director. Her song "Mickey" topped the charts in the US, Canada and Australia and hit th ...

,Keck, William, "Divine Miss Midler Becomes Sassy Vegas 'Showgirl'", ''USA Today'', Feb 06 2008
/ref> Midler's performances became known for their exhausting singing and dance routines. In a 1973 review of one of her shows, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' writer Ed McCormack stated: “Watching Bette and the girls work out, the raw awkward sexual energy of it all makes you think of

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...

.”McCormack, Ed, "The Gold Lame Dream Of Bette Midler", ''Rolling Stone'', Feb 5, 1973 During a single performance Midler and her Harlettes sing everything from wartime radio tunes such as "

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" is a World War II jump blues song written by Don Raye and Hughie Prince which was introduced by The Andrews Sisters in the Abbott and Costello comedy film, '' Buck Privates'' (1941). The Andrews Sisters' Decca recording r ...

", Depression-era

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

songs such as "

Big Noise From Winnetka "Big Noise from Winnetka" is a jazz song co-written by composer and bass player Bob Haggart and drummer Ray Bauduc with lyrics by Gil Rodin and Bob Crosby, who were members of a sub-group of the Bob Crosby Orchestra called "The Bobcats". They a ...

", "

I Only Have Eyes for You "I Only Have Eyes for You" is a romantic love song by composer Harry Warren and lyricist Al Dubin, written for the film ''Dames'' (1934) when Dick Powell introduced it. Several successful recordings of the song were made in 1934; later, there we ...

", and " Lullaby of Broadway", to early

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of wh ...

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

songs such as " Leader of the Pack", "

Chapel of Love "Chapel of Love" is a song written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector, and made famous by The Dixie Cups in 1964, spending three weeks at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.Whitburn, Joel (2009). ''Top Pop Singles 1955-2008' ...

", and "

Da Doo Ron Ron "Da Doo Ron Ron" is a song written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector. It first became a popular top five hit single for the American girl group The Crystals in 1963. American teen idol Shaun Cassidy covered the song in 1977 and ...

", all while changing in and out of costumes as varied as pink waitress uniforms,

sequin A sequin () is a small, typically shiny, generally disk-shaped ornament. Sequins are also referred to as paillettes, spangles, or ''diamanté'' (also spelled ''diamante''). Although the words sequins, paillettes, lentejuelas, and spangles can ...

ed gowns and

mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are sometimes asso ...

tails. Former Harlette

Linda Hart Linda Hart (born July 5, 1950) is an American singer, musician, and actress, mainly appearing in musical theatre. Life and career Hart was born in Dallas, Texas, United States. As a child, Hart sang in her church choir; at age seven, she joine ...

was quoted in 2008 as saying that working as a Harlette was "like show business boot camp" and that she learned much from the experience.Jones, Kenneth, Linda Hart, Hairspray's "Miss Baltimore Crabs," Developing a Musical for Herself, ''Playbill'', Jun 24, 2003
/ref> Midler was also quoted in 2007 as referring to her relationship to her Harlettes in this way: “We have a great relationship. They adore me and I pay them.”
/ref>

Special appearances

* Members

, Gail Kantor and Merle Miller joined Barry Manilow on his 1974 tour following the release of his breakthrough album, ''

Barry Manilow II ''Barry Manilow II'' is the second studio album by Barry Manilow released in 1974. Propelled by the major success of its lead single " Mandy" and featuring a further international hit in " It's a Miracle", the album was a commercial breakthrough f ...

'' * Members Charlotte Crossley,

Sharon Redd Sharon Redd (October 19, 1945 – May 1, 1992) was an American singer from New York City. She was the half sister of Snap! singer Penny Ford. Life and career Sharon Redd was born on October 19, 1945 in Norfolk, Virginia, to Gene and Katherine ...

and Ula Hedwig appeared in the 1978 musical movie ''

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the roles of sound composi ...

''.

Formerly of the Harlettes

* In 1977, three former Harlettes released an LP titled ''Sharon Redd, Ula Hedwig, Charlotte Crossley - Formerly of the Harlettes'' with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...

. This was the group's only album.

Members

Group members are shown in chronological order by date of first appearance. *

(1971–1972), actress and singer/songwriter * Merle Miller (1971–1972, 1977) * Gail Kantor (1971–1972) * Robin Grean (1972–1975), singer, actress and daughter of producer and composer Charles Randolph Grean *

(1972–1978), singer * Charlotte Crossley (1972–1978) * Ula Hedwig (1975–1978, 1980, 1982–1983) * Franny Eisenberg (1978–1980) *

(1978–1980, 1982–1983), actress and singer *

Katey Sagal Catherine Louise "Katey" Sagal (; born January 19, 1954) is an American actress and singer. She is known for playing Peggy Bundy on '' Married... with Children'' (1987–1997), Leela on ''Futurama'' (1999–2003, 2008–2013, 2023), Cate Hennes ...

(1978, 1982–1983), singer, songwriter and actress *

Paulette McWilliams Paulette McWilliams is an American singer and songwriter. She began her career singing with the bands The American Breed and Rufus, and has appeared as a backing vocalist on recordings and on tour for numerous artists. She worked with Marvin Ga ...

(1979–1980), the original lead singer of

Rufus Rufus is a masculine given name, a surname, an Ancient Roman cognomen and a nickname (from Latin '' rufus'', "red"). Notable people with the name include: Given name Politicians * Rufus Ada George (born 1940), Nigerian politician * Rufus ...

* Diva Gray (1980) *

Jocelyn Brown Jocelyn Lorette Brown (born November 25, 1950), sometimes credited as Jocelyn Shaw, is an American R&B and dance singer. Although she has only one ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart entry solely in her name, she has an extensive background in the musi ...

(1979–1980), singer * Joanne Harris (1983) * Jenifer Lewis (1983–1984), actress and singer * Siobhan O'Carroll (1983) *

Helena Springs Helena Lisandrello, known professionally as Helena Springs (born 1961), is an American singer. The singer was first a backup vocalist for Bob Dylan, starting in 1978 aged 17, and co-wrote 19 songs with him, more than any of his other collabor ...

(1983) * Carol Hatchett (1993–2000, 2015) * Melanie Taylor (1993–2000), former member of the '80s dance duo

Bardeux Bardeux is an American dance duo from the 1980s. The group was formed in 1986 and consisted of Stacy "Acacia" Smith and Tairrie B. History Their first single, "Three Time Lover", went to No. 10 on ''Billboards Hot Dance Singles Sales char ...

* Rhae Ann Theriault (1993–2001) * Nicolette Hart (2003–2005, 2015) * Kyra Da Costa (2003–2009, 2015) * Kamilah (Martin) Marshall (2003–2009) * Aléna Watters (2007–2008) * Jordan Ballard (2007–2009)

References

External links

betteontheboards.com - a Bette Midler fan site with a good magazine archive
* {{IMDb name, 2960285 American female dancers American dancers All-female bands American musical groups