| "Most
of the things I've written have been
drawn from some emotional upheaval, a
reaction to something and stemming from
the inner turmoil which occupies the
majority of my waking hours."
And she looks so calm and
sweet! None Hendryx was born in Trenton,
New Jersey a region described by urban
anthropologists as 'a ghetto' and by Nona
as "quite a nice place".
Her father had "a
drink problem which led to a lack of
emotional stability in the house"
and there is a twinkle in her eye
indicating understatement when she
describes herself as having been "a
mischievous youth".
Indeed, she only began
singing because a friend asked her to and
"I would do anything."
In the grand tradition of girl groups
(this was the mid-Sixties) Patti Labelle
& the Bluebells suddenly and
unexpectedly found fame, firstly on the
East Coast and then, in the Seventies as
Labelle, on the international stage.
To continue reading
this article and to discover many more (over 140,000 words-worth!),
purchase Mick
Sinclair’s Adjusting
the Stars: Music journalism from post-punk London.
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