Klymaxx


Klymaxx is an American all-female pop/R&B band from Los Angeles, California. The band was composed of members 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 ; the other original members included Lorena Porter Shelby, Cheryl Cooley, Robbin Grider, and Lynn Malsby. Joyce "Fenderella" Irby joined the band later, before the recording of their debut album. The women developed their core sound in rehearsal, and continued with Cooper 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 the 1984 released Meeting in the Ladies Room, featuring the top 5 US Billboard R&B chart successes "The Men All Pause," written by Cooper and Irby, and the title track. 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. Critics mentioned that Irby's voice was similar to Michael Jackson's, according to music historian Scot Brown.
Bernadette Cooper wrote and produced much of the band's material, and subsequently began writing and producing for other artists from the mid-80s onward, including Cheryl Lynn, Shalamar, Madame X and Mazarati. She subsequently signed to MCA Records as a solo artist, and released the 1990 album Drama According to Bernadatte Cooper, featuring cameo appearances from Teena Marie and Chuckii Booker.
The group disbanded in 1989, with some members releasing 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. Klymaxx without Cooley appeared again together in a 2003 episode of VH1's Bands Reunited.
Klymaxx officially reformed shortly afterward, now billed as Klymaxx featuring Bernadette Cooper.
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Klymaxx among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

Discography

Studio albums