Birography
While in College Bernadette Cooper (the founder of Klymaxx) noticed the lack of female bands in the industry. So she pondered the idea and nurtured her vision to form an all female band. This vision included women who could exude sex appeal, enhance female attitudes toward self awareness and appreciation while also showcasing their talent. Cooper created the name "Klymaxx" and began auditioning female musicians. Ultimately she decided on the lineup of members that would soon make history, becoming the first all-female R&B and pop band in which every female member played an instrument. The group consisted of founder Bernadette Cooper, vocalist Lorena Porter (Shelby), bassist
Joyce Irby, guitarist Cheryl Cooley and keyboardists Lynn Malsby and Robbin Grider
In 1981, they were signed to
Solar Records. Their debut album,
Never Underestimate the Power of a Woman
, included the single "Multi-Purpose Girls." Upon beginning work on their second album, they became the first act to work with writers/producers
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The team wrote and produced the song "Wild Girls" for that second album, entitled
Girls Will Be Girls
. After the second Solar album in 1983, they switched to the MCA-distributed Constellation label for
Meeting In The Ladies' Room
, featuring the 1985 hit "
I Miss You", which peaked at #5 on the
Billboard
Hot 100 chart and at #3 on the
Billboard
adult contemporary chart. "I Miss You" remained on the Hot 100 chart for 29 weeks, an extremely long chart run at the time, and good enough to rank it as the third-biggest pop hit of 1986, ahead of several songs that hit #1. The album also featured the hits "
The Men All Pause" and "
Meeting in the Ladies Room". 1986 saw the release of "
Man Size Love", from the
Running Scared
motion picture soundtrack. The following year, this song was included on their self-titled
Klymaxx
album, which went on to provide another hit with the ballad "
I'd Still Say Yes", written by
Babyface (credited as K. Edmonds), G. Scelsa, and Joyce Irby. It peaked at #18 on the Hot 100 and #8 on the adult Contemporary chart in 1987. In 1996, this song was covered by
Toni Braxton's siblings
The Braxtons.
The group was down to three members by the end of 1989, when the band was composed of Porter, Cooley, and Grider. In 1990, they returned with
The Maxx Is Back
, which featured the singles "
Good Love" and "Don't Run Away." "Good Love" peaked at #4 on the
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks charts.
;1994
The trio Porter,Cooley and Grider attempted a comeback in 1994 with the album titled
One Day
, released on the Valley Vue label, and featuring the single "All I Think About Is You." Even though it received a positive reception from fans, it met with little interest from radio.
;2003-Present
Five of the six members from the original Klymaxx lineup (the one exception being keyboardist Robbin Grider) reunited on an episode of the
VH1 series
Bands Reunited
in 2003 in order to perform some of their vintage hit singles. Unfortunately, the unauthorized use and attempted solo trademark of the Klymaxx name by guitarist Cheryl Cooley caused disagreements with the rest of the band (particularly founding member Bernadette Cooper) resulting in Ms. Cooley not reuniting or performing with her former band mates on the show. In March 2009, the Klymaxx members (excluding Cooley) received approval from the United States Patent and Trademark office examining attorney for the ownership of the trademarked "Klymaxx". They are set to release an album under the Klymaxx banner fronted by Bernadette Cooper and Joyce Irby in 2009.
Bernadette Cooper
She signed with
MCA Records for a lone solo album entitled
The Drama According to Bernadette Cooper
in 1990. The set yielded the singles "I Look Good" and "Stupid" that year. Another single, "The Underground," followed in 1991. Cooper also made a cameo appearance on
Teena Marie's 1990 single "Here's Looking At You." Though
The Drama According to Bernadette Cooper
is now out of print, "I Look Good" was included on the Klymaxx
Greatest Hits
compilation. On her own, Cooper continued writing and producing for other artists such as
Cheryl Lynn (1987), and most notably the trio
Altitude whose two singles "Silly" and "Work It (Like a 9 to 5)" broke the Billboard Top 40 in 1991. Cooper engineered the female singing trio Madame X in the 80's. She also produced
Salt-N-Pepa's "I Am the Body Beautiful" for the soundtrack of the motion picture
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar
Paula Abdul and among many others Bette Midler's "(Diva's Las Vegas)". Cooper is presently producing, writing and performing with Klymaxx, and continues to write and produce for other artists and movie soundtracks as well. Under Cooper's new label, she is slated to debut two new acts in 2009. The new Klymaxx album will be released in early 2009 with Cooper and Irby leading the pack.
[1]
Joyce Irby
Joyce "Fenderella" Irby signed with
Motown Records and released the dance-oriented
Maximum Thrust
in 1989. The solo set spawned two singles and music videos for "Hey Mr. DJ" with Doug E Fresh, and "She's Not My Lover." Irby signed Dallas Austin as a 16 year old songwriter/producer and together they produced the male R&B group
Troop, and wrote "I Will Always Love You" for their debut album. More recently, Irby has been involved with launching the career of young R&B vocalist and
The Inc/
Def Jam recording artist
Lloyd. Lloyd Polite was once a member of the teen pop group N-Toon, whom Irby put together and signed to Dreamworks Records in the mid 90's.
Discography
Albums
- 1981: Girls Will Be Girls
(Solar)
- 1982: Never Underestimate the Power of a Woman
(Solar)
- 1983: Girls in the Band
EP (Elektra)
- 1984: Meeting in the Ladies Room
(Constellation/MCA) - US Pop #18, US R&B #9
- 1986: Klymaxx
(Constellation/MCA) - US Pop #98, US R&B #25
- 1990: The Maxx Is Back
(MCA) - US #168, US R&B #32
- 1994: One Day
(Valley Vue, 1994)
- 2009: Real Diva's Never Die
(Cooper's World Ent./EMI)
Compilation Albums
- 1996: Greatest Hits
(Constellation/MCA)
- 2003: 20th Century Masters: The Millenium Collection
Singles
Year
| Single
| Chart positions [2] [3] [4]
| Album
|
U.S. Hot 100
| U.S. R&B
| U.S. Dance
| U.S. AC
| UK
|
1981
| "Never Underestimate the Power of a Woman"
| —
| 74
| —
| —
| —
| Never Underestimate the Power of a Woman
|
1984
| "The Men All Pause"
| —
| 5
| 9
| —
| —
| Meeting in the Ladies Room
|
1985
| "Meeting in the Ladies Room"
| 59
| 4
| 22
| —
| —
|
"I Miss You"
| 5
| 11
| —
| 3
| 89
|
"Lock and Key"
| —
| 47
| —
| —
| —
|
1986
| "The Men All Pause" (re-release)
| 80
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
"Man Size Love"
| 15
| 43
| 18
| —
| 86
| Running Scared
(soundtrack) / Klymaxx
|
"Sexy"
| —
| 18
| —
| —
| —
| Klymaxx
|
1987
| "I'd Still Say Yes"
| 18
| 7
| —
| 8
| —
|
"Divas Need Love Too"
| —
| 14
| —
| —
| —
|
1990
| "Good Love"
| —
| 4
| —
| —
| 89
| Maxx Is Back
|
"Private Party"
| —
| 62
| —
| —
| —
|
"—" denotes the single failed to chart or was not released
|
Solo Albums
- 1989: Joyce "Fenderella" Irby — Maximum Thrust
(Motown)
- 1990: Bernadette Cooper — The Drama According To Bernadette Cooper
(MCA)
References
- {{amg|11:d9fpxqq5ldse~T4|Bernadette Cooper Credits}}
- Klymaxx Chart History
- Klymaxx Chart History
- Klymaxx UK Chart History