* Soul to soul: A cover version of Labelle’s 1975 smash “Lady Marmalade” was a recent No. 1 pop hit by Christina Aguilera, Pink, Lil’ Kim and Mya. Labelle laid the groundwork for later girl groups’ rock-influenced songs such as En Vogue’s “Free Your Mind.”

* The lowdown: Three years before “Lady Marmalade,” Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash changed their name from Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles to simply Labelle. They ditched their uniform costumes for hip street clothes and began belting out roaring tunes by rockers Laura Nyro (“Time and Love”) and the Rolling Stones (“Wild Horses”). They would go on to cover the Who (“Won’t Get Fooled Again”), on the excellent follow-up “Moon Shadow,” and soon would don outlandish glam-rock space outfits. But this album marked the beginning of what would forever change the look and sound of female vocal groups.