Sunday Diva / Three From The Hip: Nona Hendryx

Sunday Diva / Three From The Hip: 

Nona Hendryx

In my own personal big gay church there is a wing dedicated to those who are one of a kind divas; individuals who have remained just that - an individual, no matter their circumstances. One such soul?

Nona Hendryx.

A visionary.

A revolutionary.

A warrior.

She may have started her career as one of The Bluebelles, but by the time they'd morphed into Labelle, she'd begun to assert her tastes and sensibilities both musically and stylistically - even at the peril of the group's future.

Striking out on her own, she quickly forged a fierce and defiant identity encompassing her love of Afropunk and Afrofuturism. A true artist, she was never content to follow trends or do what was expected. 

She single-handedly redefined what it might mean to be a black female artist. 

Chasing a spot in the Top 40? Not her priority. Not her way. Becoming a household name? 

Only if it was on her terms.

The gospel according to her?

Well, here are three from the hip, dropping from her lips.

The topic? Fashion

"It started with Vicki Wickham, Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, who managed us and The Who and also signed Jimi Hendrix. They had artists who wrote their own music, so they treated us like those bands. The artist was now creating the product from beginning to end. Changing from Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles to just LaBelle was Vicki and Chris’s involvement. They were like, “You can’t wear matching gowns, tiaras, sequins and wigs anymore.” – that was identified with the classic girl groups. We went to the rock influence, dressing in jeans, tie-dyed shirts and afros; each member dressing how they felt. That was our fashion breakout moment – moving into looking more like Led Zeppelin. Instead of playing the Apollo we started playing rock venues, opening for The Who in outdoor stadiums and larger arenas."

"We were dressing in late-sixties hippie fashion, appearing regularly at the Bitter End to a strong gay following. One guy was a fashion designer named Larry LeGaspi, who had a clothing store called Moonstone off Christopher Street; the interior was turned into a moonscape with his futuristic designs. He asked if could he make some stuff for us. And Richard Ercker was the jewelry designer; I wear his jewelry to this day. Larry’s designs are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."

"There's history in how an individual evolves to become singular. How I identify Grace Jones with Afrofuturism is that she is really a core African but she also has an aesthetic about where to be and where she's going and what is coming, whether it's music, whether it's fashion, whether it's beauty... and the idea of "What is beautiful?" For a lot of people who came to the Armory tribute in celebration of her, a lot of women said, "I didn't know that I could have my hair like that until I saw Grace Jones. I didn't see myself as beautiful." That speaks to Afrofuturism because it implies that you are setting a model for what comes after you."

Transformation - Nona Hendryx

Why Should I Cry? - Nona Hendryx

The Ballad of Rush Limbaugh - Nona Hendryx

And one final parting shot:

"As an artist you go through this process of, "It’s great, it’s shit, it’s great, it’s shit. [laughs] But the value is in doing it and trying to stay far from those judgments. It allowed me to step back from music and come back to it freshly. My palette is now wider."