We know Patti Labelle more today just as herself, a solo artist, but her eponymous group in the ’70s was hugely influential. Beyond giving us “Lady Marmalade,” they were, per Wikipedia, “the first contemporary pop group and first black pop group to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House. They were also the first black vocal group to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone.” Its predecessor, the Bluebelles, was formed after the dissolution and merger of two rival girl groups in Philadelphia and Trenton, N.J., and then there was another lawsuit over their first single, filed by the manager of a Chicago girl group. Where is THAT movie? There are parts for women all OVER that story.

[Photos: Shutterstock, Getty]