Bernadette Cooper

Bernadette Cooper. (b. December 29^th, 1958). Musician, composer & producer. Founder of American r&b/pop band, Klymaxx.

Klymaxx is an American all-female pop/R&B band from Los Angeles, California. The band was composed of sole founder Bernadette Cooper who created the name Klymaxx and members Lorena Porter Shelby, Cheryl Cooley, Robbin Grider, Lynn Malsby, and Joyce "Fenderella" Irby.

History

Klymaxx was created and formed in 1979 by Bernadette Cooper (producer/drummer/vocals); the other original members included Lorena Porter Shelby (lead vocals), Cheryl Cooley (guitar), Robbin Grider (keyboards), and Lynn Malsby (keyboards). Joyce "Fenderella" Irby (bass/vocals/producer) joined the band later, before the recording of their debut album. The women developed their core sound in rehearsal and continued with Bernadette 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 1984 released Meeting in the Ladies Room, featuring the top 5 US Billboard R&B chart successes "The Men All Pause," written by Bernadette 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. Lorena Lung's vocals gave Klymaxx a clear distinctive sound, Bernadette Cooper added the spoken word vibe and a musical direction that became their distinctive sound. 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 Bette Midler, and Paula Abdul. She subsequently signed to MCA Records as a solo artist, and released the 1990 album Drama According to Bernadette 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. The ladies agreed to and also, per the truth In music advertising act, members are allowed to tour, as Klymaxx but must differentiate which version by adding their names. Cooley appeared but was not allowed to perform when the group appeared together in a 2004 episode of VH1's Bands Reunited.

Klymaxx officially reformed shortly after the series Bands Reunited and the SNL episode featuring Halle Berry portraying Cooper. Now individual members tour under Klymaxx featuring their namesake.

Klymaxx was among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

On June 25, 2021, Klymaxx was inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame. Bernadette Cooper and Lynn Malsby accused the organization of honoring the touring lineup featuring Cheryl Cooley, whose contributions were minimal. Cooper, Malsby, and Joyce Irby noted that Cooley had edited the songwriting shares on ASCAP and Sony Music Publishing, by adding her name to the writing credits or taking sole credit in ASCAP's database. On the same day, Billboard magazine released a follow-up article bringing light to the fraudulent attempt uncovered by ASCAP and Sony ATV publishing.