Our Monthly Featured Artist: The group “Klymaxx” the all female Pop and R&B band

September 16, 2025 4

We had to give this group a second time around, as our monthly featured artists or group feature, as this group has paved the way for a lot of women groups is the music industry.

Klymaxx, hailing from Los Angeles, California, is a female pop and R&B group from the United States. The band’s iconic lineup featured Bernadette Cooper, Lorena Porter Shelby, Cheryl Cooley, Robbin Grider, Lynn Malsby, and Joyce “Fenderella” Irby. They gained widespread recognition for their 1985 global hits, “I Miss You” and “Meeting in the Ladies Room.”

Founded in 1979 by Bernadette Cooper—who also named the band and served as producer, drummer, and vocalist—Klymaxx originally included Lorena “Lungs” Porter Shelby as the lead singer, Cheryl Cooley on guitar, Robbin Grider handling keyboards and guitar, and Lynn Malsby on keyboards. Before the debut album’s recording, bassist, vocalist, and producer Joyce “Fenderella” Irby joined the group. Bernadette Cooper was instrumental in shaping the band’s signature sound and remained its driving force. Their first album, Never Underestimate the Power of a Woman, launched in 1981, followed by Girls Will Be Girls.

National acclaim came with their 1984 album Meeting in the Ladies Room, which delivered the top 5 hit on the US Billboard R&B chart, “The Men All Pause,” co-written by Cooper and Irby, alongside the popular title track. The group’s self-produced track “I Miss You,” written by Malsby, became their breakthrough in mainstream pop, climbing to number five on the Hot 100 chart. Lorena “Lungs” Porter Shelby’s vocals gave the band a distinctive identity, while Bernadette Cooper contributed a unique spoken-word element and directed their musical style. Music historian Scot Brown noted that Irby’s voice resembled that of Michael Jackson’s, highlighting the band’s vocal prowess.

The original lineup dissolved in 1989, but some members sporadically reunited as Klymaxx over the following five years and released additional albums. After the split, legal disputes arose over the use of the band’s name and trademark, particularly regarding Cheryl Cooley’s unauthorized usage. This led to the trademark case Cheryl Cooley v. Bernadette Cooper and Joyce Irby. Eventually, the parties agreed that, in accordance with the Truth In Music Advertising Act, members could tour under the Klymaxx name, provided they clearly distinguish their version by including their individual names.

In 2004, five out of the six original members of Klymaxx’s classic lineup—excluding Robbin Grider—came together for a VH1 Bands Reunited episode, where they were invited to perform. Although Cooley attended, ongoing conflicts with other bandmates prevented her from joining the group onstage during the concert. Around that period, an episode of Saturday Night Live aired featuring Halle Berry portraying Cooper. Shortly after, Klymaxx officially re-formed under the billing “Klymaxx featuring Bernadette Cooper.” Nowadays, various members tour using the name “Klymaxx featuring” followed by their own name.

In 2009, all six original members appeared together on an episode of the TV One series Unsung that focused on their group.

Klymaxx was inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 25, 2021. However, all original members criticized the honor as bestowed upon the touring ensemble led by Cheryl Cooley, whose songwriting contributions they claim were limited. Cooper, Malsby, and Joyce Irby pointed out that Cooley had altered songwriting credits in the ASCAP and Sony Music Publishing databases by either adding her name or claiming sole credit. On the same day, Billboard published a follow-up article exposing the fraudulent credit alterations uncovered by ASCAP and Sony ATV publishing.

In recent times, Klymaxx’s legacy has been revitalized through social media and streaming services, thereby exposing their influential body of work to younger audiences. The group remains highly regarded as one of the rare all-female rock and funk bands that not only performed but also wrote and produced their own music—a fact that continues to receive acclaim in retrospectives about women’s contributions to music.