KLYMAXX

Show-stopping, hot and brilliant is how Klymaxx’s Cheryl Cooley fans would describe her. Entertaining music lovers all over the world, Cheryl has an extraordinary commanding stage presence when performing and, as a friend of mine who is a great fan of the group recently said: ” She Owns It”. Cheryl plucks those guitar strings with such exhilaration there’s no denying she’s such a great musician and entertainer. Her creativity and brilliance scored Klymaxx the record deal for their first single “Never Underestimate The Power Of A Woman”.

This month in our Spot-Light section of BackBeat R&B, we are featuring Klymaxx’s, Ms. Cheryl Cooley. As Blog Talk Radio recently said: “Klymaxx is “Klymaxxtic” and yes they are. A group of talented woman who polish the stage with such electrifying energy and elegance, as they sing, dance and pump out some of their greatest hits ever as well as dishing out some of their new music.

OMG, who can forget some of their greatest songs “Meeting In The Ladies Room”, “The Men All Pause” and “I Miss You”. BackBeat R&B caught up with Ms. Cooley to gain a touch of insight into her life and what’s new for “Klymaxx” Featuring Cheryl Cooley. BACKBEAT R&B: Cheryl, when did you become interested in singing and playing musical instruments?

CHERYL: I can remember my parents getting me a toy guitar every other Christmas since I was 4 years old. I also remember singing in my Nursery School graduation.

BACKBEAT R&B: Of course, we all know you as a singer and guitarist, did you learn to play any other instruments?

Cheryl: I did play violin in junior high school and drums for a short time in high school. Guitar has always been my primary instrument.

BACKBEAT R&B: Who would you say was your biggest Inspiration or influence and why?

Cheryl: When I was 11, my sister was married to a Jazz musician by the name of Hubert Laws. He had brought a guitar and I had my toy guitar that I was trying to show him I could play too! That’s when my sister shouted, “Hey we should get Cheryl guitar lessons”! From there I got into the music and the FUNK of Sly and the Family Stone. That was my biggest influence, Funk Music.

BACKBEAT R&B: Why did you choose to go into musical career versus a more conventional career?

Cheryl: I just felt it in my soul. As soon as I started playing songs on the guitar, I knew that’s what I wanted to do the rest of my life.

BACKBEAT R&B: Are any of your immediate family members into music like you?

Cheryl: No.

BACKBEAT R&B: How did you get your start with the Legendary group Klymaxx and how long were you a member of the original group?

Cheryl: We met up at a rehearsal hall I was rehearsing at with another band. They just walked into the rehearsal and said, “Hey, you don’t want to play with these guys, you want to play in our band”. We have an all-female band called, ” Klymaxx”. I have been in the group since 1979.

BACKBEAT R&B: How many Klymaxx groups are there Today, and if fans want to see you, how do we determine when purchasing tickets if it will be the group you are playing with, do you have any advice regarding that?

Cheryl: All the original members have the right to perform under the name, Klymaxx. All of my performance dates/tickets and contact information can be found on my website at Klymaxx.com.

BACKBEAT R&B: Many singers, musicians, etc have branched off from one group, only to start singing with another group under the same name. Any thoughts on this? How fair is this to your fans who love you all, especially if we want to see a particular original member?

Cheryl: Sometimes there’s a choice to be made between a group’s legacy being sustained or an agenda of hindrance or personal destruction. There are always 2 sides to every story and THEN there’s the truth and the audiences may not be exposed to all truths to understand each band’s situation. Like any other divorce or separation… is it ever a really fair exchange, and to whom or what does it really benefit? The person or the legacy?

BACKBEAT R&B: Is it possible in 2018 or the near future that the original members of Klymaxx can collaborate on doing a tour together?

Cheryl: No.

BACKBEAT R&B: What is your favorite Klymaxx Song and did you ever write any of the hit songs?

Cheryl: My favorite Klymaxx song is, “Divas Need Love Too”. I wrote the music for Klymaxx’ first single entitled, “Never Underestimate The Power Of A Woman” and many other songs during the years.

BACKBEAT R&B: So, where is Cheryl Cooley today? Any upcoming music tours, Releases, acting in movies or plays etc?

Cheryl: I am continuing the Klymaxx legacy performing, touring and composing music. Many other projects are to come.

“Meeting In The Ladies Room”

FOR THE LATEST ON KLYMAXX FEATURING CHERYL COOLEY HERE IS A LINK TO HER WEBSITE: http://www.klymaxx.com/

The moment you hear songs like “Meeting in the Ladies Room”, ” I Miss You”, “Good Love” and ” I’d Still Say Yes”! You automatically think of the 1980’s all-girl band “Klymaxx”. “Joyce “Fenderella Irby” was lead vocalist and bassist for the hit song ” I Miss You”. “The 1985 hit peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and at #1 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart. “I Miss You” remained on the Hot 100 chart for 29 weeks, a long chart run at the time, and good enough to rank it as the third-biggest-selling song of 1986, ahead of several songs that went higher in the top 10 “.

Joyce is very busy these days performing and was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to give Backbeat R&B an exclusive interview.

BB: How long have you been in the music business and how did you get started?

Joyce: I have been in the business since I was a teenager and I got started by simply playing instruments. I have known George Clinton since I was 16 and he was the first famous person to take an interest in me as a musical artist. He used to see me outside his performance venues in the 70’s and get me into his concerts. After the shows were over, we would go back to a quiet spot and he would listen to me play bass and tell me how wonderful he thought I was. He saw me so much, he started introducing me as his daughter to people…including Prince in LA. We have worked on a couple of projects together over the years. I asked him to come to the studio and produce the Klymaxx song “Sexy”.

Joyce & George Clinton back in the day!

BB: Who were your biggest musical influences?

Joyce: Originally, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder and the Jackson 5!

BB: What is your favorite Klymaxx song and why?

Joyce: I’d Still Say Yes” or “The Men All Pause”, “Say Yes”, because when I perform live, I like singing it the most. “Men All Pause”, cause I wrote and recorded the track and it broke us as artists.

BB: What is the best piece of advice given to you in this business that you actually followed so far, and one you didn’t but should have?

Joyce: I actually don’t remember getting much advice outside of “pick your battles carefully”.

BB: Do you consider the internet and all social media websites crucial to your career?

Joyce: Not so much because older audiences don’t spend the amount of time browsing social media as younger audiences. Facebook can be a good tool, but there is so much more power online driven by youth services and involvement.

BB: Do you think you will be performing on the E.Coast in the near future?

Joyce: I have no idea. There is so much brand confusion!

BB: Are the Original members singing with the group? The internet is not clear on who is performing now.

Joyce: There are 3 entities performing as Klymaxx. Cheryl Cooley, the original guitar player has a group that contains no person who ever sang a note on a Klymaxx record.

Bernadette started her own Klymaxx 2 years ago. We used to work together, but she decided she wanted to be a solo artist called Klymaxx.

I am performing as Joyce Irby and Klymaxx FM. (FM, stands for “Femme Mafia”, or women’s empowerment. ( lifting each other up, rather than tearing each other down)

I sing 3 of our 4 biggest records so at least people get to hear something that sounds familiar. People are confused, and rightly so. I put the “FM” after the name Klymaxx because I wanted people to know it was not the originals. I am not trying to trick anybody. We have gotten many comments on our FB page www.facebook.com/klymaxxfm about fans being angry after they saw a concert that was not who they thought it was.

TODAY JOYCE IRBY & KLYMAXX FM

I actually am preparing to distance myself from the original Klymaxx even more. I am going to release another solo project shortly and also perform with Klymaxx FM. But I want to reestablish and try vocal brand so people can make the connection with my new music and my older hits with the group. Sort of like Michael McDonald did after leaving the Doobie Brothers. I know if I went to his concert I would at least get his voice on old and new songs.

I never wanted to be a solo artist, but Motown convinced me that I could record an album for them and still be a member of Klymaxx on MCA Records. But the other girls kicked me out immediately. So I did “Mr. DJ” with Doug E Fresh and it was the #1 selling urban single in Billboard a week. I thought, OK, this is not so bad. But I always felt misused and betrayed by the others.

JOYCE “FENDERELLA” IRBY & DOUG E FRESH

BB: Do you have a favorite R&B singer?

Joyce: Not really, but I always loved Luther Vandross. There is a ton of talent everywhere. There are random people on youtube who are amazing. I like lots of people I don’t even know their names, but I come across singers I admire all the time. And I am equally a pop music fan. I love hearing young ladies playing folk-sounding music on acoustic guitar while singing poetry.

BB: One of your fans (a Friend of mine) wants to know if there are any Artist that you would love to collaborate with and where?

Joyce: At this point, I don’t think so. It is an honor to have “a fan” at this point, so I am grateful for the interest. I hope there will be some younger artist who says, “Hey I remember her voice and it still sounds great”. I would love to have her do a hook on my next record”.

BB: Do you have any new projects in the works?

Joyce: My business partner Mr. Wirlie Morris and I have just started the AIE Group (Atlanta International Entertainment Group). With that being said, it’s just me & Klymaxx FM and I have a 14-year-old who sings and raps in English and Spanish named Angel Diaz, that I am very excited about.

THE BACKBEAT R&B SPOTLIGHT IS ON THE LEGENDARY CHERYL COOLEY OF KLYMAXX!

AN EXCLUSIVE WITH KLYMAXX’S FM JOYCE FENDERELLA IRBY !