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| Patti LaBelle |
| Patricia Louise Holt was born on May 24, 1944 in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Patti grew up in a large and loving family where her natural talent was encouraged. As with many of the world's greatest singers, and particularly within the black community, the church played a key role in their developement. Patti found her voice at the Beluah Baptist Church where she remained a part of the choir well into her professional career. As a teenager Patti along with Yvonne Hogen, Jean Brown and Johhnie Dawson formed the Ordettes. Before fame and success could step in the girls stepped out of the group one by one. Enter fate....Nona, Sarah and Cindy. The new lineup was rechristened The Blue Belles. Soon after they would have a top 20 hit with "I Sold My Heart To The Junkman" in 1962. The next five years brought several albums for a variety of labels. They had local success and had carved a niche for themselves in the underground scene as Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles. 1967 brought another milestone as Birdsong was picked by Diana Ross as Flo Ballard's replacement in the Supremes. The quartet was now a trio as a replacement was not sought. In 1970, Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles were transformed into the soul/rock, glam-styled "LaBelle," after hooking up with British manager and producer of "Ready, Steady Go" Vicki Wickham. The trio backed up singer/songwriter Laura Nyro on her 1971 album, "It's Gonna Take A Miracle" and went on tour with rock acts like The Who, following the release of LaBelle's self-titled debut on the Warner Brothers label that same year. In late 1974, LaBelle released the album "Nightbirds" on Epic Records. The single "Lady Marmalade" became a No. 1 hit on both the U.S. R&B and pop charts, and an international smash during the winter of 1975 Labelle backed Elton John on three tracks for his multimillion selling "Rock Of The Westies" album in 1975, and following the release of two more albums, "Phoenix" (1975) which had the minor disco hit "Messin' With My Mind" and "Chameleon" (1976), the trio disbanded as they all chose to pursue solo careers. "Patti LaBelle" (1977), Patti's self-titled solo debut, was a rousing success. The album gave Patti her first 12" single, though "Joy To Have Your Love" was more a radio success than a floor filler. I remember having my first Patti experience around this time. I was 18 and dating a co-worker who surprised me with a t-shirt that read "Dan Swit Me." The obvious play on my name was also a track on her album, inside the shirt were four tickets to a PBS show that was taped here in Chicago, "Soundstage." That day we saw Roy Ayers Ubiquity and then went to lunch and then came back and saw Patti. I remember Patti coming out singing and at one point she saw me wearing that shirt and began pointing to it and me, smiling and nodding. Years later I saw a tape of the show and was thrilled to see that moment captured on film. The following year she released "Tasty." And just as the titled suggested it was....tasty! The album spawned her second (and first commercial) 12" single which was a big club hit. "Eyes In The Back Of My Head" was a fever pitched uptempo number that allowed Patti to wail at her best. But that was only the start as 1979's "It's Alright With Me" delivered her yet another hit 12" single with "Music Is My Life." The song became an anthem of sorts and cemented her stature as a diva. 1980's "Release" reunited Patti with producer Allen Toussaint for a set of well executed numbers including the danceable tracks: "Release," "Give It Up" and "Get Ready (Looking For Love)." However no 12" singles were released due to the death of disco that same year. The album also marked the end of Patti's long association with Epic Records. It was about this time I had my second Patti experience when she came through town touring in the gospel-musical "Your Arms Too Short To Box With God." When I saw the show on press night (previews) she literally had people collapsing in the aisles. I to this day have never seen any performer cause people to be moved so much that they fainted. They were actually carrying people out of the theatre for air! I wonder if Jennifer Holliday or Loleatta Holloway received the same reaction when they toured in the same musical? In May 1981 Patti signed with hometown label Philadelphia International Records. Her first release was "The Spirit's In It." The 12" single of "Spirit's In It" was a promotional-only release, but the album gave Patti her signature tune of the 1980's "Over The Rainbow." Her next album, "I'm In Love Again," released at the tail end of 1983, became her first gold album since 1974's "Nightbirds" and produced her second No. 1 R&B smash, "If Only You Knew," which peaked in early 1984. It also had a minor 12" single club cut with "I'll Never, Never Give Up." A third and final album for the label produced no hits radio or club. However "Patti" did contain a splendid remake of "If You Don't Know Me by Now." Between labels Patti made numerous apperances during this time on soundtracks and fellow artists albums. Those included: "It's Time To Kiss" on Fred Schneider's album, and the movie tracks: "Barbeque Bess" (Fried Green Tomatoes), "Total Concentration" (Sing), "The Last Unbroken Heart" (with Bill Champlin) (Miami Vice Two), "I Know What I Want" (Running Scared), "Don't Make Me Sorry" (Into The Night) and "New Attitude"-"Stir It Up" (Beverly Hills Cop). The remixed 12" single of "New Attitude" became her biggest selling single ever and helped her get a contract with MCA Records in 1986. "Stir It Up" was also remixed and provided another smash hit. Her debut album for MCA was 1986's "Winner In You." The album was a blockbuster hit. Spawning four 12" single hits with "Oh People," "Kiss Away The Pain," "Something Special" and "On My Own" (a duet with Michael McDonald) which knocked Madonna from the number one spot on the Top 40. Patti continued to appear in feature and made-for-television films during the late 1980's. Her acting debut was in 1982's "Working." She co-starred with Alfre Woodard and John Ritter in 1986's "Unnatural Causes" and with Lorraine Bracco in 1989's "Sing." Her 1989 album, "Be Yourself," featured a couple of tracks written by Prince, while her contribution to the "007 Licence To Kill" soundtrack featured the original recording of "If You Asked Me To." In 1990, Patti made her debut as Adele Wayne on NBC's "A Different World," a recurring role she would inhabit until the show's final episode in 1993. 1991's "Burnin' "became her fourth gold LP, and won her a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. The 12" single "All Right Now" from 1993's "Patti LaBelle Live!" earned the diva her eighth Grammy nomination. Doing the TV rounds, she also starred as Chelsea Paige in the NBC sitcom, "Out All Night," during its 1992-93 season. In 1993, Patti won an American Music Award for Favorite R&B Female Artist, and was honored with a star on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame. Her 1994 disc, "Gems," earned her another gold certification, and was co-produced by hit-makers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. "Don't Block the Blessings: Revelations of a Lifetime," Patti's autobiography, was published in 1995. She contributed a track, "My Love, Sweet Love" to the chart-topping "Waiting To Exhale" soundtrack at the end of the year. 1997's "Flame" became her sixth album to achieve gold status, and was once again produced by Jam and Lewis. That same year, Patti received Soul Train's Lifetime Achievement Award. Her 1998 release, "Live! One Night Only," recorded at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, earned her a second Grammy, this time for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. Patti tried on a different hat with the release of her cookbook, "LaBelle Cuisine: Recipes to Sing About" in 1999. Patti's 30-year marriage to her manager, Armstead Edwards, ended when the couple filed for divorce in 2000. They had raised five children together, including the children of one of Patti's late sisters. In October 2000, "When A Woman Loves," which included tracks produced by the Jam-Lewis powerhouse, was released on MCA. A collection of Patti's "Greatest Love Songs" was released by Hip-O Records in 2002. In February 2003, she performed her NASA theme song, "Way Up There," at a memorial service for the astronauts of the Columbia shuttle disaster. A second cookbook, "Patti LaBelle's Lite Cuisine: Over 100 Dishes With To-Die-For Taste Made With To-Live-For Recipes," co-authored by Laura Randolph Lancaster, hit bookshelves in April of 2003. "Timeless Journey" and "Anthology" were released in the last two years. And she has a new club hit with "Gotta Go Solo" proving that the diva will always keep us dancing. Our love and respect to an American icon. |
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