Patti LaBelle

Nicknamed the ‘Godmother of Soul,’ Grammy Award-winning R&B singer Patti LaBelle was born Patricia Louise Holte in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 24, 1944. Her career has spanned seven decades as she has incorporated many styles into her musical oeuvre including R&B, disco, soul, and pop. She first came to prominence in 1963 as lead vocalist in Patti LaBelle and the Blue Bells alongside Nona Hendryx, Cindy Birdsong, and Sarah Dash. They scored a hit with the single “Down the Aisle” and followed that up a year later with another hit, “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” They moved to New York and signed to Atlantic Records, releasing a series of singles that were not as successful as their earlier work. By 1967, with no further hits and the departure of Cindy Birdsong – who joined The Supremes – Atlantic Records dropped the group. In 1970, the remaining trio signed with a new manager, changed their name to Labelle, and began to pursue a new musical style that incorporated funk, soul, psychedelic rock and disco. Although they were critically successful, Labelle didn’t achieve any significant chart success until 1974 when the disco-influenced “Lady Marmalade” climbed all the way to the top of the Hot 100 and R&B / Soul Singles charts. The single became an international hit and charted in the UK, the Netherlands, Australia, and Canada. However, the group’s next single, “What Can I Do for You?” (1975), didn’t hit the Top 40 and they split the following year. Patti LaBelle then pursued a solo career, releasing her self-titled debut solo album in 1977. Her albums throughout the rest of the 1970s and into the 1980s – including Tasty (1978), It’s Alright with Me (1979), Released (1980), and The Spirit in It (1981) – were successful but she didn’t hit the Top 40 until I’m In Love Again (1983), which included the hit “If Only You Knew.” Her first solo Top 20 hit came in 1985 with “New Attitude,” taken from the soundtrack to Beverly Hills Cop. In 1986, she had her best year yet when “On My Own” (featuring Michael McDonald) hit number 1 and was an international hit. The single was included on the album Winner in You, which also ended up at the top of the charts. Patti LaBelle continued to release a series of acclaimed albums throughout the ‘80s and beyond including Be Yourself (1989), Burnin’ (1991), Flame (1997), Timeless Journey (2004), Classic Moment (2005), and Bel Hommage (2017). Patti LaBelle reunited with her Labelle bandmates – Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash – on several occasions between 1991 and 2008, when they released the album Back to Now. Nominated many times throughout her career, Patti LaBelle won her first Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1992. She took home the Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance in 1999.

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