Patti LaBelle
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Biography
Nicknamed the âGodmother of Soul,â 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 âDown the Aisleâ and followed that up a year later with another hit, âYouâll Never Walk Alone.â 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 â who joined The Supremes â 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 didnât achieve any significant chart success until 1974 when the disco-influenced âLady Marmaladeâ 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 groupâs next single, âWhat Can I Do for You?â (1975), didnât 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 â including Tasty (1978), Itâs Alright with Me (1979), Released (1980), and The Spirit in It (1981) â were successful but she didnât hit the Top 40 until Iâm In Love Again (1983), which included the hit âIf Only You Knew.â Her first solo Top 20 hit came in 1985 with âNew Attitude,â taken from the soundtrack to Beverly Hills Cop. In 1986, she had her best year yet when âOn My Ownâ (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 â80s and beyond including Be Yourself (1989), Burninâ (1991), Flame (1997), Timeless Journey (2004), Classic Moment (2005), and Bel Hommage (2017). Patti LaBelle reunited with her Labelle bandmates â Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash â 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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Albums
Top Tracks
- Track Popularity
- On My Own
- New Attitude
- Stir It Up
- All Right Now
- If Only You Knew
- What Can I Do For You? by Patti LaBelle
- Somebody Loves You Baby (You Know Who It Is)
- When You've Been Blessed (Feels Like Heaven)
- If You Asked Me To
- Love, Need And Want You
- Didn't Mama Tell Ya featuring Patti LaBelle
- Ebb Tide
- Wouldn't It Be Beautiful
- Angel Man
- People
- More
- Yesterday
- If Everyday Could Be Like Christmas
- Reason for the Season
- Who Can I Turn To
- Unchained Melody
- Country Christmas
- Born In A Manger
- He
