Patti Labelle
@ Pigeon Island, St. Lucia Jazz Festival
10 May 2009

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Biography

Patti LaBelle was born Patricia Holt on 24 May 1944 in Philadelphia., USA. She began singing in the Beulah Baptist Church choir in her teens before forming vocal trio the Ordettes, which evolved into Patti LaBelle & The Blue Belles and included Patti, Nona Hendryx, Sarah Dash, and Cindy Birdsong.

When Birdsong left the group, to join The Supremes in 1967, the remaining trio shortened their name to LaBelle. Both group configurations had modest success on pop and R&B radio including the Number One hit, “Lady Marmalade”, in 1975.

In 1977, the trio disbanded and Labelle went solo. Her debut solo LP, “Patti LaBelle”, was released the same year. Labelle scored several R&B hits including “I Don't Go Shopping” and “Little Girls”.

After three more album releases, she signed with Philadelphia International Records in 1981 and released three more albums, “The Spirit's In It” (1981), “I'm In Love Again” (1983), and “Patti” (1984). LaBelle again topped the R&B charts with “If Only You Knew”.

In 1982, LaBelle made her Broadway debut, with Al Green, in ‘Your Arm’s Too Short To Box With God’. In 1995, she signed with MCA Records and found pop success with two hit from the ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ soundtrack: “New Attitude” and “Stir It Up”.

Over the next few years, LaBelle had her first solo Platinum album, won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female (‘Burnin’) and for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance (Live! One Night Only). For a short time, she also had her own TV series, ‘Out All Night’.

Patti LaBelle has written her autobiography and is involved in charities such as Big Sisters of America, the United Negro College Fund, and the National Minority AIDS Council. American Cancer Society, and Save The Children.