Download Free Patti Labelle * Songs

Patti Labelle music biography continued...

May 24, 1944, she grew up singing in a local Baptist choir. Her first taste of stardom came in 1962 when her group the Ordettes (later renamed LaBelle) was signed with Blue Note Records. Several years, tours and record companies later, LaBelle became the first contemporary African-American act to perform at the Metropolitan Opera. In December of the following year their single Lady Marmalade was a #1 hit that continues to enjoy popularity today. In 1976 the group called it quits and went their separate ways, launching LaBelle into a highly successful solo career. LaBelle's first #1 R&B hit as a solo artist was "If You Only Knew" off the 1983 album I'm in Love Again. Two years later, she reached the pop Top 20 with her Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack contribution "New Attitude." Her subsequent MCA debut, 1986's The Winner in You, went platinum on the strength of the Burt Bacharach-penned "On My Own," a duet with Michael McDonald, while the follow-up, 1989's Be Yourself, featured a pair of cuts written by Prince. Released in 1991, Burnin' earned a Grammy for Best Female R&B Performance, and cemented La Belle's reputation as one of the genre's greatest ambassadors.



LaBelle recorded less and less frequently in the years to follow, in 1995 publishing her autobiography, Don't Block the Blessings: Revelations of a Lifetime. She returned five years later to release When a Woman Loves and then signed to Def Soul for 2004's Timeless Journey and 2005's all-covers Classic Moments. In 2007 the holiday album Miss Patti's Christmas appeared, while 2008 saw the release of Live in Washington D.C., a live album recorded in 1982. In June of 2009 LaBelle was honored at New York's Harlem Apollo Theater after she was inducted to the Apollo Legends Hall of Fame by admirers such as pop stars Mariah Carey and Prince, capping what has been a stellar career. She continues to perform and lends he name to the cause for Diabetes research, having suffered from the disease since 2005. It is LaBelle's passion as an entertainer and compassion for her fellow man which has set her apart.