Patti LaBelle (born Patricia Louise Holte; May 24, 1944)[1] is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman with a career spanning 60 years. LaBelle began her career in the early 1960s as lead singer and front woman of the vocal group, Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. Following the group's name change to Labelle in the early 1970s, they released the iconic disco song "Lady Marmalade" which later was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. As a result, the group later became the first African-American vocal group to land the cover of Rolling Stone magazine and they became the first pop group to play at the Metropolitan Opera House.[1] LaBelle is commonly identified as the "Godmother of Soul". [2]
After the group split in 1976, LaBelle began a successful solo career, starting with her critically acclaimed debut album, which included the career-defining song, "You Are My Friend". LaBelle became a mainstream solo star in 1984 following the success of the singles, "If Only You Knew", "New Attitude" and "Stir It Up", with the latter two crossing over to pop audiences and becoming radio staples.[1]
Less than two years later, in 1986, LaBelle scored with the number-one album, Winner in You and the number-one duet single, "On My Own", with Michael McDonald. LaBelle eventually won a 1992 Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her 1991 album, Burnin', followed by a second Grammy win for the live album, Live! One Night Only. Her 1990s albums, Burnin', Gems (1994) and Flame (1997), continued her popularity with young R&B audiences throughout the decade. Following the release of two mildly receptive solo albums in the early new millennium, she reunited with her Labelle bandmates for the album, Back to Now, followed by a briefly well received promotional tour.[1] LaBelle's success has extended as an actress with a notable role in the Oscar nominated film, A Soldier's Story, and in TV shows such as A Different World and American Horror Story: Freak Show. In 1992, LaBelle starred in her own TV sitcom, Out All Night. A decade later, LaBelle hosted her own lifestyle TV show, Living It Up with Patti LaBelle on TV One. In 2015, LaBelle took part in the dance competition, Dancing with the Stars at the age of 70. Labelle has also seen success launching her own brand of bedding, cook books and food for various companies. In 2015 her Patti's Sweet Potato Pie sold millions when a Youtube video praising the product went viral. As a result, over a 72 hour period, Walmart sold one pie every second..[3]
In a career that has spanned over seven different decades, she has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. LaBelle has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the Apollo Theater Hall of Fame. LaBelle was included in Rolling Stone on their list of 100 Greatest Singers.[4][5] LaBelle is a dramatic soprano and is noted for her vocal power, range and emotive delivery.
