American singer Patti LaBelle was born as Patricia Louise Holt on 24th May 1944 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is divorced and has a son. Patti, nicknamed the ‘Godmother of Soul’, is also a songwriter and actress.
When she was 10 years old, Patti became a member of a local church choir and later used to listen to jazz and R & B music. She formed an all-girl group ‘The Ordettes’ with 3 schoolmates and they became popular. They attended an audition and managed to sign with a local record label owner who changed the group’s name to ‘Patti LaBelle and the Bluebells’.
The band’s first hit single ‘Down the Aisle’ was released in 1963, and by the end of that decade, they had recorded 20 singles, some of which were successful and others not so much. In 1971, the group’s name changed to just ‘Labelle’ and went on to release their first album, emphasizing more on funk, rock, soul and gospel music. Five years on, by 1976, they had 5 more albums, including the best-selling one ‘Nightbirds’ which featured the band’s greatest hit ‘Lady Marmalade’.
Due to various arguments between the group members, they went their separate ways and Patti embarked on a solo career and released her debut solo album in 1977. It included the disco hit ‘Joy to have your Love’ and the ballad ‘You are my Friend’. By the end of the 80s, LaBelle had 8 more albums which featured several successful hits, rendering her a pop star. She also starred in the movie ‘A Soldier’s Story’, wrote the song ‘Stir it Up’ for the film ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ soundtrack, performed in a musical as well as appeared in various TV shows.
Over the last 3 decades, Patti had 31 albums and 24 singles, some of which were sung in duet with famous artists like Dionne Warwick, Michael Crawford Mary J Blige. She also appeared in numerous TV shows/productions and commercials, starred in various films and performed in some musicals as well.
During her +60-year career, LaBelle received several awards including 2 Grammy, 6 Image and 11 Life Achievement, amongst others. She was also inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame and was honoured with two Doctorates.