Patti Labelle - Biography

Last Editor: tomb_angel				Patti Labelle Biography -   Name : Patti Labelle Date of birth : 24 May 1944 Place of birth : Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Birth name : Patricia Louise Holte

Patti Labelle Trivia -

Husband and manager of 30 years separating. [February 2000] Received star on Hollywood Walk of Fame [1993] Received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berkeley School of Music [1996] Has five children; two of whom are adopted and the orphaned children of one of her sisters and her biological son. Was given the name LaBelle (which in French translates to the beautiful) by a record exec whom originally thought she was too dark and unattractive to head the then all girl group The Blue Belles Has two fragrances and a line of lipsticks and nail polishes Owner of Chez LaBelle dinner theater in Philidelphia, PA Known to give her devoted fans one of her fake eyelashes when performing in concert Often takes off her shoes while performing Authored Don't Block the Blessings: Revelations of a Lifetime and cookbook LaBelle Cuisine: Recipes to Sing About Lost all three of her sisters to some form of cancer Suffers from diabetes Was once engaged to Otis Williams of the long time R&B singing group, The Temptations. Godmother of Cyndi Lauper's son, Declyn (B. Nov 19 1997) Ranked #41 on VH1's Greatest Women of Rock N Roll All three of her sisters died of the same form of cancer before their 44th birthdays. She has 5 children. She has a son named Zuri. She adopted her sister Jackie's son and daughter after she died of cancer. She raised her neighbor's two boys, Dodd and Stanley, after her neighbor died of pneumonia, although she and her husband were too old at the time to legally adopt them. Godmother of Mariah Carey. Close friend of Luther Vandross.

Patti Labelle Detailed Biography -

LaBelle was an American disco group, melding dance music with funk and glam rock, resulting in such memorable songs as Lady Marmalade. The group was led by Patti LaBelle, who later had a successful solo career. Nona Hendryx, Sarah Dash and Cindy Birdsong rounded out the group, with Hendryx especially notable as a prolific songwriter. Patricia Holt (soon to be known as Patti LaBelle) and Cindy Birdsong first formed a group called the Ordettes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1962, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash joined after leaving a group called the Del Capris. Patricia Holt then changed her name to Patricia LaBelle to match the group's official name, the BlueBelles. The first single was I Sold My Heart to the Junkman (released as the Blue-Belles). Some controversy exists over if the group actually performed on the track; some believe that the song was performed entirely or partially by the Starlets. The song was a hit, as was their 1963 follow-up, Down the Aisle, and You'll Never Walk Alone (1964; Rodgers & Hammerstein) and Danny Boy (a traditional Irish folk song). The BlueBelles signed with Atlantic Records in 1965, releasing Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Groovy Kind of Love (later a hit for the Mindbenders and Phil Collins) with only mild success. In 1967, the group became a trio after Cindy Birdsong left to join the Supremes, replacing Florence Ballard. Three years later, the group lost their contract and hired Vicki Wickham, a British TV producer, to remake their image. She changed the name to LaBelle and pushed the group to a more contemporary sound, incorporated glam influences, particularly in the spectacular spacey stage costumes that included large amounts of glitter, feathers and other acoutrements. LaBelle opened for the Who and assisted with Laura Nyro's Gonna Take a Miracle in 1971. LaBelle released LaBelle in 1971 on Warner Brothers Records; it included covers of the Rolling Stones, Kenny Rogers, Carole King and Laura Nyro, while the following album, Moonshadow (1972) included covers of Cat Stevens and the Who, as well as an increasing amount of Hendryx material. After the albums flopped, Hendryx wrote most of their third album, Pressure Cooking (1973), released on RCA Records. After Pressure Cooker, LaBelle signed with Epic Records and recorded an album, Nightbirds, with Allen Toussaint, a famous record producer. Lady Marmalade, a sexy, funky song (with an obscene French chorus) about a New Orleans prostitute became a massive hit in 1975. The success of the single also pushed the album to the top of the charts. LaBelle never regained their former momentum after Nightbirds and Lady Marmalade, in spite of several hits and some critically acclaimed albums like Phoenix (1975) and Chameleon (1976). When the group split up in 1976, Hendryx and LaBelle managed successful solo careers, while Sarah Dash released several failed albums and ending up working as a backup singer for bands like the Rolling Stones.