There is no doubt that Patti LaBelle is nothing short of a soul superstar, second only to Aretha Franklin, and only in terms of popularity. From her days with Patti LaBelle and the Bluebells, to her days with Sarah Dash and Nona Hendryx in funk/disco trio LaBelle in the 70's, right up to 2006's Bungalo Records/Universal Music release, The Gospel According to Patti LaBelle, this diva has been throwing down with funk, disco, house, and plenty of heartfelt ballads and midtempos. She can still belt out her classic songs every bit as well in her 60's as she did in her 30's.


Time to say goodbye

Patti disbanded her funk/rock group LaBelle in 1976 after storming the charts across the globe with the anthem Lady Marmalade. She released her first solo album in 1977 on Epic Records. The decidedly disco affair gave Patti her first solo R&B hit with Joy To Have Your Love, although it’s the single You Are My Friend that has stood the test of time amongst this set.

 More disco stompers like the superb Music Is My Way Of Life and the gospel tinged The Spirits In It continued to please fans but Patti’s career was nose-diving. It wasn’t until 1983’s album I’m In Love Again that Patti had her first Top 40 Pop album. The singles Love Need And Want You and If Only You Knew, which was an R&B #1 hit, have been recently sampled by Nelly & Kelly Rowland, and Outkast (feat. Patti).

Patti at Live Aid in 1985!

Runnin' hot!

It was 1984 that gave Patti her biggest break. She was asked to contribute two songs to the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack. Instead of her usual urban contemporary fare, Patti provided two fast paced synth-pop classics in the form of Stir It Up, and New Attitude, a staple of drag shows world wide to this day! These were tantalising first offerings from her new deal with MCA Records and were an excellent introduction to the new Patti LaBelle!

 The album Winner In You released in 1985 is to date Patti’s biggest selling album going multi platinum. The US #1 single On My Own, a duet with Michael McDonald became Patti’s only major solo hit in the UK. Further hit singles Oh People (Remix) and Kiss Away The Pain soon followed. Patti’s next offering was the theme to the movie Dragnet in 1987, produced by Jam & Lewis, it was not a hit.

Runnin' cold!

1989’s set ‘Be Yourself’ was lead by the Diane Warren ballad If You Asked Me To, which also featured on the James Bond: Licence To Kill soundtrack. What could possibly go wrong, she had a hit song writer, a hit movie? But there was no hit for Patti with this one and the album was a commercial disaster compared to Winner In You, only going Gold and quickly dropping off the charts. It was a great shame as it featured collaborations with some of the hottest talents of the day including Prince and Full Force. Nevertheless Patti’s R&B fans stayed loyal and she enjoyed two R&B Top 10 hits with If You Asked Me To and the Prince-produced Yo Mister.

Acclaim!

Her next album Burnin’, released in 1991 showed no sign of Patti shying away from contemporary trends. The New Jack Swing flavoured single Feels Like Another One featuring a rap by Big Daddy Kane gave Patti her biggest R&B hit since On My Own, only bettered by the second single Somebody Loves You Baby (You Know Who It Is). The album won a GRAMMY, went Gold, and saw Patti team up with her LaBelle band mate Nona Hendryx. A live album followed in 1992.

Dance diva!

In 1994 Patti recorded Gems, a less aggressively modern album which focused more on mid-tempo tunes and ballads. However, Patti’s music was still heard in the clubs thanks to the remixes of The Right Kinda Lover by Hex Hector and Stonebridge which gave her, her first of three consecutive Club/Dance #1 hits. It soon became a Top 40 Pop hit peaking at #30, her best position in over a decade! The song also featured in the movie Beverly Hills Cop 3. The album went Gold but didn’t spawn any other hits.

 More soundtrack work came Patti’s way in 1995 when she reunited LaBelle for the one off dance single Turn It Out from the movie Too Wong Foo – Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar. The track was produced by Shep Pettibone, and remixed by Frankie Knuckles. It stormed the dance charts and was another #1 Club/Dance hit.

 Flame was released in 1997 and gave Patti yet another Club/Dance #1 with the Hex Hector remix of When You Talk About Love. It was the last album that MCA bothered to promote as a major release. The album went gold, but the second single Shoe Was On The Other Foot failed to make an impact outside of the clubs despite it being one of Patti’s best singles, at least in remix form. The following year Patti was honoured with a GRAMMY for her live album Live! One Night Only. 

End of an era...

Patti collaborated with Diane Warren for her next album, When A Woman Loves, released in 2000. Warren was once again a hot song writer making hits for all manner of top artists including Celine Dion. But there was no 'My Heart Will Go On' type hit for Patti, more like a Titanic style disaster. No videos, no mixes, and little promotional opportunities make this her final album for MCA.

 A New Day

Patti signed with Def Jam Soul Classics in 2004 to release her album Timeless Journey. She received a good amount of publicity for the release, appearing as the star attraction on VH1’s Divas Live 2004. Despite not having a music video Patti did very well with the single, New Day, which peaked at #93 on the Billboard Hot 100, the remixes faired much better on the Club/Dance chart.

Scandal...

In 2006 Patti was brutally dropped by her label Def Jam Classics for publicly slamming it's owner, L.A. Reid.Patti claimed he had shown little support for her 'Classic Moments' CD and that she even had to go so far as to book her own promotional appearances. Girl done good as the CD hit #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 off the back of her own efforts. A cover of Aretha Franklin's 'Ain't No Way', a duet with Mary J. Blige was a wasted single too, with no video or mixes to help promote it. She also claimed he prevented his acts such as Usher to appear on her TV special celebrating 40 years of LaBelle magic.

Patti was also rumoured to be less than impressed that Debbie Harry of Blondie was booked on 2005's VH1 Divas Duets. Apparently Miss Patti didn't deem her suitably diva-fied to share her stage. But it seemed audiences were no longer interested and it turned out to be the final Divas show for VH1, ratings were reported to be shocking.

Patti signed with independent label, Bungalo Records to release her first gospel album in 2006. The album hit #1 on the gospel charts and managed to cross over to a respectable #86 on the Billboard Top 200.

Future plans...

You can regularly catch Patti on tour. LaBelle have reformed for a brand new CD due out soon. I have also heard that a follow up to 'The Gospel According to Patti LaBelle' is on the cards. She is currently touring and will be starring in a movie alongside Ciara.

Stir It Up! (1984)

Yo Mister (1989)