Patty Labelle
LaBelle started her career in the mid-60s with the rock group Patti LaBelle and the Blubells. The group recorded a number of hits, including "Danny Boy." Patti's solo hits include "New Attitude" and "On My Own." The Grammy award-winning LaBelle recently won the American Music Award for Favorite R&B Female Artist. (12/95) The event of Patti's music career

  • 1961 LaBelle(b.Patricia Holt, May 24, 1944, Philadelphia, PA), forms girl vocal group The Blue Belles in Philadelphia, with Nona Hendryx, sarah Dash and Cindy Birdsong. (Holt and Birdsong have been members of The Ordettes in high school, and Dash and Hendryx of The Del Capris). Together, they perform at local gigs organized by promoter Bernard Montague, which leads to them meeting producer BobbyMartin and signing via him to new label Newtown Reocrds.

  • 1962 May I sold My Heart To The Junkman, first recorded unsuccessfully by The Four Sportsmen for Newtown, whose vocal track Martin wipes from the orginal, adding new vocals by the girls, climbs to US #15.

  • 1963 Nove Holt is on lead vocals so martin boosts her billing in the group, and she becomes Patti LaBelle. After some unsuccessful singles, ballad Down The Aisle (The Wedding Song), credited to Patii LaBelle & The Blue Belles, makes US #37.

  • 1964 Feb Parkway Records, part of Cameo, Philadelphia's leading independent label, signs the group. Their version of standard You'll Never Walk Alone, from musical "Carousel" (a UK chart-topper by Gerry & The Pacemakers only 3 months earlier), climbs to US #34. Dec Anotherstandard ballad, Irish Danny Boy (Londonderry Air), makes US #76.

  • 1965 Dec After a yar of non-action, the group signs to Atlantic and records new material. All Or Nother climbs to US #68.

  • 1966 Jan [11] Band begins a short UK tour at the cromwellian club in London. (It also appears on ITV's "Ready Steady Go!" Jan.14 and "Thanks Your Lucky Stars" Jan. 22)

    June [24] 46-date US tour one-nighters opens in Greensboro, NC, with Otis Redding, Sam And Dave, Percy Sledge, and others. Dec Take Me For A Little While reaches US #89. (It will be covered by several UK groups, including The Koobas, who just miss the UK Top 50 with it, and will also be revived by another Atlantic act, Vanilla Fudge.)

  • 1967 Dec Birdsong leaves the group to join The Supremes in place of Florence ballard. The Blue Belles continue as a trio, but leave Atlantic when no more hits are forthcoming.

  • 1970 With the trio's career at a low ebb, vicke Wickham, a UK expatriate who first met the girls as UK TV "Ready Steady Go!" executive when they guested on the show during a 1966 promotional visit, becomes their manager. She abbreviates the group name to LaBelle and updates its image and material.

  • 1971 Oct In a new deal with Warner Bros., the trio cuts LaBelle, which gains good reviews but does not chart, despite a US tour supporting The Who. More successful is the album on which they sing back-ups to laura Nyro on a collection of group oldies, Gonna Take A Miracle, which reaches US #46.

  • 1972 On second Warner album Moonshadow, 6 of the songs are written by Hendryx, and the group's sound has developed into a sleek rock/funk hybrid. It still fails to chart.

  • 1973 Group unveils a new visual image while headlining at New York's Bottom Line club : tight, shiny lam "space" suits, reminiscent of the glitter-pop costumes sported by many groups currently on UK chart.

  • 1974 July They sign to Epic and record Nightbirds with producer Allen Toussaint in New Orleans, backed by The Meters. Dec Nightbirds is released in US, with single Lady Marmalade, which becomes a big club and disco hit.

  • 1975 Mar Lady Marmalade, with its distincitve French-language chorus line "voules-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?" tops US cart for a week and is a million-seller. It is written by Bob Crewe and kenny Nolan (who, almost uniquely, have also penned the song it has deposed at US #1, Frankie Valli's My Eyes Adored You). Nightbirds hits US #7 and earns the group a gold disk. (Note:Lady Marmalade has become translated to Cantonese song in 1992 by Hong Kong singer Eliza Chan, and the song titled "Bloody Mary", the French-language chorus line still remain in that song.--Tee.) Apr Lady Marmalade is the gorp's only UK hit, peaking at #17. June What Can I Do For You? reaches US #48. Oct Phoenix peaks at US #44.

  • 1976 Oct Chameleon makes US #94, after which the trio splits, with LaBelle and Hendryx following diametrically opposed musical directions. (All 3 will have subsequent solo careers; Dash finding least success.)

  • 1977 Nov Remaining signed to Epic, Patti LaBelle's solo album Patti LaBelle reaches US #62.

  • 1978 July Tasty peaks at US #129.

  • 1979 May It's Alright With me creeps to US #145.

  • 1980 May Her last Epic album, Released, makes US #114.

  • 1981 Oct She signs to Gamble and Huff's Philadelphia International label, but despite hometown support (LaBelle still lives in Philadelphia with her husband and 3 children), The Spirit's In It only climbs to US #156.

  • 1982 Sep [9] She opens on Broadway, co-starring with Al Green in Vinnette Carroll's gospel musical "Your Arm's Too Short To Box With God", at the Alvin theater. (The scheduled limited engagement of 30 shows will be extended to 80 after rave reviews.)

  • 1984 MarAfter a long quiet period, but still signed to Philadelphia International, LaBelle's If You Only Know reaches US #46. It's parent album I'm In Love Again make US #40, and in a 35-week chart stay sells over a half million copies in US, earning a gold disk. Apr LaBelle guest duets with Bobby Womack on Love Has Finally Come At Last, extracted from his album The Poet II on Beverly Glen label. it reaches US #88. Sept LaBelle plays Big Mary in film "A Soldier's Story".

  • 1985 May She signs to MCA Records, and records 2 tracks for soundtrack of film "Beverly Hills Cop", starring Eddie Murphy. From the soundtrack album, New Attitude is released as a single, and reaches US.

    July [13] She performs prominently at the Live Aid spectacular in her hometown of Philadelphia Aug Her second "Beverly Hills Cop" track, Stir It Up, makes US #41. Nov[28] Patti sang with her old friend Cyndi Lauper at Cyndi's wedding, they did two wonderful duets on "Patti's special" --- "Lady Marmalade" and "Time After Time".

  • 1986 May[17] On My Own tops US R&B chart.

    June[14] On My Own, a Burt Bacharach / Carole Bayer Sager ballad duetted with Michael McDonald (in separate studios on separate coasts - they do not meet until performing the song together on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" on US TV), tops US chart for 3 weeks. Winner In You tops US R&B chart for 8 weeks. The record hits UK #2, behind Spitting Image's novelty The chicken Song, though it will hit#1 on airplay-integrated Network chart.

    July [19] Winner In You, her first album for MCA, including the duet, also tops US chart for a week, turning platinum, and makes UK #30.

    Aug Oh, People, with video shot by Godley & Creme, reaches UK #26. Sept [26] Oh People makes US #29. Oct LaBelle stars in NBC TV movie "Unnatural Causes".

    Dec [1] She receives an Award of Merit from the Philadelphia Art Alliance. On My Own is named Top R&B Single on Billboard magazine's year end survey.

  • 1987 Feb Something Special (Is Gonna Happen Tonight), from Bette Midler / Shirley Long-starring film "Outrageous Fortune", make #50 on US R&B chart. Aug Just The Facts, written and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for Dan Aykroyd / Tom Hanks film "Dragnet", is another US R&B hits.

  • 1989 Aug [24] LaBelle plays the Acid Queen in an all-star performance of The Who's "Tommy" at the Universal Amphitheater, Universal City, CA, with Elton john, Steve Winwood, Phil Collins and Billy Idol.

    Oct[21] LaBelle sung love theme If You Asked Me To from soundtrack to current James Bond movie "Licence To Kill".

    Nov[15] LaBelle undertakes an extensive US tour in Minneapolis, MN, set to end Mar. 11, 1990 in New York, in support of her recent MCA release.

  • 1990 Jan [15] LaBelle is honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sheraton center, New York. [18-19] During current tour, LaBelle performs at the Fox theater, Atlanta, GA, with James Ingram.

    Feb Motown releases Forgotten Eyes, a charity single featuring 100 artists including LaBelle. (All proceeds from the record will go to benefit Retinitis Pigmentosa International.)

    Dec[4] LaBelle is inducted into Philadelphia's Music Foundation Hall Of Fame. She is honored with a bronze plaque on Broad Street.

  • 1991 MarLabelle duets with country star Ronnie Milsap for the track Love Certified on his latest album Back To The Grindstone. [12] She co-hosts the fifth annual Soul Train Awards at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles with Dionne Warwick and Luther Vandross. Apr [6] LaBelle takes part in NBC TV's "Bob Hope's Yellow Ribbon Party" to celebrate the homecoming of American troops from the Gulf.

    May [16] GRP Records releases Am I Cool, Or What?, a homage to cartoon feline Garfield, featuring LaBelle's I Love It When I'm Naughty.

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