Patti LaBelle – one of the most celebrated songstresses in Popular music and one of the most powerful vocalists of Soul. The diva, who could wake the dead-up with her ringing high notes and glass-crushing belting abilities, has entertained us for over 60 years and has rightfully earned her place among the grandest divas in music.
Highly regarded for her astonishing vocal range and lungs-of-steel, Patti could sing anything.
But beyond the surface of her as an entertainer, how much do you really know about the woman behind that voice?
Today, we’ll be listing some of the most rare and vastly unknown facts about the diva, that most casual listeners of her music might not know.
Some titbits and little known interesting trivia from her personal and professional lives, including the ones that were quite scandalous.
Here are some interesting facts about Patt LaBelle:
1) Patti LaBelle was born on May 24, 1944, in the Eastwick section of Southwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her real name is – Patricia Louise Holte.
2) Her father was a railroad worker and club performer/lounge singer, while her mother was a housewife.
3) She first gained popularity as the lead vocalist of the all-female group – Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles (Later changed to LaBelle) – which was popular through the 60’s and 70’s. Her first vocal group from which it all originated was called – The Ordettes.
4) Her first solo album didn’t come out until the year 1977.
5) As a soloist, her first number one on the R&B charts was – “If Only You Knew” in the year 1984.
6) She earned her first Grammy award at 1991, with her tenth studio album ‘Burning” – in the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance category, which she shared with Lisa Fischer.
7) She sang her first solo in Beulah Baptist Church at the age of 10, as part of the church choir.
8) Since both Aretha Franklin and Patti were these ‘grand soul divas’ with larger than life personalities and voices, they were often pitted against each other. There was a supposed rivalry and feud between the two for several years. Patti, however, denied any such feud and spoke highly of the Queen of Soul after her passing in 2018.
9) Reputed music website Consequence of Sound listed her among the 100 Greatest Singer Of All time.
10) Patti has also been often referred to as one of the biggest gay icons in popular music. Here’s what she said on the love she received from the LGBT community – “when I think about it, the gay fans are some of the reason – one big reason – I’m still standing.
11) Back in 2015, Patti – who’s often showcased the world her love for food and cooking, which is her ‘other passion’ apart from music, unveiled her packaged sweet potato pies. A viral review of the pie uploaded by YouTube user – James Wright Chanel, spread the word about the product like wildfire, helping it sell more than 11 million pieces, being declared ‘sold out’ by the minute at many Walmart stores.
12) She has received two honorary doctorate degrees from Berklee College of Music and Temple University.
13) Patti has won a total of 2 Grammy awards, and her song ‘Lady Marmalade’ was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in the year 2004.
14) One of Patti’s most famous modern-day references come from the online show – Got 2B Real – a parody series which featured voice-overs done on file footage of several female artists. The fictional situations showcase them as being catty and shady with each other. Patti (or her depicted character on the show) led the pack, with the narrative often focusing on her supposed beef with Aretha Franklin.
15) At the NAACP image award, Patti has won the ‘Entertainer of the Year’ title, twice in her career – first in 1986, and then in the year 1992.
16) She has received several honorary and lifetime achievement awards, which include the likes of BET Honors, Soul Train Awards, Essence Awards, Lady of Soul Awards, Songwriters Hall Of Fame and many more.
17) Patti’s 1992 live rendition of Wind Beneath My Wings was a dedication to her youngest sister – Jacqueline “Jackie” Holte Padgett, who passed away due to lung cancer a few years before.
18) Due to multiple untimely deaths in her family – as a result of several health concerns, Patti feared that she might not live to see her 50th. When she crossed that bridge, she stated, it was like being born anew.
19) Lady Marmalade was written after the song’s co-writer Bob Crewe had some experiences with the downtown sex workers of New Orleans, back in the day. The song is sung with a “9 to 5 working” man’s experience with a ‘cafe ole’ colored prostitute. Interestingly, Patti later stated that she had no idea that the protagonist of the song was a sex worker. “I didn’t know what it was about. I don’t know French and nobody, I swear this is God’s truth, nobody at all told me what I’d just sung a song about.”
20) Although Patti has guided a number of her proteges in the music biz, the most notable of them is, Pop singer Mariah Carey – who herself requested Patti to act as her Godmother, during the start of her career.
21) Her best selling album to date is the 1986 released – Winner in You, which featured the crossover hit song ‘On My Own.’
22) Patti LaBelle has a street named after her in her honour in Philadelphia. It is called Patti LaBelle Way and it lies between Locust and Spruce Street.
23) Back in 1964, Patti was engaged to Otis Williams, the founding member of vocal group – The Temptations.
24) A few years ago, Patti had revealed that she was sexually abused by American soul icon, Jackie Wilson. The incident occurred while the duo were backstage at the Brooklyn Fox Theatre some time in the 1960s. According to Patti’s account, Jackie tried to force himself on her, after dragging her to a backstage-room with the help of an accomplice, but Patti somehow managed to fight back, screamed and ran from the scene.
25) It has also been revealed that after the separation of Patti’s parents, when she was only 12, she was put in the hands of her mother’s boyfriend, who is said to have molested her at that age.
26) Patti was married only once; with her former manager – Armstead Jones. The duo tied the knot in 1969 and were divorced in the year 2003, after being separated for 3 years. In a 2019 interview, the then 75 year old stated that she’s still open to finding a husband for herself. “I don’t want a boyfriend. I want a husband.” – she stated.
27) For her raw and gritty vocal quality and emotive deliveries, she is often called the ‘Godmother Of Soul.’
So these were some lesser known, facts about Patti covering various aspects of the Pop/Soul Icon’s personal and professional lives.
Did we miss any?
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