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Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, Patricia Holte-Edwards developed her vocal talents whilst being part of the church choir, with her vocal talents recognised at an early age. Together with friends Nonah Hendryx, Sarah Dash and Cindy Birdsong, they formed the vocal group the BlueBelles, later shortened to the LaBelles. The group went on to have a career full of top ten hits, most notably the pioneering disco number, “Lady Marmalade,” which reached number one on the Billboard Carts, sending the group into wide critical acclaim, becoming the first African American vocal group to be on the front cover of Rolling Stone magazine in 1975. Following differences with their musical direction, the LaBelles split in 1977, with Patti LaBelle embarking upon a solo career shortly after.
LaBelle went on to have great success as a solo artist, releasing ecords frequently throughout her forty-year career. As a solo artist, she got her first number one hit with the Michael McDonald duet “On My Own” (1986), with her album “Winner in You,” released that same year, peaking at number one on the Billboard album charts. The song went on to sell over a million copies and be certified Platinum. In 1992, she won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance for her 1991 album “Burnin’.” The album featured three top ten hits and sold half a million copies.
As well as being a recording artist, LaBelle has also featured in a number of stage productions, performing in “Your Arms Too Sort to Box with God,” and in later years as Fela Kuti’s mother in the award winning musical “Fela.”
Patti LaBelle has been hugely influential to a number of artists following her work with the LaBelles and as a solo artist. She has helped spur the rise of Disco in America, with the hit songs “Lady Marmalade” and “Messin’ with My Mind.” She has inspired a whole generation of soul singers, with the likes of Christina Aguilera, Donna Summer, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston.
Patti LaBelle represents a fairly rare thing in the past fifty years of the music industry; an R&B and soul singer with huge commercial success, but who wasn’t signed to Motown. Instead, LaBelle’s musical journey - which began well over half a decade ago now - saw her release through the likes of Epic and hometown label Philadelphia International, and still managed to become one of the genre’s biggest-selling artists; worldwide, she’s sold over fifty million records. On the awards front, too, her work both with Labelle the group - who released the iconic ‘Lady Marmalade’ in the early seventies - and as a solo performer has afforded her a healthy raft of gongs, with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame proving that they don’t call her “the godmother of soul” for nothing. In more recent years, LaBelle has continued to perform live, even if she hasn’t made a record since 2004. Earlier this year, she joined fellow legend Aretha Franklin at the White House to perform for Michelle Obama, and left nobody in any doubt that her formidable vocal talent remains untouched. She hasn’t toured the UK for a while, but certainly still has the ability; fans should keep their fingers crossed for now.
Joeg_67
I absolutely LOVE this man's music. It takes me to a special place and makes my heart smile........you can tell he loves making us smile. My nephew plays the violin and Damien is his idol.....
sageter
Najee is a professional American smooth jazz saxophonist and flautist – That’s right, he plays jazz flute. He has had such a fantastic career so far having performed with the likes of Chaka Khan, Prince and Patti Labelle. He made a name for himself playing with such huge names and then in 86’ decided to embark on a solo career.
Tonight he performs various works on both saxophone and flute. He opens with “Room to Breathe” on the alto sax, which he immediately delivers a two-octave glissando at the start, similar to “Rhapsody in Blue” by Gershwin. His set is filled with some glorious musical twists and turns, with songs such as “I Wish” and “Sweet Summer Nights” making the whole audience get up off their feet and dance. His technique is absolutely flawless, as he delivers some modal styles of playing, getting fiendishly technical. He finishes with “Rendezvous” which elevates the audience to a higher plateau, dancing drinking and celebrating.
Lannistaar
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