Patti LaBelle (born Patricia Louise Holt May 24, 1944[1] , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) guest starred on A Different World in the recurring guest role of Adele Wayne, Dwayne Wayne's mother, in a total of eight episodes, beginning with the Season 3 finale episode "Perhaps Love" (episode #25).
Career
Patti began her career as part of a girl group called the Ordettes in 1959, the next year, Holt and fellow member Sandra Tucker brought in singers Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash, later Cindy Birdsong replaced Tucker. The group was renamed the BlueBelles, and Holt changed her surname to LaBelle. The group had minor hits from 1963-67 when Birdsong shocked the band and left for The Supremes in 1967. In the early 1970s the Bluebelles toured in England with The Who and released two albums, but the group's success came in 1974 with the album Nightbirds, after the group changed their name to LaBelle. The group hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Lady Marmalade", but after that album and succeeding tour the group broke up in 1976 to pursue solo careers.
Patti released four solo albums between 1977-1984, but received a Grammy nomination for her song "The Best Is Yet To Come" (with Grover Washington, Jr.). Then she had two songs for the movie Beverly Hills Cop, "New Attitude" (#17) and "Stir It Up" (#41) with the latter two crossing over to pop audiences and becoming radio staples. [1]
Patti's appearance at the Live Aid concert in 1985 introduced her to a new audience. In 1986 she reached #1 with a duet with Michael MacDonald, "On My Own", and the Top 10 with "If You Asked Me To" (Celine Dion's version three years after LaBelle's reached #1). Her 1991 album Burnin'</nowiki> earned LaBelle her first of two Grammy Awards (her second was in 1998). Two more albums, including one gospel album, were released in the 2000's, in 2008 LaBelle, Dash, and Hendryx reunited for the album Back To Now, performed on Broadway from 2010-2011 and in 2014, appeared at the White House with Aretha Franklin (who sings the series' opening theme for Seasons 2 thru 5) and other women of soul. In 2015 LaBelle placed 8th on Dancing With The Stars, appeared in American Horror Story and Empire.
In a career that has spanned fifty years, she has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. LaBelle has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Apollo Theater Hall of Fame and the Songwriters' Hall of Fame. In 2005, the World Music Awards recognized her years in the music business by awarding her the Legend Award. LaBelle was included in Rolling Stone on their list of 100 Greatest Singers.[2][3] LaBelle is commonly identified as the "Godmother of Soul".[4]
Personal life
Patti was engaged to Temptations singer Otis Otis Williams in the 1960s, but broke it off due to their conflicting schedules. LaBelle later married Armstead Edwards in 1969; they had one biological child, Zuri Kye (born 1973), then they adopted two teenage boys, Stanley and Todd, after the death of their mother (and next-door neighbor) from cancer in the late 1970s. Edwards became LaBelle's manager in 1976, but left the role of both manager and husband when LaBelle and Edwards divorced in 2001. LaBelle was diagnosed with diabetes in 1992, she has appeared in commercials for the One Touch meters used in monitoring glucose levels.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Patti LaBelle profile. Biography.com. Retrieved on August 12, 2014.
- ↑ "Patti LaBelle: 100 Greatest Singers", Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2012-10-15.
- ↑ Patti LaBelle News, Pictures, and Videos. Tmz.com. Retrieved on 2014-07-29.
- ↑ The Godmother of Soul Patti LaBelle: The Better She Feels, The Better She Looks. Parade (March 13, 2015). Retrieved on September 8, 2015.
External links
- Patti LaBelle article at Wikipedia
Patti LaBelle at the Internet Movie Database
