Patti Labelle, whose real name is Patricia Holt-Edwards, is an American singer who can boast of having sold no less than 50 million records throughout the world during a career that spanned almost 50 years !
She started her artistic career in the early 1960s in a school group called The Ordettes with a few classmates. Young girl with precocious talent, she allows the group to know its moment of glory at the local level. The band was renamed Patti Labelle and the Bluebells in 1962 after the band was revamped at the member level. Then Labelle in the 1970s.
Group with which she will realize one of the greatest titles of the end of the twentieth century, namely the now cult "Lady Marmalade" which came out in 1974. A very rare title which earned the group to be the first African-American group to do the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, hell of a feat !
She flies on her own from 1977 and has her first solo success with the title "You are my friend". A first classified title from his eponymous album which is praised by the critics.
Several titles will come out thereafter but it will be necessary for her to wait for the change of decade and the year 1982 to see her finally place her first title in the Billboard Hot 100, with the single "The best is yet to come" that she sings a duet with Grover Washington.
But it was especially from 1983 that her solo career took off when she released the album "I’m in love again". The album was a real hit, in particular thanks to its 2 flagship titles which are “If only you knew” which came out the same year and “Love, need and want you” which came out a year later in 1984.
Success amplified the following year in 1985 with the 2 titles "New attitude" and "Stir it up" which she recorded on the soundtrack of the film The cop of Beverly Hills. The rise in power is obvious and will reach its peak a few months later.
It was 1986 when the sumptuous single "On my own" was released, a title she performed in duet with Michael McDonald. The title will shatter everything on a planetary level and will remain as the biggest success of all his discography. Just like the album "Winner in you" from which it is taken. The singer is then at the height of success and glory.
Who says peak of glory, necessarily says inevitable descent. This will be the case in the years to follow. Although she continues to produce several major titles, the level of success is lower. Until 1989, when the album "Be yourself" was released, an album from which the single "If you asked me to" was to be extracted and which allowed her to temporarily return to success.
The next decade will be like the last. That is to say with nice highs but especially lows. On the top side, two notorious albums including "Gems" in 1994 and especially "Flame" in 1997. "Gems" will produce the top hit "The right kinda lover" and "Flame" will produce the top hit "When you talk about love".
In the end, the singer will still have had an exceptional career, both with her different groups and in her solo career. And few of the same generation can say the same !
To discover or rediscover.
Discography (among others ...) :
I sold my heart to the junkman 1962 (The Bluebells)
Down the Aisle (The wedding song) 1963 (The Bluebells)
Lady Marmalade 1974 (Labelle)
What can I do for you ? 1975 (Labelle)
Isn’t it a shame 1976 (Labelle)
Joy to have your love 1977
You are my friend 1978
Dan swit me 1978
Teach me tonight (Me gusta tu baile) 1978
Little girls 1978
It’s alright with me 1979
Music is my way of life 1979
Release (The tension) 1980
I don’t go shopping 1980
Don't make your angel cry 1980
Rocking pneumonia and the Boggie Woogie flu 1981
The spirits in it 1981
The best is yet to come 1982
If only you knew 1983
I'll never, never give up 1983
Love has finally come at last 1984
Love, need and want you 1984
It take a lot of strenght to say goodbye 1984
New attitude 1985
Stir it up 1985
I can't forget you 1985
Shy 1985
If you don't know me by now (Part 1) 1986
On my own 1986
Oh, people 1986
Kiss away the pain 1986
Something special (Is gonna happen tonight) 1987
The last unbroken heart 1987
Just the facts 1987
If you asked me to 1989
Yo mister 1989
I can't complain 1990
Superwoman 1991
Feels like another one 1991
Somebody loves you baby (You know who it is) 1991
When you’ve been blessed (Feels like heaven) 1992
When you love somebody (Saving my love for you) 1992
All right now 1992
With your hand upon my heart 1993
The right kinda lover 1994
All this love 1994
I never stopped loving you 1995
When you talk about love 1997
Shoe was on the other foot 1997
Someone like you 1998
Too many tears, too many times 2000
Call me gone 2000
Why do we hurt each other 2001
Way up there 2003
You are everything 2003
New day 2004
Something more 2004
It's time 2004
Ain't no way 2005
He's out of my life 2005
Love don't live anymore 2005
Did you pray today 2006
Where love begins 2006
Walk around heaven 2006
Christmas jam 2007
It's the most wonderful time of the year 2007
Nativity 2007
Wild is the wind 2017
Till I get it right 2017
Softly as I leave you 2017
Don't save it all 2017
Mary, did you know 2017
Brahms lullaby 2017
Clips :
1962 ... the beginnings of the genesis of an adventure that will span almost half a century. Who says better ?
1963 ... an adventure which is currently combined with 4. And which produces lovely Intimist moments like this one...
1974 ... a great adventure which unfortunately no longer really produces a big-caliber title until THIS title. An awesome title that will remain as one of the most outstanding titles of the decade and of the end of the twentieth century period. MAS-TER-FUL !
1975 ... after an absolutely exceptional 1974, the girls put the cover back and produced this new hit, which will certainly not have the same level of success as its predecessor, but which will still be largely successful...
1976 ... this time, the adventure with many draws to an end. Once again on a high quality Intimist track. One more !
1977 ... the first solo steps. With the key, a radical change of style and sound. And my faith, this dance style suits her very well...
1978...a second title which confirms all the good things we can think of the young singer. It is certain that she is set for a few years of success, even a few decades...
1978 ... a Dance style that she now intends to exploit to the full, at the end of the 1970s. It is clear that there is still a little work to be done to reach the top of the Charts but the momentum is now underway...
1978...a year 1978 particularly rich in titles and which above all allowed her to show that she was good in all areas. Obviously a good omen for the rest of the adventure...
1978...four titles in a single year, the start of a solo career which unrolls in an impressive way, to say the least...
1979...the style is refined year after year, as is the sound. An obvious rise in power which allows us to envisage the best for the years to come !
1979 ... perfectly in tune with the times, the singer quietly pursues her adventure. And already 2 decades on the clock ...
1980 ... straddling two eras. A Disco era that ends and a Funk era that begins. She will have to choose !
1980 ... sweet break after several years of Dance hits. A well-deserved rest and to better prepare to attack a sequel that promises to be grandiose !
1980...surprisingly some titles will go unnoticed like this one. But there's no need to worry about what happens next, that's clear...
1981...certainly the year 1981 will not stay as his best vintage but as said previously, there is no need to worry at this stage...
1981...this title will manage to save the year 1981 at the last minute. Which shows that there was no reason to be more worried than that...
1982 ... the singer retries the adventure with several but this time, in duet mode. A virtual duo because the partner is not a singer but a saxophonist. And why not !
1983 ... decidedly, we do not feel her very motivated to return to the Dance register. And as long as she produces titles of this quality, why make her change her mind ...
1983...she still have to vary the pleasures a little. So here she is back in Dance mode, a return that won't pay off more than that...
1984 ... a new shocking and above all charming duo. On a very smooth track that once again shows the full extent of her talent in this particular area...
1984 ... a year definitely placed under the sign of the 'With emotions' register. Of course, nothing exceptional but constant quality !
1984...the 'little' hit of the year. Afterwards, given what is on the horizon, it could be that this slight underperformance will quickly be forgotten...
1985 ... 180° turn and comeback in 100 % Dance mode. A radical change that succeeds her given the success of this title...
1985 ... 1984 was a year full of finesse, 1985 will turn out to be totally the opposite. And on this track, it's downright full power, we hit 200 km/h !
1985...a mid-80s decade which saw the singer at the top of her possibilities and stringing together successes like others stringing pearls...
1985...as always some titles manage to get through 'through' but that absolutely does not call into question the enormous dynamic of success which currently carries the singer...
1986...a year 1986 which starts quietly with this revisited version of the title by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes dating from 1972. Nothing extraordinary but simply good work...
1986 ... then comes THIS title. She will sign here the biggest success of her career, once again in duo mode on an absolutely sumptuous title and which will undoubtedly remain as one of the most emblematic titles of the decade. MA-GIC !
1986 ... a magnificent year 1986 which saw her go on from top hit to top hit. There are times like this in life when everything magically works out !
1986...the 'little' hit of the year. After 2 huge consecutive titles, going for a third would have been a real feat, that's clear...
1987...as much as the year 1986 was exceptional in every way, the year 1987 will prove to be a notch below, despite titles, once again, of obvious quality...
1987...we find her in soundtrack mode for Miami Vice II. A title that will go somewhat unnoticed, which is unfortunately the case with a bunch of soundtracks...
1987...business picks up somewhat with this new title. A year which sees her remain in the leading pack without too much difficulty...
1989 ... small air gap in 1988 followed by a comeback in the year 1989. An end of the decade which ends on the hats of wheel and which offers the artist a new well-deserved top hit !
1989 ... very astonishing to see her in this Dance mode more particularly reserved for young 20 years old. And my faith, she competes without problem with a competition which is, for the most part, 30 years younger than her !
1990...a single-title 1990, something to which we are rarely accustomed. She will only deliver one title but with significant success, that's already it...
1991...the Golden Triplet ! This track brings together no less than 3 mega stars of the American music scene and we know that the result will definitely be up to par !
1991 ... she will have gone through the 60s, then the 70s, then the 80s and here she is in the 90s, one would have thought that this decade would be the last. Oh no, we find her in great shape and radiant as ever !
1991 ... here she is back in Intimist mode, a long time ago. It is clear that she has not lost any of her know-how
1992 ... we continue in the same fashion the following year. As long as it works, why change a recipe that has been rather successful for her so far ...
1992...the start of the 90s which unrolls quietly even if the level of success had declined somewhat. Nothing to worry about at this stage...
1992...an incredible career which reaches its 30th anniversary in this year 1992. And it could be that it is far from over...
1993...some duos were particularly successful and others much less so. This one will rather be part of the second category...
1994 ... then here comes her biggest hit of the decade. We could have believed her completely Has-been, she shows here just the opposite and in what way !
1994...a mid-decade which saw her in particularly good shape. On the other hand, she has never experienced a real drop in power...
1995...new single-title year. But for her that absolutely does not necessarily mean a half-hearted year...
1997 .... the last notorious hit of the decade. But that will not be his last because we will find her the following decade. Exceptional longevity, just like his career !
1997...the adventure continues unabated without suffering the weight of the years and even less the weight of the decades. Incredible but true...
1998...a decade of the 90s which allowed her to show that she knew how to adapt in particular to new musical trends, which inevitably helps...
2000...it now remains to be seen whether she will succeed in remaining in contact with the competition for a long time to come. The future will tell us...
2000...what we feared is happening with a severe decline in the Singles charts to say the least. Fortunately it's holding up on the albums side...
2001...a level of success in clear decline which is not the case for the qualitative level of the whole in any case. What she continues to offer largely holds up, that's for sure...
2003...especially when we remember that she started her career almost 40 years ago and that she is still there. Only the best last...
2003...another lovely duo of shock and charm of which she has the secret. She will have made a few like that and never gets tired of them at first sight...
2004...she will even succeed in making a return to us, to say the least, unexpected in the Singles Charts at the start of 2004. What talent !
2004...what has always saved her is this astonishing ability to adapt to the latest musical trends of the moment. Obviously it pays off !
2004...she was never afraid to question herself, a rare and precious quality, especially in this profession. Because all those who did not have it have disappeared a long time ago...
2005...she really impresses with its ability to resist time, fashions and the weight of decades. Hence the fact that she is still there today...
2005...moreover its level of production still remains particularly high which can only greatly delight the basic fans...
2005...with each new title we say to ourselves that it might be the last and each time she comes back again and again...
2006...not only is she coming back but she has absolutely no intention of letting go of anything. As long as she enjoys what she does, why throw in the towel prematurely...
2006...a desire to believe in it until the end which undoubtedly commands respect and which should serve as a lesson to a lot of young artists who have only just started their careers...
2006...an Intimistdomain which will remain its favorite domain until the end. She will have produced a hell of a lot of titles in this field...
2007...when we see the number of opuses released during this decade it is clear that the adventure is far, very far from being over...
2007...she will still have gone through the 60s, the 70s, then the 80s, then the 90s and finally this 2000s. It's all been a few decades after all !
2007...who could have imagined when she started in 1962 that she would still be there more than 45 years later, not many people that's for sure...
2017...then a big air hole of 10 years, something that has not yet happened to her of this magnitude. Could this be the beginning of the end...?
2017...she had resisted the weight of the decades as much as possible but we feel that everything has its limits and that she may have reached them...
2017...she will only reappear during this year 2017 during this decade but she will succeed in producing 2 opuses, surprising timing...
2017...here is the 2nd opus which this time will indeed be the last, at least at this stage. Because we know, with her nothing is ever over !
2017...it now remains to be seen whether she intends to return afterwards and especially with what musical project. But only the future knows...
2017...come on, a little lullaby to end this adventure. Close or simply pause, good question...
Wiki :
Official Website :
https://www.pattilabelle.com/ Greatest Hits :
Discography :