Category: Whats Buzzing in the Streets

Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the “Empress of Soul”, is an American recording artist, songwriter, businesswoman, humanitarian and author. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, she is best known for the hits she recorded during the 1960s and 1970s, for both the Motown and Buddah Records labels, with her group Gladys Knight & the Pips, the most famous incarnation of which also included her brother Merald “Bubba” Knight and her cousins Edward Patten and William Guest.

Knight was born in Oglethorpe, Georgia, the daughter of Sarah Elizabeth (née Woods) and Merald Woodlow Knight, Sr., a postal worker. She first achieved minor fame by winning Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour TV show contest at the age of 7 in 1952. The following year, she, her brother Merald, sister Brenda, and cousins William and Elenor Guest formed a musical group called The Pips (named after another cousin, James “Pip” Woods). By the end of the decade, the act had begun to tour, and had replaced Brenda Knight and Eleanor Guest with Gladys Knight’s cousin Edward Patten and friend Langston George.

Gladys Knight & the Pips joined the Motown Records roster in 1966, and, although regarded as a second-string act, scored several hit singles, including “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”, (recorded first by Marvin Gaye but released a year later), “Friendship Train” (1969), “If I Were Your Woman” (1970), “I Don’t Want To Do Wrong” (1971), the Grammy Award winning “Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)” (1972), and “Daddy Could Swear (I Declare)” (1973). In their early Motown career Gladys Knight and the Pips toured as the opening act for Diana Ross and The Supremes. Gladys Knight stated in her memoirs that Ross kicked her off the tour because the audience’s reception to Knight’s soulful performance overshadowed her. Berry Gordy later told Gladys that she was giving his act a hard time.

The act left Motown for a better deal with Buddah Records in 1973, and achieved full-fledged success that year with hits such as the Grammy-winning “Midnight Train to Georgia” (#1 on the pop and R&B chart), “I’ve Got to Use My Imagination,” and “You’re the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me”. In the summer of 1974, Knight and the Pips recorded the soundtrack to the successful film Claudine with producer Curtis Mayfield. The act was particularly successful in Europe, and especially the United Kingdom. However, a number of the Buddah singles became hits in the UK long after their success in the US. For example, “Midnight Train to Georgia” hit the UK pop charts Top 5 in the summer of 1976, a full three years after its success in the U.S.

During this period of greater recognition, Knight made her motion picture acting debut in the film Pipe Dreams, a romantic drama set in Alaska. The film failed at the box-office, but Knight did receive a Golden Globe Best New Actress nomination.

Knight and the Pips continued to have hits until the late 1970s, when they were forced to record separately due to legal issues, resulting in Knight’s first solo LP recordings–Miss Gladys Knight (1978) on Buddah and Gladys Knight (1979) on Columbia Records. Having divorced James Newman II in 1973, Knight married Barry Hankerson (future uncle of R&B singer Aaliyah), then Detroit mayor Coleman Young’s executive aide. Knight and Hankerson remained married for four years, during which time they had a son, Shanga Ali. Upon their divorce, Hankerson and Knight were embroiled in a heated custody battle over Shanga Ali.

In the early 1980s, Johnny Mathis invited Gladys to record two duets – “When A Child Is Born” (previously a hit for Mathis) and “The Lord’s Prayer”.

Signing with Columbia Records in 1980 and restored to its familiar quartet form, Gladys Knight & the Pips began releasing new material. The act enlisted former Motown producers Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson for their first two LPs–About Love (1980) and Touch (1981). During this period, Knight kicked a gambling addiction to the game baccarat.

In 1987, Knight decided to pursue a solo career, and she and the Pips recorded their final LP together, All Our Love (1987), for MCA Records. Its infectious lead single, “Love Overboard”, was a #1 R&B hit and won another Grammy for the act as well. After a successful 1988 tour, the Pips retired and Knight began her solo career. Gladys Knight & the Pips were inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1989 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

While still with The Pips, Gladys joined with Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, and Elton John on the 1986 AIDS benefit single, “That’s What Friends Are For”, a triple #1 mega-hit, which won a Grammy for Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal. In 1989, she recorded the title track for the James Bond movie Licence to Kill, a top 10 hit in the UK and Germany.

Gladys released her third and most successful solo LP, Good Woman, on MCA in 1991. It hit #1 on the R&B album chart and featured the #2 R&B hit “Men”. It also reached #45 on the main Billboard album chart – her all time highest showing. The album also featured “Superwoman”, written by Babyface and featuring Dionne Warwick and Patti LaBelle. Knight and LaBelle would collaborate the same year on “I Don’t Do Duets”, a duet with Patti LaBelle from LaBelle’s album Burnin’.

Her fourth solo LP, Just for You, went gold and was nominated for the 1995 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album.

In 1992 Vernon Ray Blue II, choir master of the year asked Gladys to record his first single “He Lifted Me”

Knight joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1997. She had occasionally teased LDS Church president, the late Gordon B. Hinckley, that his flock needs to inject some “pep” into their music. Knight created and now directs the Mormon-themed choir Saints Unified Voices. SUV has released a Grammy Award-winning CD titled One Voice, and occasionally performs at LDS church firesides.

In 2005, a duet between Knight and the late Ray Charles of “You Were There” was released on Charles’ duets album Genius & Friends.

In 2008, a duet between Knight and Johnny Mathis was released on Mathis’ album A Night to Remember. Knight is ranked number eighteen on VH1 network’s list of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock.

In the spring of 2008, Knight appeared alongside Chaka Khan, Patti Labelle and Diana Ross at the ‘Divas with Heart’ concert in aid of cardiac research, at New York’s Radio City Hall.

In 2008 Gladys, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr. and Ben Stiller performed on American Idol to raise money for charity. In March 2010, Randy Jackson mentioned on a new episode of the same show that he is back in the studio with Gladys Knight working on a new album.

In 2009 Knight sang “His Eye Is On The Sparrow” and “The Lord’s Prayer” at the funeral service for Michael Jackson.

On December 21, 2010, Knight released the single “Settle” on iTunes and Amazon. In September 2011, a new, updated recording of Tom Jones’ 1970 classic I (Who Have Nothing) was released on iTunes and Amazon.

In 2013, Knight recorded the Lenny Kravitz written and produced song “”You And I Ain’t Nothin’ No More” for the soundtrack from Lee Daniels’ motion picture The Butler. The song was added to the movie’s soundtrack of older songs by various artists so that the producers had a song to compete in the Best Song from a Motion Picture category at the Academy Awards.

Gladys will celebrate her 70th birthday in May of 2014. She is currently working on tracks for a new album, to be released sometime in 2014.

Knight has been married four times and has three children. In 1960, she married her high school sweetheart, James Newman. They had one son, James “Jimmy” Newman (1962–1999). She retired from the road to raise their child while The Pips toured on their own.

In 1963, after having her only daughter, Kenya, Knight returned to recording with the Pips in order to support her family.

In the early 1960s, Gladys, James, and the Pips moved to Detroit, Michigan. Knight and her family lived on Sherbourne in Sherwood Forest, then an upscale neighborhood on Detroit’s West Side. She also resided on LaSalle for a time. Her children attended Gesu Catholic Grade School.

James and Knight divorced in 1973. In 1974, Knight married producer and Blackground Records founder Barry Hankerson, who is the uncle of the late R&B singer Aaliyah, in Detroit. Around 1977, they relocated to Atlanta. (The Pips, however, remained in The Motor City.) The couple had one son, Shanga Hankerson, and divorced in 1981.

Knight married motivational speaker Les Brown in 1995, but they separated and divorced in 1997. Also in 1997, she was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, following her son and daughter.

Knight has been married four times and has three children. In 1960, she married her high school sweetheart, James Newman. They had one son, James “Jimmy” Newman (1962–1999). She retired from the road to raise their child while the Pips toured on their own. In 1963, after having her only daughter, Kenya, Knight returned to recording with the Pips in order to support her family. In the early 1960s, Gladys, James, and the Pips moved to Detroit, Michigan. Knight and her family lived on Sherbourne in Sherwood Forest, an upscale neighborhood on Detroit’s West Side. She also resided on LaSalle for a time. Her children attended Gesu Catholic Grade School. Newman and Knight divorced in 1973. In 1974, Knight married producer and Blackground Records founder Barry Hankerson, who is the uncle of the late R&B singer Aaliyah, in Detroit. Around 1977, they relocated to Atlanta. (The Pips, however, remained in Detroit.) The couple had one son, Shanga Hankerson, and divorced in 1981. Knight married motivational speaker Les Brown in 1995, but they separated and divorced in 1997.

Previously a Baptist, in 1997 she was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, following her son and daughter. She had occasionally teased LDS Church president, the late Gordon B. Hinckley, that his flock needs to inject some “pep” into their music. Knight married William McDowell in 2001. They have sixteen grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

In 2017, Knight helped raise $400,000 for the Children’s Learning Centers of Fairfield County. The April 22nd event was held at the Palace Theatre and was co-hosted by Carol Anne Riddell and Alan Kalter.

Written by Dianne Washington

André Lauren Benjamin (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name André 3000 (formerly known as André), is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and actor, best known for being part of hip hop duo Outkast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi. As an actor, Benjamin has made appearances in a number of TV series and films, including Families, The Shield, Be Cool, Revolver, Semi-Pro, Four Brothers, and the leading role of Jimi Hendrix in All Is by My Side. In addition to music and acting, Benjamin has also been an active entrepreneur. In the spring of 2008, he launched a clothing line called Benjamin Bixby. He has also been an advocate for animal rights. He is also known for his work on the Cartoon Network animated series Class of 3000.

In 2013, Complex included Benjamin on its list of the 10 best rappers of the 2000s. In 2015, Billboard included Benjamin on its list of the 10 Greatest Rappers of All Time.

Benjamin was born in Atlanta, Georgia the only child of Sharon Benjamin-Hodo (d. 2013), a single mother who sold real estate, and Lawrence Harvey Walker (d. 2014), a collections agent. He is of African-American and Native American descent. Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, East Point, Georgia and Bankhead, Georgia, he attended Sarah Smith Elementary School, Sutton Middle School, Northside High School and Southwest DeKalb High School.

In high school, Benjamin (who was then performing as “Andre”) met Antwan “Big Boi” Patton. Benjamin and Patton teamed up to form Outkast. Shortly after graduating from high school, the duo was signed to the Atlanta-based LaFace label and released their debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, in 1994. Buoyed by the success of the single “Player’s Ball”, the album went platinum by the end of the year and Outkast was named Best New Rap Group of the Year at the 1995 Source Awards. On their next two albums, ATLiens and Aquemini, Outkast experimented with their sound by adding elements of trip hop, soul, and jungle. The albums were also influenced by a return to traditional black music genres, funk being the prime example. With Outkast’s portrayal of themselves as out-of-place extra terrestrials in ATLiens, “the funkadelic, futuristic, and seemingly unfamiliar, weird, or eccentric persona projected by André 3000 creates the chance to transcend the more pronounced characterizations of gangstas and pimps so regularly assumed by black men rap artists.” Outkast’s distinctive southern “player” style is combined with these Afrofuturistic elements to create a new, unique space for their brand of rap within popular culture. Benjamin’s lyrics in particular took on a more surreal, space-age tinge. Within the time of his second and third albums, Benjamin took up the guitar, painting, and a new relationship with singer Erykah Badu. Outkast’s fourth album, Stankonia, introduced Benjamin’s new alias André 3000 (largely to distinguish himself from Dr. Dre and his new persona after the end of his relationship) and increased the group’s crossover appeal with the single “Ms. Jackson”, which hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written in the aftermath of Benjamin’s breakup with Badu and was a fictionalized account of the disintegration of their relationship. In 2002, Outkast released a greatest hits album, Big Boi and Dre Present… OutKast, which contained three new tracks. One track, “The Whole World”, won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Later that year, Benjamin participated in the Dungeon Family group album, which saw a number of prominent Atlanta-based hip-hop groups combine into a supergroup. In 2002, André 3000 was referenced on the song “Till I Collapse” by Eminem, who considered him one of the best rappers ever.

In 2003, Outkast released Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, a double album which highlighted the differences in the musical styles of the group’s two members. Benjamin’s half of the album, The Love Below, garnered the most attention from mainstream audiences, with the popular singles “Hey Ya!” and “Roses”. The album’s fourth single and video (Benjamin’s third), “Prototype”, was released shortly after. Big Boi’s Speakerboxxx spawned the top ten hit “The Way You Move” and the relatively successful “Ghetto Musick”. The Love Below was, unlike Speakerboxxx, an exercise in funk, jazz, and alternative music, featuring sung vocals from Benjamin (instead of rapped). Rolling Stone compared Benjamin to an indie-rock Little Richard” on Outkast’s 2003 Number 1 international hit ‘Hey Ya!” and later declared the hit one of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, In 2006, Outkast released their sixth album as a group, Idlewild. The album served as a soundtrack to the group’s musical film Idlewild. The film centered on life in a 1930s setting and the album took influences from music of that era, particularly blues. Benjamin had a few rapped verses on the album, including on the first single “Mighty O”, but mostly stuck with singing as he had on The Love Below. The album actually postponed the release of the theatrical Idlewild, as Andre 3000 and Big Boi were concentrated more on the production of the music than the movie. In an odd turn of events, the movie was finished before the album was, and because of that, the movie was postponed about a year. This was because the crew of Outkast and its associates’ had developed the idea of creating a movie before the release of one of their early albums, Aquemini. Thus, when it finally came time to collaborate as a group on the movie, they had most of the details workout, including a script, as stated by Andre 3000 himself in an interview he had conducted with Billboard in 2006.

In January 2014, it was announced that Outkast would be reuniting to celebrate their 20th anniversary by performing at more than 40 festivals worldwide during the spring/summer of 2014, beginning with a headline spot at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California in April.

Written by Dianne Washington

Jason Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known as Jadakiss, is an American rapper. He is a member of the group The LOX. (a member of the hip hop collective Ruff Ryders) Jadakiss is one of the three owners of the imprint known as D-Block Records. In early 2007, Jadakiss signed to Roc-a-Fella Records / Def Jam Records. Jadakiss has also released three studio albums with the most recent being The Last Kiss (2009). Recently he has been releasing mixtapes and plans to release his fourth studio album Top 5, Dead or Alive in 2014.

By age 16, Jadakiss was a freestyle rapper. He and some of his friends were given the opportunity to compete in the “Jack the Rapper Competition” in Florida, where Jadakiss had been noticed for his battle rap ability. He met Dee and Wah of the Ruff Ryders (then a management company), and began hanging out and battling outside of the Ruff Ryders’ studio where artists such as DMX made their first hits.

Jason Phillips founded the rap group The Warlocks in 1994 with friends, Sheek Louch and Styles P. They later signed to Bad Boy Entertainment, where it was suggested that they change their name simply to “The LOX”, which came to stand for Living Off eXperience.[citation needed] They made their first appearance on The Main Source’s 1994 LP Fuck What You Think on the track “Set it Off.”

The group, especially Jadakiss, developed a close relationship with The Notorious B.I.G., during which time Jadakiss was taken under Biggie’s wing. The LOX’s first hit was the tribute to The Notorious B.I.G. called “We’ll Always Love Big Poppa” (the B-side to Puff Daddy’s “I’ll Be Missing You”) in 1997. In 1998, the LOX released Money, Power & Respect. Though the record was successful, eventually going Platinum, The LOX grew unhappy with Bad Boy Records and Puffy’s glossy, radio friendly production. Following this album, they left the label to sign with Ruff Ryders Entertainment.

Written Dianne Washington

Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, an African American singer, writer and entertainer, was born on this date in 1971.

She was Born in Philadelphia, PA, and first learned how to play songs on a toy piano she received at the age of 5. Lopes moved to Atlanta in 1992, forming the super singing group TLC with Tionne Watkins and Rozonda Thomas. As talented as She was with the group, she was very extroverted and outspoken regarding business dealings with TLC and her own career aspirations. She was also often in the news with her personal life too.

She even went so far as to burn the house down of her on-again off-again football star boyfriend, Andre’ Rison. Lopes was fined and sentenced to five years probation, then entered an alcohol rehab program. Her brother said his sister’s life had its share of turmoil, but that the changes she underwent in the last few years made her a better person. On March 20, 2002, Lopes traveled to Honduras where she visited often. She was volunteering at a children’s development center and The Usha Herbal Resource Institute, an herbal healing center.

Lopes was driving a rented SUV, a spokesperson said, when the vehicle tipped over while were traveling from La Ceiba to San Pedro Sula. Lopes died from a head injury. A capacity crowd of about 10,000 people filled New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in the Atlanta suburb of Lithonia, and hundreds more waited outside the church during the 30-year-old singer’s funeral.

A host of music industry VIPs attended, including singers Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Keith Sweat, and producer Kenneth “Baby Face” Edmonds.

Written by Dianne Washington

Heavy D was born on this date in 1967. He was an African American Hip Hop/Rap artist.

Born Dwight Arrington Myers in Mandeville, Jamaica, the son of Eulahlee Lee, a nurse, and Clifford Vincent Myers, a machine technician. His family moved to Mount Vernon, New York, US in the early 1970s. In 1987, Heavy D & The Boyz, the group that he fronted, was the first act signed to Uptown Records, the record company started by Andre Harrell. The group enjoyed widespread fame in the early 1990s, and scored prominent cameos on hit songs with Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. Heavy D also appeared on the theme songs for the popular sketch comedy shows “In Living Color” and “MadTV,” and later went on to run Uptown, the record label on which he’d spent much of his career.

But tragedy found the group at the beginning of its commercial success. Troy Dixon, a member of the group known as Trouble T Roy, died in an accident after a show when he fell from an exit ramp. Dixon’s death was the inspiration for Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth’s “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.).” Heavy D was name-checked on the Notorious B.I.G.’s first hit single, “Juicy,” in which Biggie Smalls remembered growing up and wanting the kind of fame enjoyed by rap pioneers like Heavy D and Salt ‘N Pepa. A young Biggie Smalls appeared on Heavy D’s 1992 album “Blue Funk.” Heavy D, the rapper whose real name is Dwight Arrington Myers, is dead at the young age of 44.

He was known for heavyset physique, his dancing and tongue-twisting rhymes. Beverly Hills police told the Associated Press that Heavy D died in a Los Angeles hospital November 8th 2011 after collapsing at his condominium building. Heavy D’s death came almost a month after a comeback performance at the 2011 BET Hip-Hop Awards, when he performed a medley of his best-known singles, among them “Nuttin’ But Love,” “Is It Good to You” and “Now That We Found Love.” On Twitter, he was known for posting affirming messages. His final tweet appeared early the morning he died.

Written by Dianne Washington

Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards (born May 24, 1944), better known under the stage name Patti LaBelle, is a renowned Grammy Award-winning American singer, author, and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry. LaBelle spent 16 years as lead singer of Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, who changed their name to Labelle in the early 1970s and released the iconic disco song “Lady Marmalade”.

LaBelle started her solo career shortly after the group disbanded in 1977 and crossed over to pop music with “On My Own”, “If You Asked Me To”, “Stir It Up”, and “New Attitude”. She has also recorded R&B ballads such as “You Are My Friend”, “If Only You Knew”, and “Love, Need and Want You”.

LaBelle possesses the vocal range of a soprano. Due to her musical legacy and influence, she has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Apollo Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame. The World Music Awards presented her with the prestigious Legend Award. LaBelle has sold over 50 million records worldwide.

Patricia Louise Holte was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 24, 1944. Her father, Henry Holte (alternatively, Holt), was a railroad worker and lounge singer. Her mother, Bertha Holte, was a domestic and housewife. Patti was third of four daughters (Vivian, Barbara, and Jacqueline). She recalls having a happy childhood but said her parents had an unhappy marriage. When she was twelve, her parents split up and Bertha Holte raised her daughters as a single mother. Her mother later adopted Claudette Grant, who would become one of Patricia’s closest friends.

Despite her shyness, she was known for her gifted voice even as a child. After first joining her church choir at ten, she sang her first solo at the Beulah Baptist Church at twelve. Growing up, Holte listened not only to gospel, but jazz and rhythm and blues. By her teens, “Patsy”, as friends and family called her, also began listening to doo-wop and was encouraged to form a girl group in the late fifties. In 1958, she formed The Ordettes with three other friends. The following year, when two members of the group dropped out, singers Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash, from a former rival group, joined them. Eventually with Cindy Birdsong included in the lineup by 1961 and with respected music impresario Bernard Montague managing them, the group gained a reputation around Philadelphia and soon caught the eye of a record scout, who introduced them to Newtown Records president Harold Robinson.

After hearing Holte’s voice during an audition, Robinson, who nearly ditched the group due to their looks — he allegedly thought Holte was “too plain and dark” to lead a singing group – agreed to sign the group, renaming them The Blue Belles (the name would simply be “The Bluebelles” by the mid‑1960s), after a Newtown subsidiary label.

Not long after that, the group made a hit single, “I Sold My Heart to the Junkman”, though the song was recorded by another girl group, the Chicago-based The Starlets. This led to a lawsuit by a manager of the group and its record label boss, later resulting in the group winning $5,000 in damages. “I Sold My Heart to the Junkman” eventually reached the Billboard’ top 20. Despite this credited success, the group could not follow up with any other hit. The Blue Belles supported themselves by constantly touring including an appearance at the Apollo Theater.

In 1963 a record label executive sued Harold Robinson for use of the name “Blue Belles”, since another group was using the name. As a result, Robinson gave Holte the nickname, Patti La Belle (La Belle is French for “the beautiful one”) and the group’s name was altered to “Patti La Belle and Her Blue Belles”. A year later, the group left Newtown switching over to Cameo-Parkway Records. Their first hit for Cameo-Parkway was the top-40 hit “Down the Aisle (The Wedding Song)”. Their follow-ups included “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and “Danny Boy”.

In 1965 Atlantic Records president Ahmet Ertegun signed the group to the label, working with the group for a year. The group issued their first studio album (as Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles) entitled Somewhere Over the Rainbow in 1966. While they had a modest pop-charted hit with “All or Nothing” and its b‑side, a pop cover of Judy Garland’s “Over The Rainbow”, the group was not as successful as the label predicted. In 1967, their second release, Dreamer, issued two singles, “Take Me For A Little While” and the Curtis Mayfield standard “I’m Still Waiting”. In the middle of touring for that album, Cindy Birdsong suddenly left the group to join The Supremes, replacing Florence Ballard. The remaining trio of LaBelle, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash struggled with subsequent recordings and by 1970, Atlantic had dropped the group from its roster, as had longtime manager Bernard Montague, who had by now focused his full energy on more successful Philly groups such as The Delfonics and The Stylistics.

After almost signing a management deal with Frankie Crocker and Herb Hamlett, the group settled on British manager Vicki Wickham (producer of the UK pop show Ready, Steady, Go!) after Dusty Springfield had mentioned signing them. Wickham advised the group to perform in London and work on a brand new image and sound. LaBelle would later have disagreements with Wickham over changes often saying in interviews that she liked things the way they were. This led to some musical disagreements between LaBelle and Nona Hendryx.

In late 1970, the group returned to the United States changing their name to Labelle and signing a contract with MCA imprint, Track Records. Wickham then had the group open for rock group The Who. In 1971 the group released their debut, Labelle. The record mixed harder-edged soul music with rock music elements, a marked departure from the doo-wop sound of the Blue Belles. The album failed to catch on, as did their 1972 follow-up, Moon Shadow. The group, however, did find success singing alongside Laura Nyro on her acclaimed album, Gonna Take a Miracle. The group would tour with Nyro off and on for the next couple of years.

In 1973 Wickham had the group signed to RCA Records, in Chicago where they recorded the Pressure Cookin’ album. In the middle of recording, LaBelle gave birth to her only child, Zuri. While promoting the album opening for The Rolling Stones, Wickham advised the group to adapt the same flamboyant costumes of rock artists such as T. Rex, Elton John, and David Bowie. Soon, their own stage entrances started to take a life on its own, at one point the group members flew into the concert stage, while singing. Despite this change in direction, their third album failed to become a success. However, a scout for Epic Records advised the group to sign with them in 1974 at the end of the Rolling Stones tour.

Later that year, Labelle issued their most acclaimed album, Nightbirds. In October 1974, the group made history by becoming the first pop group to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House. In late December, Epic issued the single “Lady Marmalade”. Within six months, the record became a smash hit and reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the group’s first to do so. This helped their album sell over a million copies. Their fame was so massive during this time that they made the cover of Rolling Stone magazine later in 1975.

Later in 1975, the group issued their follow-up, Phoenix, which did not quite catch on as fast though it was critically raved. They had a little more success with the Chameleon album in 1976, with the songs “Get You Somebody New” and “Isn’t It A Shame”; the latter song Patti LaBelle would say was “the last record we ever did together”. Despite her success, LaBelle was not pleased at the group’s direction and by late 1976, neither LaBelle, Dash, nor Hendryx could agree on a musical direction. Following a concert in Baltimore in December 1976, LaBelle advised the others to break up.

LaBelle released her self-titled album in 1977 on Epic. The record was a critical success, with the highlights being the dance singles “Joy To Have Your Love” and “Dan Swit Me”, and the pop-R&B ballad “You Are My Friend”, a song she and her husband co‑wrote. Her subsequent follow-ups, however, 1978’s Tasty, 1979’s It’s Alright with Me, and 1980s Released, failed to be as successful. Though well-established in some circles, LaBelle never followed her live performance success with hit records, which was often the case with the Bluebelles. In 1981, she was switched to the CBS subsidiary, Philadelphia International Records, issuing the album The Spirit’s In It.

LaBelle found success outside music, performing in the Broadway revival of Your Arms Too Short to Box with God, with Al Green. However, the play was criticized for what critics felt was vocal showboating by Green and LaBelle, criticism that LaBelle did not take lightly. In 1982 she recorded the Grover Washington ballad “The Best Is Yet To Come”, which led to her first top-20 R&B hit and her first Grammy nomination in the spring of 1983. Later that year, LaBelle appeared in the PBS-produced play Working. In October 1983, the mid-tempo love song “If Only You Knew” was released. The parent album, I’m In Love Again, was released the following month. In January 1984, “If Only You Knew” reached number-one on the Hot R&B Singles chart, where it stayed for four weeks. The song became LaBelle’s first charted hit on the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist, reaching the lower regions of the top fifty, peaking at number 46. The success of that single and its similar-sounding follow-up, “Love, Need and Want You”, which reached number 10 on the R&B chart, helped I’m in Love Again reach gold in the United States.

Later in 1984, LaBelle appeared in her first film, A Soldier’s Story. In the fall of 1984, LaBelle recorded the songs, “New Attitude” and “Stir It Up”, later issued for the soundtrack of Beverly Hills Cop, released in December 1984. The soundtrack became a hit, thanks to the releases of “New Attitude” and “Stir It Up”. The former single reached as high as number 17 on the Hot 100 and was number 1 on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart in the spring of 1985, introducing LaBelle to pop audiences. In 1985 LaBelle left Philadelphia International signing a lucrative contract with MCA. PIR issued the final contractual LaBelle album, Patti. The album was not successful.

LaBelle garnered headlines in 1985 for her showstopping performances, first at Motown Returns to the Apollo where she opened the show with Joe Cocker singing You Are So Beautiful in which she received very high praise. In the same show she engaged in the so-called “infamous mic toss” between her and Diana Ross during the show’s finale, to the Foreigner song, “I Want to Know What Love Is”. LaBelle later alleged that Ross grabbed the microphone away from LaBelle following her taking over the lead, though someone else gave LaBelle another microphone where she finished singing. That same year, LaBelle was accused again of showboating, after singing in the finale of Live Aid to “We Are the World” so loud that she sounded as the only audible singer. Due to this press, she was given her own television special later that fall. Because of these performances, Patti gained even more mainstream popularity culminating in the release of LaBelle’s eighth album, 1986’s Winner in You, which peaked at number 1 on the Billboard 200 on the strength of the pop hit “On My Own”, a duet with singer Michael McDonald. The song became LaBelle’s first number-1 hit since “Lady Marmalade” and her highest-selling album. Winner in You eventually sold a million copies, becoming platinum. It remains her best-selling album. LaBelle took a break in 1988, re-emerging with Be Yourself, in 1989. The album went gold thanks to LaBelle’s soft rock ballad, “If You Asked Me To”, which also was the song for the final credits in the James Bond film Licence to Kill. In 1989 LaBelle also sang the role of “The Acid Queen” in The Who’s star-studded performance of TOMMY in Los Angeles.

Her 1991 album, Burnin’, resulted in LaBelle’s first Grammy win in 1992 for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, an honor she shared with noted singer Lisa Fischer. This was the first instance of a ‘tie’ in Grammy history and caused controversy. Burnin’ spawned three top ten hits on Billboard’s R&B chart and also went on to sell half a million copies, becoming her third gold album. Her 1994 album, Gems and 1997 follow-up, Flame, also were certified gold and LaBelle’s 1990s singles, “The Right Kinda Lover” and “When You Talk About Love” hit number 1 on the dance charts. She won a second Grammy in 1998 for her live album, One Night Only! Following the announcement of the end of her marriage to her husband, Armstead Edwards, who also dismissed himself as LaBelle’s manager after more than 20 years, LaBelle released the ballad-heavy When A Woman Loves album in 2000. She would not release another album until, after signing with the Def Jam Records imprint, Def Soul Classics, she released Timeless Journey, in 2004. The album became her highest-charted album in eighteen years. In 2005 a follow-up album, Classic Moments, was released. Shortly after, LaBelle left Def Jam Records in 2006 over a public dispute with Antonio “L.A.” Reid. She released her first gospel album, The Gospel According to Patti LaBelle on the Bungalo label, the album later peaking at number 1 on Billboard′s gospel album chart. She returned to Def Jam in 2007 and released her second holiday album, Miss Patti’s Christmas. As of 2011, LaBelle has yet to release a new solo album. In 2008, LaBelle briefly reunited with Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash as Labelle on the group’s first new album in over thirty years, Back to Now.

Following her roles in A Soldier’s Story and Sing, LaBelle won a recurring role as Kadeem Hardison’s mother on the hit show, A Different World. In 1992 following her success on the sitcom and responding to the success of rapper Will Smith’s Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, LaBelle starred in her own sitcom, Out All Night. The show was cancelled after only 19 episodes. In 1993 she earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and two years afterwards, performed at the Super Bowl half-time show. For a period, LaBelle’s theme song for The Oprah Winfrey Show, entitled “Get With the Program”, proved to be popular along with its catchphrase. In 2002, LaBelle appears in the 44th Grammy Awards ceremony in a performance of the new version of “Lady Marmalade”, with Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mýa and Pink. In 2003, LaBelle participates in the tribute organized by the Spanish Television network Telemundo to the Cuban singer and legend of the Latin music Celia Cruz, singing with Gloria Estefan. In 2003 she starred in her own lifestyle show, Livin’ It Up With Patti LaBelle, which aired for three years on the TV-One channel. In 1996 LaBelle issued her autobiography, Don’t Block the Blessings. She released her first of five cookbooks in 1997, and in 2006, released the book Patti’s Pearls. In addition, LaBelle began to sell collections of spices, lipstick and even wigs on her website. Her wig collection, Especially Yours, was sold for some time but has since stopped.

On September 14, 2010, LaBelle made a return two decades after her last Broadway performance to star in the award-winning musical Fela![8] about Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. LaBelle replaced Tony Award-nominee Lillias White as Fela’s mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, and remained with the production through the end of its run on January 2, 2011. On May 23, 2011, LaBelle appeared on “Oprah’s Farewell Spectacular, Part 1” the first show in a series of three shows constituting the finale of The Oprah Winfrey Show, singing “Over the Rainbow” with Josh Groban. LaBelle was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BET Awards on June 26, 2011.

She performed for President Barack Obama at the 9/11 tribute, singing “Two Steps Away”. She received a standing ovation, after she walked away from the microphone and continued to be heard. On December 21, 2011, she appeared on an episode of the Bravo television series Top Chef, surprising the ten remaining chefs after their “Quickfire” challenge. A shortened version of “Lady Marmalade” was in the broadcast, which was filmed in Austin, Texas. She then served as a guest judge on the episode. On January 2, 2012, she performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the NHL Winter Classic between the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers at Citizens Bank Park. In February 2012, LaBelle honored Mariah Carey singing Carey’s hit single “Hero” at that year’s BET Honors.

In August 2013 the singer performed the socially conscious track What Can I Do For You on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno which included the high profiled guest Barack Obama.

In October 2013 Mariah Carey took the stage at the 2013 Black Girls Rock! event to honor Patti LaBelle with the evening’s Living Legend award.

Patti LaBelle and Aretha Franklin headlined the “Women of Soul: In Performance at the White House” concert hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House, recorded March 6, 2014. Melissa Etheridge, Janelle Monáe, Ariana Grande, Tessanne Chin, and Jill Scott also performed.

A longtime resident of Philadelphia, LaBelle currently lives in the Philadelphia suburb, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. In 1969, she married Armstead Edwards. In July 1973, their first and only child, Zuri Kye Edwards, was born. In the late 1970s, Labelle and Edwards adopted two teenage boys, Stanley and Dodd, the children of their next-door neighbor, after their mother died of cancer. Following the death of her youngest sister Jackie Padgett, the couple raised Padgett’s teenage children. Following the disbanding of the group Labelle in 1976, Edwards, who was a schoolteacher, took over as his wife’s manager. In 2000, the couple announced their separation. Their divorce was finalized in 2003. LaBelle’s son Zuri has since taken over as her manager.

Her youngest sister Jackie Padgett became president of her sister’s fan club in the early 1980s. When Jackie later died of lung cancer in 1989, Patti dedicated her 1991 album, Burnin’, to Jackie and filmed the video for “If You Asked Me To” a day after her funeral. Her two other sisters, Vivian and Barbara predeceased Jackie. LaBelle was diagnosed with diabetes in 1995. Prior to her marriage to Edwards, LaBelle was once engaged to The Temptations singer Otis Williams, breaking it off owing to conflicting schedules.

In June 2011, a West Point cadet filed a civil suit against LaBelle after he was allegedly assaulted by her bodyguards at Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston, in March. Houston police department is reviewing the conduct of officers responding to the incident after they posed for photographs with the singer, and have also filed assault charges against members of her entourage and warrants were issued. In August 2011, the cadet, who had initially been suspended from West Point for his involvement in the altercation, was allowed back in West Point. LaBelle has countersued, alleging the cadet was drunk and using racial slurs.

In November 2011, LaBelle was sued by a woman named Roseanna Monk, from New York, after LaBelle allegedly hurled insults at her for allowing her then 18-month-old daughter to walk steps away from her at an apartment lobby that LaBelle was renting during her appearance on Fela! in November 2010. According to the lawsuit, after Monk reportedly told LaBelle it was none of her business as to why the child was “scampering”, she allegedly threw water at Monk and her child.

As lead singer of the idiosyncratic group Labelle, Patti LaBelle has been called one of the pioneers of the disco movement due to singles such as “Lady Marmalade” and “Messin’ With My Mind”. In turn, “Lady Marmalade” has been also called one of the first mainstream disco hits (Jones and Kantonen, 1999). Rolling Stones Magazine includes LaBelle in its 100 Greatest Singers List, citing her as an influencing factor to “generations of soul singers” including Luther Vandross, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige and Christina Aguilera. Other singers who have been inspired by Patti LaBelle include Ashford & Simpson, Celine Dion, Donna Summer, SWV, Coko, Tanya Blount, Jennifer Hudson, Jody Watley, Macy Gray, Mariah Carey, Martha Wash, Paula Abdul, Fantasia Barrino, Whitney Houston, and Ariana Grande as well as Oleta Adams, and Regina Belle.

Written by Dianne Washington

Cher (born May 20, 1946 as Cherilyn Sarkisian, Armenian: Շերիլին Սարգիսեան) is an American singer and actress. Sometimes called the Goddess of Pop, she has been described as embodying female autonomy in a male-dominated industry. She is known for her distinctive contralto singing voice and for having worked in numerous areas of entertainment, as well as adopting a variety of styles and appearances during her six-decade-long career.

Cher gained popularity in 1965 as one-half of the folk rock husband-wife duo Sonny & Cher after their song “I Got You Babe” reached number one on the American and British charts. By the end of 1967, they had sold 40 million records worldwide and had become, according to Time magazine, rock’s “it” couple. She began her solo career simultaneously, releasing in 1966 her first million-seller song, “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)”. She became a television personality in the 1970s with her shows The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, watched by over 30 million viewers weekly during its three-year run, and Cher. She emerged as a fashion trendsetter by wearing elaborate outfits on her television shows.

She is still rockin.

Written by Dianne Washington