  cynthia ann "cindy" birdsong (born december 15, 1939) is an american singer, most famous for singing with the legendary soul groups the supremes and patti labelle & the bluebelles. ==biography== ===early life=== birdsong was born in mount holly, new jersey on december 15, 1939, to parents lloyd birdsong, sr. and annie birdsong. after living in philadelphia, pennsylvania for a duration of her childhood, the family returned to new jersey, settling in camden. birdsong set her sights on becoming a nurse and attending college in pennsylvania. when cindy returned to philadelphia she was contacted by a longtime friend, patsy holt, in 1960 to replace sundray tucker in holt's singing group the ordettes."don't block the blessings" by patti labelle, page 94 at twenty years of age, birdsong was the oldest member of the group with the remainder of the group still in their mid-teens. ===patti labelle and the blue belles=== in 1961, after a year performing in jubilees, sock hops and school functions, the ordettes, then managed by respected music manager bernard montague, who later managed several other philadelphia-based groups such as the stylistics and the delfonics, got their first deal with harold robinson's newtown records. after almost rejecting the group due to him not being initially impressed with the looks of patsy holt before holt and the group sang to him during an audition, which prompted robinson to change his mind, signing the group and changing the name of both the group (into the blue belles, based from a newtown subsidiary, blue belle records) and holt's own name, from patsy holt to patti labelle. the group had their first hit with "i sold my heart to the junkman" in 1962 though labelle wrote in her memoirs that the song was actually recorded by
1939_births African-American_female_singers American_nurses Labelle_members Living_people Motown_artists Musicians_from_New_Jersey Musicians_from_Philadelphia,_Pennsylvania People_from_Camden,_New_Jersey People_from_Philadelphia,_Pennsylvania The_Supremes_members